Calibrated Blast MTG Card
2021-06-18 - Number 118
2021-06-18 - Number 456
2021-06-18 - Number 405
2021-06-19 - Number 118s
2002-06-24 - Number 91289
| Card sets | Released in 5 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Flashback |
Text of card
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a nonland card. Put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. When you reveal a nonland card this way, Calibrated Blast deals damage equal to that card's mana value to any target. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Cards like Calibrated Blast
Calibrated Blast is a unique instant spell in the MTG arena that adds an unpredictable angle to gameplay. Cast similarly to spells like Ral’s Outburst or Explosion of Riches, it dives deep into the chance aspect of draws. However, unlike Ral’s Outburst, which consistently deals damage and allows you to draw a key card, Calibrated Blast’s damage potential depends on the mana value of the top card from your deck.
Another card that echoes the randomness is Erratic Explosion. Though it too reveals cards from the top until it hits a nonland card to deal damage, Calibrated Blast stands out with its flashback ability, giving you a second opportunity to sway the game in your favor. Crackle with Power, on the other hand, allows for a controlled burst of damage, albeit at a significantly higher mana cost and without the element of surprise Calibrated Blast offers.
Calibrated Blast excels in a strategy hinging on high mana value cards for maximum damage output, offering a balance of uncertainty with repeat play potential. Each similar spell offers a different angle on managing damage and draw, highlighting the intriguing deck-building challenge MTG presents.
Cards similar to Calibrated Blast by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Calibrated Blast. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Calibrated Blast | Modern | Calibrated Blast | Modern Challenge 96 2023-12-30 |
 | WBR | Modern | Modern Preliminary 2024-04-15 | |
 | Five-color Burn | Modern | Calibrated Blast | $10K RCQ - Modern - SCG CON Philadelphia - Saturday - 9:00 am |
| Domain Zoo | Modern | Domain Zoo | Modern Preliminary 2024-01-10 (1) |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Calibrated Blast provides the potential for significant card advantage by revealing cards from the top of your library until you reveal a nonland card. This mechanism lets you dig deeper into your deck for key spells, thus improving your chances to draw the card you need in critical situations.
Resource Acceleration: Though not directly providing mana, the surprise factor of Calibrated Blast can shift the game’s pace to your favor. Deploying it when your opponent least expects it can disrupt their strategy, making it an asset for accelerating your own game plan towards victory.
Instant Speed: The instant-speed nature of Calibrated Blast ensures that it can be a game-changer during the opponent’s turn. Whether it’s at the end of their turn or in response to an action, the ability to deliver unexpected damage keeps your opponents on their toes while giving you versatility in responding to threats.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Calibrated Blast compels a player to reveal cards from the top of their library until a nonland card is revealed, which can lead to an unwelcome discard of valuable resources. This mechanic can deplete a player’s hand, especially when searching for a high-cost spell to maximize damage output.
Specific Mana Cost: Calibrated Blast requires a red mana in its cost, potentially restricting it to red-focused or multi-color decks. This can make it challenging for decks without red mana sources to leverage Calibrated Blast, thereby limiting the card’s versatility across various deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two generic and one red, Calibrated Blast’s initial damage output may not align with its mana expenditure. In addition, the flashback cost is relatively steep at five mana, which might make it less appealing compared to other spells that could offer more immediate and guaranteed impact on the game state for a similar cost.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Calibrated Blast is an intriguing card that can slot into various red-based decks looking to capitalize on unpredictability and damage output. Its ability to reveal cards from the top of your library allows for explosive turns, particularly in formats where high-cost spells are prevalent.
Combo Potential: The card shines in combinations with setups that manipulate the top of the library, ensuring that you harness high-impact spells for maximum damage. It’s an excellent pick for decks that thrive on spell synergies or those aiming to deliver a surprise finisher.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that caters to long, drawn-out games, Calibrated Blast offers an efficient way to cut through stalling tactics by dealing potentially game-ending damage. This makes it a valuable addition for players seeking to outpace control strategies or overcome board stalls.
How to beat
Calibrated Blast is a unique card in MTG, offering a potential game-ending move by revealing high-mana cost cards to deal commensurate damage. To counter this strategy, let’s focus on mitigating its surprise element. Having instant-speed removal or counterspells ready can disrupt the play, especially when targeting the card before it triggers its ability. Moreover, hand disruption tactics can remove it before your opponent gets a chance to cast, ensuring Calibrated Blast never becomes a threat on board.
Sustaining a healthy life total and deploying creatures with lifelink can also buffer the damage dealt by a resolved Calibrated Blast. Cards like Leyline of Sanctity can provide personal hexproof, preventing direct targeting. In addition, strategic use of graveyard hate stops recursion from cards such as Dread Return or Unburial Rites; thus, effectively hindering your opponent’s plans of bringing back Calibrated Blast using alternative methods.
Ultimately, the key to defeating Calibrated Blast lies in preemptive disruption, clever resource management, and maintaining board state control to minimize the card’s impact, ensuring its burst of damage becomes a dud, rather than a destructive force in the game.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Calibrated Blast MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Calibrated Blast and other MTG cards:
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- MTG Mint Card
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Printings
The Calibrated Blast Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by Evan Shipard.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 91289 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Evan Shipard | ||
| 2 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 118 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Evan Shipard | |
| 3 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 456 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Evan Shipard | |
| 4 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 405 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Evan Shipard | |
| 5 | 2021-06-19 | Modern Horizons 2 Promos | PMH2 | 118s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Evan Shipard |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Calibrated Blast has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Calibrated Blast card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way. |
| 2021-06-18 | Calibrated Blast goes on the stack without a target. When you reveal a nonland card during its resolution, its reflexive triggered ability triggers and you pick a target to be dealt damage. You'll know the mana value of the revealed nonland card and how much damage will be dealt. |
| 2021-06-18 | The nonland card revealed this way ends up on the bottom of the library with the other cards. |
| 2021-06-18 | To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was. |
| 2021-06-18 | You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast. |
| 2021-06-18 | You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery. |
| 2021-06-18 | “Flashback -ost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying -ost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.” |