Stormscale Anarch MTG Card


Stormscale Anarch - Dissension
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Viashino Shaman
Released2006-05-05
Set symbol
Set nameDissension
Set codeDIS
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number74
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRalph Horsley

Key Takeaways

  1. Discarding as a cost offers dynamic gameplay, reshaping your hand with more potent cards.
  2. Reduces casting cost for early deployment of high-impact threats, overpowering adversaries quickly.
  3. Casting at instant speed allows for strategic responses and optimal timing to disrupt rival plays.

Text of card

, Discard a card at random: Stormscale Anarch deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If the discarded card was multicolored, Stormscale Anarch deals 4 damage to that creature or player instead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stormscale Anarch offers an edge in card economy by potentially discarding less valuable cards to draw into more impactful options, keeping your hand full and dynamic in a fast-paced match.

Resource Acceleration: This card can dramatically accelerate your resource pool. By potentially reducing its casting cost through the discard of nonland cards, you’re effectively able to deploy bigger threats earlier than usual, overpowering opponents quickly.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Stormscale Anarch at instant speed cannot be overstated. It allows players to react to the shifting battlefield on the fly, maintaining the element of surprise and optimizing the timing of its casting to disrupt opponents’ strategies.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stormscale Anarch necessitates discarding another card as part of its casting cost. In games where card advantage is crucial, this can deplete your hand more quickly and potentially place you at a disadvantage by reducing future play options.

Specific Mana Cost: Featuring a hybrid mana cost that includes blue and red can be restrictive. This requirement makes it less flexible for inclusion in decks not tailored to accommodate both mana types, potentially limiting its viability across various strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a considerable casting cost of four mana, which includes two specific colors, can make it challenging to play Stormscale Anarch on curve. With a multitude of spells competing in the four-mana slot, its casting cost may detract from its effectiveness, especially considering other spells that may provide similar or greater impact for the same or less investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stormscale Anarch grants players a powerful tool that can adjust to various gameplay strategies. With its capacity to deal direct damage upon casting instants or sorceries, it slots seamlessly into spell-heavy decks and those looking to control the board state.

Combo Potential: The damage-dealing ability of Stormscale Anarch fosters combos with cards that can untap it or replicate its effects. It can be a linchpin in decks aiming to utilize spells for both removal and player damage simultaneously.

Meta-Relevance: Given its knack for dispatching creatures and pressuring opponents, Stormscale Anarch is particularly effective in a meta populated by creature-centric decks. Its continued relevance is ensured as long as instant and sorcery spells remain key components of the game.


How to beat

The Stormscale Anarch card stands out for its prowess and resilience on the battlefield. Navigating around its disruptive abilities requires strategic insights and pre-emptive planning. To effectively turn the tides against this card, players must prioritize removing it swiftly from play. Employing spells that can target and obliterate creatures without allowing a response, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, can be particularly effective.

Counterplay also includes stifling the Stormscale Anarch’s contribution to spell-slinging combos by employing counterspells or disruption when the opponent is attempting to cast it. Moreover, defensive measures like enchantments or artifacts that limit the number of spells each player can cast per turn, like Rule of Law or Damping Sphere, can curb its advantages. Avoiding overcommitting spells in a single turn can also help in minimizing the impact of its ability.

Finishing off, a balanced mix of removal, countermeasures, and cautious gameplay can neutralize the Stormscale Anarch. When crafting a game plan, consider how each spell interacts with the Anarch’s abilities to maintain control over the match.


Cards like Stormscale Anarch

Stormscale Anarch presents a remarkable case in the array of prowess creatures available in MTG. When evaluating this card, one might naturally draw parallels to a card like Nivix Cyclops. Both creatures thrive on casting noncreature spells to unlock their potential. While Nivix Cyclops requires a slightly more defensive stance due to its ability to block more effectively, Stormscale Anarch edges out with its lower cost and the capacity to grow its power more rapidly over time.

Spellheart Chimera is another analog worth considering. Like Stormscale Anarch, the Chimera gains strength from the spells cast throughout the game. Where the Chimera relies on the buildup of your graveyard to enhance its power, Stormscale Anarch prefers an aggressive and straightforward boost with each spell cast. Monastery Swiftspear also springs to mind, being another favored creature within prowess strategies. Swiftspear’s haste feature propels it directly into fast-paced games, while Stormscale Anarch boasts a greater potential size increase per turn.

Delving deeper to assess the strategic depths of Stormscale Anarch demonstrates its solid position within aggressive prowess decks. With the right lineup of spells, it can swiftly become a formidable threat, embodying the essence of what MTG players appreciate in a prowess-enabled creature.

Nivix Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Spellheart Chimera - MTG Card versions
Monastery Swiftspear - MTG Card versions
Nivix Cyclops - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Spellheart Chimera - Theros (THS)
Monastery Swiftspear - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)

Cards similar to Stormscale Anarch by color, type and mana cost

Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Dragon Whelp - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Keldon Warlord - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Goblin Goon - Legions (LGN)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stormscale Anarch 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 Stormscale Anarch and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stormscale Anarch has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-05-01 You can’t discard a card at random, see what it is, and then decide whether or not to pay the mana. Mana abilities must be activated before costs are paid. At the time you pay the cost of discarding a card, you either have enough mana in your mana pool to pay the , in which case you must continue no matter what you discarded, or you don’t have enough mana in your mana pool to pay the , in which case you must back up no matter what you discarded.

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