Ashcloud Phoenix MTG Card

Ashcloud Phoenix excels at card advantage by resurrecting, demanding opponents’ additional resources. Its morph ability can be used at instant speed, enhancing in-game strategic flexibility. Despite requiring specific mana, the card’s unique resilience makes it a formidable threat.

Ashcloud Phoenix - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
2014-09-26 - Number 99

Ashcloud Phoenix - Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)

Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
2024-02-09 - Number 147

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Creature — Phoenix
Abilities	Flying,Morph
Power	4
Toughness	1

Text of card

Flying When Ashcloud Phoenix dies, return it to the battlefield face down. Morph (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When Ashcloud Phoenix is turned face up, it deals 2 damage to each player.

Cards like Ashcloud Phoenix

Ashcloud Phoenix offers a unique twist on creature resilience in Magic: The Gathering, similar to the phoenix archetype known for rising from the ashes. This card, in particular, maintains that flavor with its ability to return to the battlefield transformed after being killed. Inspired by the likes of Chandra’s Phoenix, which also returns from the graveyard to your hand upon specific conditions, Ashcloud Phoenix takes it a step further by dodging removal spells and coming back as an enchantment.

Then we encounter Flamewake Phoenix, which carries a reanimation mechanism that’s contingent on the power of other creatures you control. Although Ashcloud Phoenix does not require additional board presence to make a comeback, Flamewake Phoenix demands a more aggressive playstyle. Reborn Phoenix is another peer, demanding a higher cost and a specific timing for its resurrection, unlike our flexible feathered friend from the skies.

When it comes to tenacious, damage-dealing flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Ashcloud Phoenix offers unmatched persistency and surprise, making it a formidable presence in decks that want to make the most of the battlefield, even through adversity.

Cards similar to Ashcloud Phoenix by color, type and mana cost

Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions

Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The resurgence ability of Ashcloud Phoenix provides an ongoing threat even after it’s dealt with the first time. Upon dying, it returns to the battlefield face down, offering the potential for card advantage as opponents may need to use extra removal spells to handle it twice.

Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly accelerate resources, the flexibility of morphing Ashcloud Phoenix face up for mana gives you tactical leverage. It employs resource acceleration by circumventing the need for casting it from hand at full cost, potentially leaving mana available for other strategic plays on the same turn.

Instant Speed: The morph ability of Ashcloud Phoenix can be activated at instant speed, allowing for unexpected combat tricks or evading sorcery-speed removal. Activating this ability only when advantageous can shift the tide of a game, especially when timed after an opponent has committed to certain actions or exhausted their resources.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ashcloud Phoenix’s ability to resurrect from the graveyard presents an opportunity for resilience, the card requires a specific action to trigger this effect. This can often present a conundrum when faced with the decision to discard another valuable card from your hand to bring it back.

Specific Mana Cost: Ashcloud Phoenix demands a hefty sum of mana that includes two reds. This restricts flexibility by demanding a significant red presence in your land base, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion to mono-red or heavily red-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing four mana might be a steep cost for a creature that demands further tactical plays for its potential return from the graveyard. Given the competitive environment of MTG, players often seek creatures that provide immediate impact or those that offer utility for a lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Ashcloud Phoenix in Your Collection

Versatility: Ashcloud Phoenix brings a level of resilience to your arsenal, fitting nicely into decks that benefit from flying creatures and those that can leverage its unique rebirth ability after being destroyed.

Combo Potential: This card can be strategically used in combos that capitalize on creature death and re-entry, triggering enter-the-battlefield or death effects multiple times.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to return to the battlefield, Ashcloud Phoenix can adapt well against removal-heavy decks, maintaining a threatening board presence in different meta scenarios.

How to beat

Ashcloud Phoenix poses a unique challenge on the battlefield with its resilience and the ability to return from the graveyard. To effectively navigate around this evasive creature, focus on using exile spells or abilities that can remove it from the game entirely. Cards such as Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze provide clean solutions to the Phoenix’s rebirth ability. Additionally, countering the initial casting of the Phoenix prevents it from hitting the field and making an impact.

Utilizing graveyard disruption is another key strategy. With cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, you can ensure that Ashcloud Phoenix doesn’t have the opportunity to return once it’s dealt with the first time. It’s all about limiting the Phoenix’s chances to rise again. Ensuring you have the right removal in your deck, tailored to handle persistent threats, will give you an edge over Ashcloud Phoenix and similar resilient creatures in your MTG matches.

Remeber, staying one step ahead of the Phoenix’s fiery rebirth is the key to clenching victory. With the right strategies and cards, you can keep your playing field clear of this persistent flier and maintain control over your games.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ashcloud Phoenix MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Murders at Karlov Manor Commander, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Ashcloud Phoenix and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ashcloud Phoenix Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Howard Lyon.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2014-09-26	Khans of Tarkir	KTK		99	2015	Normal	Black	Howard Lyon
2	2024-02-09	Murders at Karlov Manor Commander	MKC		147	2015	Normal	Black	Howard Lyon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ashcloud Phoenix has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ashcloud Phoenix card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2014-09-20	A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren’t affected.
2014-09-20	Any time you have priority, you may turn the face-down creature face up by revealing what its morph cost is and paying that cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. Only a face-down permanent can be turned face up this way; a face-down spell cannot.
2014-09-20	At any time, you can look at a face-down spell or permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down spells or permanents you don’t control unless an effect instructs you to do so.
2014-09-20	Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.
2014-09-20	If Ashcloud Phoenix is face down, you can turn it face up for its morph cost, even if you didn’t cast Ashcloud Phoenix face down using its morph ability.
2014-09-20	If Ashcloud Phoenix leaves the graveyard before its “dies” ability resolves, it won’t return to the battlefield.
2014-09-20	If a face-down permanent leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends.
2014-09-20	Morph lets you cast a card face down by paying , and lets you turn the face-down permanent face up any time you have priority by paying its morph cost.
2014-09-20	Once Ashcloud Phoenix returns to the battlefield face down, each player will know which face-down creature it is. You can’t mix up the positions of your face-down permanents to disguise this.
2014-09-20	The face-down spell has no mana cost and has a mana value of 0. When you cast a face-down spell, put it on the stack face down so no other player knows what it is, and pay . This is an alternative cost.
2014-09-20	When the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield as a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It’s colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the creature can still grant it any of these characteristics.
2014-09-20	You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for doing this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield.