Firemantle Mage MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Shaman Ally |
| Abilities | Rally |
| Released | 2015-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Battle for Zendikar |
| Set code | BFZ |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 145 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Chris Rahn |
Key Takeaways
- Grants Menace to allies via Rally, creating advantageous combat scenarios for the player.
- Encourages strategic plays due to instant speed of its ability, surprising opponents.
- Comes with drawbacks like specific mana demands and notable discard costs.
Text of card
Rally — Whenever Firemantle Mage or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, creatures you control gain menace until end of turn. (A creature with menace can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
"Come on, you twisted things! Don't you want to get acquainted?"
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Equipping allies with Menace through Firemantle Mage ensures an advantageous board presence by limiting opponents’ blocking options. This advantage can translate to maintaining pressure on your opponent by asserting a strategic advantage as fewer blockers can mean more of your creatures connect during combat.
Resource Acceleration: While Firemantle Mage itself does not directly accelerate resources, its ability to smooth out combat can lead to a more efficient use of your creatures and mana. By mandating more careful defense from your opponent, Firemantle Mage allows you to push through additional creatures representing a more accelerated damage resource, potentially leading to faster victories.
Instant Speed: Firemantle Mage’s Rally ability activates instantly upon its entry to the battlefield, which can catch an opponent by surprise during combat. Instantaneous effects such as this can significantly shift the pace of a game, especially when timed right to disrupt an opponent’s strategy or to create a sudden shift in the dynamics of the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Firemantle Mage confers a valuable ability, it does not come into play without a cost. Some strategies involving the mage may require you to discard a card, which could deplete your hand when you can least afford it.
Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a blend of red mana means this creature is tailor-made for red or multi-colored decks. Those running decks without red mana sources will find Firemantle Mage incompatible with their strategy.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Deploying this card comes at the expense of four mana, which in the tempo of many games, is a critical juncture where resource allocation could be pivotal. There may be instances where you could leverage those resources for more impactful plays, leading some to consider alternative allies with lower mana demands.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Firemantle Mage can be a dynamic asset across various deck builds, offering not just a creature on the field but also a key ability that can shift the tide during combat, making your creatures harder to block.
Combo Potential: Its rally ability provides an excellent opportunity to synergize with other creatures that capitalize on being unblockable or benefit from attacking en masse like prowess or raid-centric builds.
Meta-Relevance: In a game climate that prefers creature-based strategies, Firemantle Mage’s ability to grant menace can disrupt opponent’s defenses and enhance your board’s offensive capabilities, making it a notable card to consider for your arsenal.
How to beat
Firemantle Mage is a unique card that can turn the tides of combat in your opponent’s favor in MTG. This card, known for granting menace to other creatures you control whenever you use Rally, can create challenging combat scenarios. To efficiently counteract the effect of Firemantle Mage, consider using removal spells that can bypass the menace ability by not requiring your creatures to block.
Spells such as Murder or Path to Exile can directly eliminate Firemantle Mage from the battlefield before the combat phase. Sweepers like Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God prove extremely effective as they clear multiple creatures regardless of abilities like menace. Additionally, playing cards with reach or those that can produce multiple blockers, such as Thopter or Myr tokens, can mitigate the disadvantage by ensuring that you can still block creatures with menace. Spot removals or board wipes help dismantle such strategies your opponent deploys with Firemantle Mage, keeping your defenses robust and the battlefield under control.
To sum up, while Firemantle Mage has potential to cause problems, there are multiple ways to directly address and overcome the challenge it presents. Utilizing targeted removal or board wipes, you can ensure that the path is clear for your victory. With the right strategy, the cunning use of Firemantle Mage by your opponent can be effectively nullified.
Cards like Firemantle Mage
Firemantle Mage offers a unique twist to creature cards in Magic: The Gathering with its rally ability, aligning it with others that bolster your army just by entering the battlefield. It bears similarity to Tajuru Warcaller, another card that amps up your creatures’ offensive capacity with a similar rally effect. Firemantle Mage, however, stands out by granting your creatures not just a power boost but also menace, complicating your opponent’s defense strategy.
Comparatively, Goblin War Drums is an enchantment that gives all your creatures menace, akin to Firemantle Mage’s temporary boon. While the constant presence of Goblin War Drums is a strength, the tactical flexibility of Firemantle Mage’s rally trigger when it’s summoned or when other allies join the fray becomes a game-changer during pivotal turns. Lastly, there is Iroas, God of Victory, whose indestructibility and passive buffs offer both menace and prevent damage to your attacking creatures, surpassing Firemantle Mage’s impact on the field in terms of both power and survivability.
In summary, while each card has its own merits, Firemantle Mage delivers a formidable combination of timing, creature enhancement, and evasion tactics that can be instrumentally used in the heat of battle among Magic: The Gathering strategies.
Cards similar to Firemantle Mage by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Firemantle Mage MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Firemantle Mage 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Firemantle Mage has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Firemantle Mage 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 | If a creature with a rally ability enters the battlefield under your control at the same time as other Allies, that ability will trigger once for each of those creatures and once for the creature with the ability itself. |
| 2015-08-25 | Multiple instances of menace on the same creature are redundant. |
| 2015-08-25 | When an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, each rally 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. |
