Akoum Firebird MTG Card
2015-10-02 - Number 138
2015-10-02 - Number 138s
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Phoenix |
| Abilities | Flying,Haste,Landfall |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Landfall ability allows Akoum Firebird to return from the graveyard, providing recurring aerial pressure.
- Can integrate into fast land deployment decks, offering momentum with every land play.
- The pseudo-instant speed of its landfall trigger keeps opponents on constant alert.
Text of card
Flying, hasteAkoum Firebird attacks each turn if able. Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay . If you do, return Akoum Firebird from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Akoum Firebird offers a unique angle on card advantage. Once in the graveyard, its landfall ability can return it to the battlefield, effectively giving you an additional threat from resources you’ve already expended. This recurring potential makes every land drop more than just a resource but a strategic tool for maintaining pressure on your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: Although Akoum Firebird itself doesn’t directly produce additional resources, it synergizes well with decks focused on getting numerous lands into play quickly. In a resource acceleration strategy, this flying creature gets revitalized and ready to attack thanks to landfall, each time potentially swinging momentum in your favor without the need to spend mana from your hand.
Instant Speed: While Akoum Firebird operates at sorcery speed during your turn, its landfall trigger can act immediately with any land play. This creates a pseudo-instant speed effect whereby your opponent must constantly be wary of an aerial threat emerging from the graveyard at any land drop. It dovetails with the strategy of holding up lands to feign instant-speed interaction, only to bring the bird back if no other play materializes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Akoum Firebird asks for a significant cost in exchange for its resurrection ability. Though not a discard in the literal sense, sacrificing a land card can be seen in a similar light, as you’re permanently giving up resources to bring the Firebird back from the graveyard.
Specific Mana Cost: To cast Akoum Firebird, you’ll need both generic and red mana, which makes it exclusive to decks that can reliably produce red mana. Decks not centered around red may struggle to meet the cost, limiting the Firebird’s playability across different strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two red, Akoum Firebird competes with other four-drops in your deck. Given its stats and abilities, there are scenarios where you might find other creatures or spells that provide greater impact or versatility for the same cost.
Reasons to Include Akoum Firebird in Your Collection
Versatility: Akoum Firebird presents a flexible threat in decks designed to put pressure on the opponent. With its flying ability and resurgence from the graveyard, it fits into a variety of strategies from aggressive to midrange decks.
Combo Potential: This card integrates well with decks that exploit landfall mechanics. As you play lands, it can be returned to the battleground, making it a persistent threat that combos smoothly with a strategy focused on playing multiple lands per turn.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where players frequently find themselves in protracted battles, Akoum Firebird maintains relevance. Its recurrence ability challenges control decks to have an answer every turn, making it a valuable addition especially in metas where opponents might be unprepared for recurring flying threats.
How to beat
The Akoum Firebird stands out among flying creatures in MTG with its ability to rise from the graveyard and rejoin the battle. Tackling this persistent threat requires strategic planning. Creature removal spells that exile, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can effectively neutralize it, preventing its return. It’s also important to note that Akoum Firebird’s landfall ability is triggered upon playing a land, so countering this trigger through land destruction or land bounce effects can stall the bird’s resurgence.
Alternatively, strategies that strip cards from your opponent’s hand can be quite effective. This inhibits their ability to activate the Firebird’s landfall ability by ensuring they’re low on land cards. Utilizing graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace, also renders the Firebird’s revival mechanic useless, ensuring once it’s gone, it stays gone. As powerful as Akoum Firebird may be, with the right approach, you can ground this fiery adversary for good, maintaining control over the game.
Understanding your deck’s strengths and having a plan for persistent creatures is key in MTG. By anticipating the revival of creatures like Akoum Firebird and having tools at the ready, you can turn a challenging match around in your favor.
Cards like Akoum Firebird
Akoum Firebird brings an aggressive presence to any MTG deck, bearing a resemblance to other flying creatures like Phoenix of Ash. Phoenix of Ash can also escape from the graveyard, elevating its threat level on the board. While both cards offer repeated opportunities to attack from the sky, Akoum Firebird stands out with its landfall ability – a bonus for decks that play multiple lands or have land recursion mechanics.
Mirroring Akoum Firebird’s recur-from-graveyard ability is Rekindling Phoenix. This creature ensures its rebirth through a token that brings it back to life, potentially making it more resilient compared to Akoum Firebird’s higher escape cost. On the other hand, Chandra’s Phoenix offers hasty attacks and easier recur conditions as it returns to the hand when red spells target opponents, setting a different tempo for red aggressive decks.
Assessing Akoum Firebird’s place among its peers, it’s evident that its unique combination of flying, haste, and the landfall-triggered return from the graveyard gives it a special niche. Its performance in matches is solid, especially in strategies emphasizing land dynamics, making it a formidable choice for fiery-themed MTG deck builders.
Cards similar to Akoum Firebird by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Akoum Firebird MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Battle for Zendikar Promos, 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 Akoum Firebird and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Akoum Firebird Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-10-02 | Battle for Zendikar | BFZ | 138 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn | |
| 2 | 2015-10-02 | Battle for Zendikar Promos | PBFZ | 138s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Akoum Firebird has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Akoum Firebird card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-08-25 | A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control. |
| 2015-08-25 | If the ability has an additional or replacement effect that depends on the land having a certain basic land type, the ability will check that land’s type as the ability resolves. If, at that time, the land that entered the battlefield is no longer on the battlefield, use its types when it left the battlefield to determine what happens. |
| 2015-08-25 | If, during its controller’s declare attackers step, Akoum Firebird is tapped or is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, then it doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having it attack, its controller isn’t forced to pay that cost. If they don’t, Akoum Firebird doesn’t have to attack. |
| 2015-08-25 | Players can respond to the triggered ability, but once it starts resolving and you decide whether to pay , it’s too late for anyone to respond. |
| 2015-08-25 | The landfall ability triggers only if Akoum Firebird is in your graveyard at the moment the land enters the battlefield. |
| 2015-08-25 | When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve. |
