Flash Foliage MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2006-05-05
Set symbol
Set name	Dissension
Set code	DIS
Number	85
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spears

Key Takeaways

Flash Foliage cleverly combines an unexpected blocker with the perk of drawing a card, enhancing hand sustainability.
Its instant nature allows for strategic play, disrupting opponents’ combat plans without losing the element of surprise.
Due to specific mana needs and premium cost, integration into decks requires careful mana base consideration.

Text of card

Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play blocking target creature attacking you. Draw a card.

"This undemanding vegetation takes root in a mote of dust but grows incredibly quickly." —Simic research notes

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flash Foliage not only deters an incoming attacker but also draws you a card, effectively replacing itself in your hand and ensuring your resources remain high.

Resource Acceleration: Although Flash Foliage doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low casting cost can be an efficient use of mana, potentially leaving resources available for other spells or abilities within the same turn.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Flash Foliage offers the flexibility to be played at the most opportune moment, keeping opponents on their toes and enabling you to maximize its defensive potential without sacrificing the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One drawback of Flash Foliage is the discard element needed to activate its dash ability. This can be particularly challenging in later stages of the game where the number of cards in hand is crucial for maintaining strategic flexibility.

Specific Mana Cost: Flash Foliage has a color-specific mana requirement in its casting cost, necessitating both green mana and additional generic mana. This might restrict the card’s integration into multicolored decks that struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the card’s mana value, it may seem steep compared to other options that occupy the same slot on the curve. Decks that aim for efficiency or those that operate on tight mana budgets might find the cost of Flash Foliage to be a limiting factor for its inclusion.

Reasons to Include Flash Foliage in Your Collection

Versatility: Flash Foliage not only offers you the ability to surprise opponents with an unexpected blocker but can serve as a crucial deterrent to protect your life total or your valuable creatures. Additionally, its ability to be cast during the combat phase adds a layer of strategic depth to your gameplay.

Combo Potential: As a card with “flash,” Flash Foliage can synergize with decks that capitalize on casting spells at instant speed. It can easily slot into strategies focused on building up spell count or triggering abilities that activate upon casting a spell during an opponent’s turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors aggressive creature-based strategies, Flash Foliage gains relevance as a tool for disrupting the tempo of the game. By providing an unexpected blocker, it can stymie attacks, ultimately buying the time needed to stabilize the board or set up for a game-winning move.

How to beat

Tackling the unique abilities of Flash Foliage in Magic: The Gathering can be a strategic challenge. Its capacity to create a surprise blocker during an opponent’s attack without tapping signals a crafty deterrent. This instantaneous foliage not only interrupts combat strategies but also delivers an unexpected body to absorb potential damage or eliminate an attacking creature.

To effectively counter this, it’s essential to anticipate the possible appearance of this instant creature during your attack phase. Incorporating spells that restrict casting at instant speed, or utilizing card effects that prevent creature spells from being cast, can be a direct way to neutralize this green spell’s advantage. Another tactic involves employing removal spells capable of dealing with multiple creatures or ones that can be cast in response to Flash Foliage, ensuring that the defending creature doesn’t influence the combat outcome.

It’s also wise to explore options that limit the opponent’s available mana or restrict their ability to draw cards, reducing the chances they have Flash Foliage ready to deploy. Vigilance and calculated attack waves can minimize the impact of Flash Foliage, allowing your strategy to remain fluid and responsive despite the potential for this leafy surprise.

Cards like Flash Foliage

Flash Foliage stands out as an inventive combat trick within Magic: The Gathering’s vast card pool. One card that shares its tactic of creating blockers is Sprout Swarm. Sprout Swarm also delivers a creature onto the battlefield, yet it happens at the end of your turn with its convoke mechanic. While it may not be an instant ambush like Flash Foliage, the repetitive nature of convoke can lead to a formidable army over time.

Comparatively, there’s Alchemist’s Refuge which enables casting any of your spells as though they had flash, granting surprising blockers or unanticipated plays during an opponent’s turn. Flash Foliage is less versatile but compensates by being a more cost-efficient and focused solution for urgent defense. Another kindred spell is Dawn Charm which can prevent damage from one attack but doesn’t provide the additional blocker. While it offers protection against all creatures for a turn, it doesn’t impact the battlefield presence like Flash Foliage.

In reviewing these cards, Flash Foliage’s ability to not only surprise an opponent but also affect the board with an immediate creature provides a unique tactical edge, especially in situations where board presence and creature count are pivotal.

Cards similar to Flash Foliage by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flash Foliage MTG card by a specific set like Dissension, 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 Flash Foliage and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flash Foliage has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2006-05-01	Flash Foliage can be cast only during an opponent’s combat phase, after attackers have been declared. If it’s cast after combat damage is dealt, the Saproling will enter the battlefield blocking the attacking creature, but will neither deal combat damage to it nor be dealt combat damage by it.
2006-05-01	Putting a blocking creature onto the battlefield doesn’t trigger “When this creature blocks” abilities. It also won’t check blocking restrictions, costs, or requirements.
2006-05-01	Putting a blocking creature onto the battlefield will trigger “When this creature becomes blocked by a creature” abilities. It may trigger “When this creature becomes blocked” abilities, but only if the creature the Saproling is blocking had not yet been blocked that combat.
2006-05-01	The Saproling token is blocking the attacking creature, even if the block couldn’t legally be declared (for example, if the attacking creature has flying, or is Vindictive Mob).
2006-05-01	The target creature can be blocked by other creatures.
2006-07-01	With the latest Oracle update, you can only cast this during combat, after blockers have been declared.
2013-09-20	If a turn has multiple combat phases, this spell can be cast during any of them as long as it’s after the beginning of that phase’s Declare Blockers Step.