Wildfire Elemental MTG Card

Wildfire Elemental - Core Set 2020 (M20)

Core Set 2020 (M20)
2019-07-12 - Number 297

Wildfire Elemental - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)

Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
2022-12-02 - Number 624

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Elemental
Power	3
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Wildfire Elemental excels at continuous board strengthening with each landfall, emphasizing threat escalation.
It offers resource acceleration and synergizes with instant-speed plays, heightening strategic depth.
While powerful, its drawbacks include a discard requirement and restrictive mana cost to consider.

Text of card

Whenever an opponent is dealt noncombat damage, creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.

"Fire is always dancing, leaping and whirling, seeking more fuel. It never rests, so why should I?" —Chandra Nalaar

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Wildfire Elemental offers a unique twist on card advantage. While it doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it can repeatedly upgrade your board presence with each landfall trigger, potentially turning each land drop into a threat escalation that opponents must address.

Resource Acceleration: This fiery creature can accelerate your resources by untapping an extra land each time a land enters the battlefield under your control. This subtle form of resource acceleration can be pivotal in casting high-impact spells sooner than expected, giving you a significant edge over the competition.

Instant Speed: Although Wildfire Elemental itself isn’t an instant, it synergizes well with instant-speed land plays. This means you can maximize your landfall triggers during your opponent’s turns as well, keeping them guessing and always on the defensive about when you’re going to next enhance your Elemental’s power.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Wildfire Elemental necessitates discarding another card upon activation. This can deplete your hand, making it challenging to maintain card advantage, especially in prolonged games where resources are crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: This elemental demands a precise combination of mana, including red. This inflexibility can be restrictive, binding the card’s inclusion to particular decks that can support the color requirements consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While it can play a pivotal role in the later stages of the game, the mana cost to get Wildfire Elemental onto the battlefield is substantial. Often, players face the tough decision of whether to cast it or leave mana open for other potentially more impactful spells or abilities at the same juncture of a match.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Wildfire Elemental offers flexibility as it slides effortlessly into decks that capitalize on spellslinger strategies or require elemental synergies. Its ability to scale in power with spell casting makes it adaptable to a variety of game situations.

Combo Potential: This card is a boon for players crafting a deck with a focus on noncreature spells. As you cast instants and sorceries, Wildfire Elemental grows, turning it into a formidable threat that evolves alongside your strategic plays.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the current gameplay where creature-heavy decks are prevalent, a card like Wildfire Elemental stands out. It can quickly become massive enough to overpower common threats or demolish blockers, keeping you one step ahead in the game. Its relevance is undeniable in a meta that revolves around pace and power.

How to beat

Wildfire Elemental presents a dynamic challenge on the battlefield with its prowess in enhancing creatures as they attack. It’s an ability reminiscent of renowned cards such as Goblin Rabblemaster, which bolsters attacking goblins, or the canny Legion Warboss that similarly empowers its squad. Both of these cards have made their mark by facilitating aggressive strategies and overwhelming opponents with amplified attacks.

To counteract the advantage that Wildfire Elemental offers, it’s prudent to draw from the plentiful removal options within Magic: The Gathering. Techniques include spot removal spells like Path to Exile or Murder to dispatch the Elemental before it can augment its allies. Board wipes, such as Wrath of God, can also reset the field and negate the Elemental’s escalating threat. Efficient creature control cards like Pacifism ensure the Elemental remains on the field, but its ability is neutralized, thereby mitigating any potential combat enhancements.

Considering the strength of Wildfire Elemental, it is critical to prioritize well-timed removal or control solutions to maintain the balance of power. Understanding and executing these methods effectively can be the key to overcoming the pressure Wildfire Elemental can exert during the course of a game.

Cards like Wildfire Elemental

Wildfire Elemental is an intriguing creature card that finds its niche in MTG decks that focus on ramping up power. It echoes the strengths of cards like Ember Hauler, both being creatures that can have immediate impacts on the board state. Though Wildfire Elemental does not possess the direct damage ability of Ember Hauler, it compensates by empowering other creatures whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control.

Comparing it further, there’s Pyreheart Wolf, which albeit providing a different kind of utility with its ability to make creatures harder to block, lacks the consistent buffing effect on your creatures that Wildfire Elemental guarantees. Wildfire Elemental’s static ability can potentially be more rewarding, especially in a deck with a robust land fetch strategy. Another similar card is Ogre Battledriver. While it gives a more immediate and significant boost to creatures upon entering the battlefield, it’s not as sustainable as the incremental power increases provided by Wildfire Elemental.

Ultimately, the Wildfire Elemental could be an essential element in decks built around landfall mechanics, continuously bolstering your creatures’ strength, potentially turning even the most unassuming board into a significant threat over time.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Wildfire Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Wildfire Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Wildfire Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-07-12	Core Set 2020	M20		297	2015	Normal	Black	Svetlin Velinov
2	2022-12-02	Jumpstart 2022	J22		624	2015	Normal	Black	Svetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Wildfire Elemental 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
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-07-12	Combat damage is the damage that’s dealt automatically by attacking and blocking creatures. Any other damage is noncombat damage, even if it’s dealt during a combat phase by an attacking or blocking creature.
2019-07-12	In a multiplayer game, if a source deals damage to multiple opponents at the same time, the last ability of Wildfire Elemental will trigger that many times.
2019-07-12	The last ability of Wildfire Elemental triggers once for each event in which an opponent is dealt noncombat damage, regardless of how much damage that player is dealt.
2019-07-12	Wildfire Elemental’s triggered ability affects only creatures you control at the time it resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won’t get +1/+0.