Boom // Bust MTG Card

Boom // Bust provides valuable disruption capabilities, potentially granting a significant tempo advantage in MTG games. The card’s ability to reset the board offers a comeback chance by hindering mana-intensive strategies. Its distinct choice between targeted or mass land destruction tailors to diverse MTG gameplay scenarios.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Destroy all lands.

Cards like Boom // Bust

The Boom // Bust card offers a unique tactical advantage in MTG, sharing its space with a niche but potent group of land interaction cards. Notably, it bears resemblance to cards like Stone Rain and Molten Rain, which focus on the destruction of individual lands. However, Boom // Bust takes a step further, presenting the choice of either targeting selective lands with Boom or clearing the entire field with Bust, offering versatility depending on the game’s context.

Alongside this, we can draw parallels with Cleansing Wildfire and Volcanic Upheaval—cards that also fulfill the role of disrupting mana bases. While the latter is an instant giving surprise value, it does not rival the potential mass land destruction Bust promises. Furthermore, Wildfire provides land replacement and card draw, which diversifies its utility but lacks the impactful board-wiping capability.

In sum, when comparing utility and effects, Boom // Bust distinguishes itself within the land interaction sphere of MTG. It offers a strategic duality that can be pivotal in matches—a feature that both challenges and enriches player decision-making.

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Molten Rain - MTG Card versions
Cleansing Wildfire - MTG Card versions
Volcanic Upheaval - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Molten Rain - MTG Card versions
Cleansing Wildfire - MTG Card versions
Volcanic Upheaval - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Boom // Bust is a versatile card that can significantly alter the pace of the game. Casting Boom provides potential land destruction, disrupting an opponent’s mana base while retaining your resources. Bust, on the other hand, levels the playing field by wiping all lands from the board, often resulting in a considerable advantage if you’re prepared for this shift.

Resource Acceleration: While Bust does not directly accelerate resources, it acts as a reset button, allowing players who recover quicker to gain the upper hand. This can be particularly effective if you have a way to recover your land base rapidly or deploy threats that don’t require a heavy land presence.

Instant Speed: Although Boom // Bust is at sorcery speed, the flexibility it offers is akin to having an instant effect on the game’s dynamic. Careful planning when to cast either half can catch opponents off-guard and swing the momentum in your favor during critical turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Boom // Bust demands discarding a card if you’re leveraging its “Bust” half through the keyword Dredge. This condition can be detrimental when you are already tight on hand size, potentially losing grip on critical gameplay resources.

Specific Mana Cost: The “Boom” aspect of Boom // Bust requires both red and white mana, making it less flexible in decks not aligned with the Boros color scheme. Decks that lack a strong mana base might struggle to cast it on time or at all.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With “Bust” costing six mana to clear all lands, it comes into play later than other board wipes. Considering other available options for land and board control, it may not be the most mana-efficient solution, especially in a fast-paced game where early control is critical.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Boom // Bust offers players a dual-faceted approach to gameplay, fitting seamlessly into deck types that require land destruction or tempo advantage. With its split-card nature, you can tailor your strategy to the needs of the moment.

Combo Potential: The “Boom” side can be combined with cards that duplicate or recur sorceries, maximizing land destruction benefits. On the flip side, “Bust” can set the stage for massive plays, paving the way for strategies that favor a reset board state.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta rich with multicolored decks, using Boom // Bust can significantly disrupt opponents’ mana bases, giving you an edge. Furthermore, against decks that quickly ramp up, casting “Bust” can serve as an equalizer, extending your chances of a comeback.

How to Beat

Boom // Bust is a versatile card offering both disruption and late-game board control. To effectively counter this split card, players should adopt strategies that mitigate land disruption and adapt to mass land destruction. Early in the game, the Boom half can be thwarted by land protection spells or by utilizing lands that have indestructible characteristics or can be sacrificed for value. This diminishes the impact Boom can have on your mana base.

As the game progresses, the threat of Bust becomes imminent, wiping out lands entirely. Players could turn to land recursion strategies or focus on maintaining a low curve, allowing them to operate efficiently with fewer lands post-destruction. Cards that grant you extra land plays or land creatures which survive the Bust effect can also provide a significant advantage, helping you to rebuild more swiftly than your opponent.

In essence, beating Boom // Bust requires foresight and an adaptable game plan. By employing cards that protect, recur, or replace lands, one can maintain a strong footing against this disruptive magic, ensuring minimal interference with your strategy while leaving your opponent’s plan to go bust.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boom // Bust MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Time Spiral Remastered, 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 Boom // Bust and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Boom // Bust Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by John Avon.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 1122003SplitBlackJohn Avon
22021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 1562015SplitBlackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Boom // Bust has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-03-19 All split cards have two card faces on a single card, and you put a split card onto the stack as only the half you’re casting. The characteristics of the half of the card you didn’t cast are ignored while the spell is on the stack.
2021-03-19 Each split card has two names. If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose one of those names, but not both.
2021-03-19 Each split card is a single card. For example, if you discard a split card, you’ve discarded one card, not two. If an effect counts the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard, Boom // Bust counts once, not twice.
2021-03-19 If an effect allows you to cast a spell with certain characteristics, consider only the half you’re casting. For example, if an effect allows you to cast a spell with mana value 4 or less from your hand, you can cast Boom but not Bust.
2021-03-19 If one of Boom’s targets becomes an illegal target, the other is still destroyed.
2021-03-19 If you copy a spell that’s half of a split card, the copy copies that same half. For example, if you copy Boom, the copy is also Boom, not Bust.
2021-03-19 To cast a split card, you choose one half to cast. There’s no way to cast both halves of the split cards featured in this set.
2021-03-19 While not on the stack, the characteristics of a split card are the combination of its two halves. For example, Boom // Bust has a mana value of 8. This means that if an effect allows you to search for a card with mana value 4 or less, you can’t find Boom // Bust.