Hanabi Blast MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2004-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Champions of Kamigawa
Set code	CHK
Number	170
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Paolo Parente

Key Takeaways

Hanabi Blast’s draw and discard ability offers continuous hand replenishment, pressuring opponents.
Instant speed grants exceptional flexibility, allowing strategic plays at critical moments.
While the card demands discard and specific mana, it accelerates resources and adapts to various strategies.

Text of card

Hanabi Blast deals 2 damage to target creature or player. Return Hanabi Blast to its owner's hand, then discard a card at random.

The most powerful of akki fire spells were developed at the cost of blood, toil, tears, sweat, and usually a nose or two.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hanabi Blast offers the potential to consistently trigger card draw through its unique discard and draw ability, keeping your hand replenished and maintaining pressure on your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Hanabi Blast can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By cycling through your deck more efficiently, you’re more likely to draw into lands or ramp spells, thus speeding up your access to more mana and the ability to play higher-cost spells sooner.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Hanabi Blast being an instant cannot be overstated. This flexibility allows players to wait until the most opportune moment to cast it, such as at the end of an opponent’s turn or in response to an action, making it a strategic tool for control decks seeking to maximize their options every turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Hanabi Blast is that it requires you to discard a card upon casting. This can be a hindrance, especially if you are already dealing with a depleted hand. Conserving your resources is vital in MTG, and having to let go of potentially useful cards could lead to a setback in your overall game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Hanabi Blast comes with a mana cost that requires both red and generic mana. This specificity means the card is naturally a better fit for mono-red or red-centric decks. Players running multicolor decks may find it difficult to justify the inclusion of this card, as it might not seamlessly integrate with their mana base or overall deck synergy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost set at two red and two generic mana, Hanabi Blast sits at a higher mana bracket for its effects when compared to other cards within the same category. For a deck aiming for speed and efficiency, allocating four mana for this card’s effect could be seen as an inefficient use of resources, especially when those resources could be dedicated to more impactful plays or maintaining a quicker tempo against opponents.

Reasons to Include Hanabi Blast in Your Collection

Versatility: Hanabi Blast is adaptable to various deck builds, providing flexibility in how it’s utilized during gameplay. Its ability to potentially deal damage to multiple targets each turn makes it a smart addition to decks focusing on controlling the board.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with spells or abilities that enable you to manipulate or benefit from the randomness of its effect, creating synergies with strategies that thrive on such unpredictability.

Meta-Relevance: For metagames that are creature-heavy or where direct damage can shift the tide of battle, including Hanabi Blast can give you an edge. It’s effective at keeping opponents’ creatures at bay, which is often crucial for maintaining dominance in the current competitive scene.

How to beat

Hanabi Blast adds a unique twist to Magic: The Gathering’s pool of red direct damage spells. This card allows players to potentially deal multiple instances of damage, but at the risk of randomness. Unlike straightforward damage spells such as Lightning Bolt, which provides certainty in its three damage points, Hanabi Blast’s repetitive damage potential is balanced by its random discard clause.

Overcoming the unpredictable nature of Hanabi Blast requires a tactical approach. Managing hand size is crucial, as a larger hand increases the chance that discarding a card won’t force you to discard your key pieces. Additionally, playing instant-speed interaction allows you to respond effectively to the card’s activation, minimizing its impact. Introducing graveyard recovery spells into your arsenal can also mitigate the potential disadvantage of discarding valuable cards.

Utilizing cards that benefit from discards, such as those with madness or cards that trigger upon being discarded, turns Hanabi Blast’s drawback into an advantage. Thus, confronting Hanabi Blast involves not only direct counters but also strategic deck building to either minimize its downside or take advantage of it.

Cards like Hanabi Blast

Hanabi Blast is a unique spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It bears similarities to cards like Lightning Bolt for its ability to deal damage directly to any target. However, Hanabi Blast introduces an element of unpredictability with its random discard mechanism, differing from the predictability of Lightning Bolt. It necessitates a potential cost to the user, adding a layer of strategy not seen in the latter.

Looking at Risk Factor, one finds another card where choice is a key trait. Unlike Hanabi Blast, Risk Factor gives the adversary a choice to take damage or allow you to draw cards. It presents an upfront decision to the opponent, different from the random discard aspect of Hanabi Blast. Then there’s Incendiary Command, which also offers damage and discard options, albeit in a more controlled manner, as players can select the exact effect unlike the random discard imposed by Hanabi Blast.

In essence, while exploring alternatives in damage-dealing spells, Hanabi Blast stands out for its distinctive risk-reward dynamic. It’s a card that can seamlessly fit into decks that capitalize on cards in hand and graveyard strategies, adding a flair of excitement to game play within the MTG universe.

Cards similar to Hanabi Blast by color, type and mana cost

Merchant of the Vale // Haggle - MTG Card versions

Path of Anger's Flame - MTG Card versions

Flames of the Blood Hand - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hanabi Blast MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Hanabi Blast and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hanabi Blast has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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