Reckless Air Strike MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set name	Core Set 2020
Set code	M20
Number	154
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jakub Kasper

Key Takeaways

Grants control by negating opponents’ aerial or artifact advantages without costing extra cards.
Its low casting cost and instant speed provide significant board development advantage.
While specialized, can limit versatility and strategic depth in hand or deck composition.

Text of card

Choose one — • Reckless Air Strike deals 3 damage to target creature with flying. • Destroy target artifact.

"I have a *great* idea!"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reckless Air Strike is more than just a one-off card removal. While it doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it can effectively negate the card advantage your opponent might obtain from their artifacts or flyers, keeping the field more balanced and potentially tipping the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Reckless Air Strike doesn’t produce mana or Treasure tokens, this spell’s low cost can be a form of indirect resource acceleration. By spending only one red mana to disrupt an opponent’s strategy, you’re freeing up your remaining mana to develop your board and advance your position more rapidly than your opponent.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Reckless Air Strike at instant speed grants you significant flexibility. You can bide your time as you plan your moves and respond to threats immediately. Being able to destroy an artifact or flyer at a moment’s notice, during your opponent’s turn, can be a considerable advantage, oftentimes shifting the momentum of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Reckless Air Strike doesn’t necessitate discarding a card, its spot in your hand could be valued higher, especially if your gameplay revolves around maintaining card advantage. Each card in hand is crucial, and using one for a narrow effect has its drawbacks.

Specific Mana Cost: Reckless Air Strike requires red mana to cast, which confines it to decks that either run red or have a mana base versatile enough to accommodate red spells. This could hinder its inclusion in decks that do not meet these criteria, potentially narrowing its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its single red mana requirement, when evaluating it against the full spectrum of available red spells, some MTG players might find it lacking. For the same mana cost, other red spells could potentially offer more impact or versatility, affecting the strategic planning of deck construction.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Reckless Air Strike offers an adaptable solution in red decks that need to handle both flying threats and artifacts. With the option to either destroy a flying creature or an artifact, this card can be a flexible sideboard choice or even a main deck inclusion depending on your meta.

Combo Potential: For players keen on crafting intricate combos, Reckless Air Strike can be a low-cost enabler. Its artifact destruction can disrupt opponent’s combinations while protecting your game plan, or trigger abilities in your own deck that react to artifact removal.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment dense with utility artifacts or popular flying creatures, Reckless Air Strike’s ability to target and eliminate key components can give you an edge. It’s particularly potent in a meta where cards like ‘Embercleave’ or ‘Rankle, Master of Pranks’ see play.

How to beat

Reckless Air Strike serves as a versatile spell for any MTG player looking to handle threats in the sky or neutralize key artifacts. Its low mana cost and the option to choose between destroying a flying creature or an artifact makes it a strategic sideboard card, especially in a red deck. Against Reckless Air Strike, the best counterplay involves flexibility and foresight.

Consider running enchantment-based removals or spells that protect your flying creatures from being targeted. Diversifying your threats ensures that a single Reckless Air Strike won’t disrupt your game plan. Furthermore, instant-speed hexproof spells or counterspells like Negate or Dive Down can provide a timely shield for your important permanents. Artifact-heavy decks should spread out their asset investments to not rely on a single key artifact, thus reducing the impact of this targeted removal.

While simple in execution, Reckless Air Strike can swing the momentum of a game if not properly anticipated. Adapting your strategy around it requires careful deck construction and a keen sense of when to hold back or when to bait out the spell, allowing you to maintain aerial supremacy or protect your instrumental artifacts.

Cards like Reckless Air Strike

Reckless Air Strike is a unique piece in the arsenal of red spells in MTG. It offers a versatile option given its ability to either destroy an artifact or deal 3 damage to target creature with flying. In evaluating cards with similar functions, we encounter Smash to Smithereens. This card also annihilates artifacts, additionally dealing 3 damage to that artifact’s controller, making it an excellent choice against artifact-heavy decks.

Another card worth comparing is Abrade, a versatile spell that allows the choice between dealing 3 damage to any creature or destroying an artifact. While it lacks the direct flying creature hit that Reckless Air Strike provides, its broader creature target range is valuable. Then there’s Demolish, which can destroy either an artifact or a land, offering different strategic options. However, it does suffer from a higher mana cost compared to Reckless Air Strike’s swift single red mana expenditure.

Assessing overall efficacy and flexibility, Reckless Air Strike serves as an efficient tool for players looking to maintain tempo while addressing specific threats. Its low cost and dual utility give it a distinct position among red destruction spells in MTG.

Smash to Smithereens - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reckless Air Strike MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Reckless Air Strike and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reckless Air Strike has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal