Crackle with Power MTG Card

Offers scalability and can function as a versatile finisher or creature removal in red decks. Requires careful mana management and benefits from ramp and mana doubling strategies. In a creature-dense or late-game meta, it becomes a significant threat to opponents.
Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityMythic
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Crackle with Power deals five times X damage to each of up to X targets.

Will gasped as Rowan drew from the raw power of the Strixhaven Snarl. For a moment, she was luminous, transcendent, terrible.

Cards like Crackle with Power

Crackle with Power stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a potent damage dealer capable of targeting multiple creatures or players. Its closest relative is the iconic Fireball, which also offers flexible damage distribution. What gives Crackle with Power an edge is its exponential increase in damage based on the mana invested, resulting in potentially game-ending power levels. Fireball, while cost-effective, does not provide the same explosive scaling.

Another spell to consider in the same realm is Comet Storm, which shares the multi-target aspect and instant speed. However, Comet Storm often requires a significant mana investment upfront for each target. Crackle with Power, in contrast, can deal vast amounts of damage to multiple targets with less initial investment, thanks to its unique mana multiplier effect. This makes it particularly lethal in the late game where mana reserves are plentiful.

Assessing these powerful spells, Crackle with Power undoubtedly holds a spot among the most fearsome damage spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its potential to swing games and its efficient damage scaling make it a card worth considering for any player looking to harness raw destructive energy.

Fireball - MTG Card versions
Comet Storm - MTG Card versions
Fireball - MTG Card versions
Comet Storm - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Crackle with Power enables massive damage scaling, offering the potential to eliminate multiple threats at once or even dealing a game-ending blow. This translates into a direct card advantage as one card can remove numerous opponent’s creatures or planeswalkers or essentially end the match if directed at the opponent’s life total.

Resource Acceleration: Although Crackle with Power requires a significant mana investment, it synergizes well with decks built around resource acceleration. It’s the type of card that benefits greatly from ramp strategies which amass a vast amount of mana to unleash its full potential, maximizing damage output relative to the mana resources available.

Instant Speed: While Crackle with Power is a sorcery, its substantial impact on the game state could be likened to that of a colossal instant-speed effect. In decks that can quickly ramp, it functions as a sudden and unexpected swing in power, leaving opponents little time to react before a decisive blow is dealt.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Crackle with Power doesn’t explicitly demand discarding cards, it obligates players to tap into significant resources, which can equate to a form of virtual discard. Focusing your resources on this single spell may leave your hand diminished, potentially risking your board presence and future plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Crackle with Power comes with an intensive red mana cost requirement. To maximize its potential, a substantial investment of red mana is necessary, which can be challenging for multicolored decks or those not heavily invested in red mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The base cost of the card is already high, but to unleash its full potential, scaling mana investment is required. Each additional set of three mana boosts its output, meaning to deal substantial damage, the mana cost can become prohibitively expensive, leaving less mana available for other spells or counteractions during your turn.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Crackle with Power offers a dynamic option for red decks, slotting in as a game-ending spell that can be scaled to fit various stages of the game. Whether you’re looking for a big finisher or a way to eliminate troublesome creatures, its flexible mana cost offers adaptability to suit your needs.

Combo Potential: With the right setup, such as mana doublers or cost reducers, Crackle with Power’s damage output can be exponentially increased. Pairing it with enablers that give you extra turns, or ways to untap lands, can lead to devastating turns and surprising wins.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on creature decks or where life totals can be within reach in the late game, this card becomes a potent threat. Because of its scalability, it ensures that if drawn early it’s not dead in hand, and when drawn late, it can be the key to breaking through a stalemate.

How to beat

Crackle with Power presents itself as an assertive force in any MTG player’s arsenal, with the potential to deal devastating amounts of damage in a single casting. To effectively navigate around this potent spell, consider prioritizing counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto in your deck, which work to nullify Crackle with Power before it unleashes its full impact. It’s also wise to maintain a strategy for lifegain or damage prevention through cards like Alseid of Life’s Bounty or Teyo, the Shieldmage, to outpace the damage Crackle with Power can inflict.

Another tactical approach involves employing disruption methods. Hand disruption spells such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek can preemptively remove Crackle with Power from your opponent’s hand, undermining their plans before they gather enough mana to cast it. Swift removal of their mana accelerators like mana dorks or artifacts is another key strategy, as it hampers their ability to generate the formidable amount of mana needed for a lethal Crackle with Power.

In essence, beating Crackle with Power hinges on a proactive and responsive deckbuilding that emphasizes interaction, disruption, and resilience. Recognizing the imminent threat it poses is the first step towards devising a winning strategy against this high-impact card.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crackle with Power MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Crackle with Power and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Crackle with Power Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2021-04-23 and 2024-04-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 901262015NormalBlackMicah Epstein
22021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 952015NormalBlackMicah Epstein
32021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 12s2015Art seriesBorderlessMicah Epstein
42021-04-23Strixhaven: School of MagesSTX 3082015NormalBlackMicah Epstein
52021-04-23Strixhaven Art SeriesASTX 122015Art seriesBorderlessMicah Epstein
62021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 95p2015NormalBlackMicah Epstein
72021-04-24Strixhaven: School of Mages PromosPSTX 95s2015NormalBlackMicah Epstein
82024-04-19Breaking NewsOTP 712015NormalBorderlessMark A. Nelson
92024-04-19Breaking NewsOTP 222015NormalBorderlessMark A. Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crackle with Power has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-04-16 If you choose 1 for the value of X, Crackle with Power will cost to cast and deal five damage to a single target. If you choose 2 for the value of X, it will cost to cast and deal ten damage to each of up to two targets, and so on.