Blaze MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 20 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Blaze’s scalability offers strategic mana expenditure, ensuring no mana is wasted and can influence the game’s tempo.
  2. Without extra costs or restrictions, Blaze is straightforward but demands careful resource and card management.
  3. Blaze’s direct damage is versatile, essential for decks needing efficient removal, and can act as a game finisher.

Text of card

Blaze deals X damage to any target.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Blaze might not directly provide card draw, its value comes from effectively removing threats on the board. With a one-to-one card ratio, eliminating a key creature can sometimes shift the game in your favor, acting as a pseudo card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Blaze offers strategic flexibility in mana usage. It allows MTG players to utilize all available mana at any given point, as its scalable damage directly correlates with the invested mana. This can lead to a significant tempo swing in situations where you have excess mana and need to apply pressure or respond to an evolving threat.

Instant Speed: Although Blaze operates at sorcery speed, the control it provides during your turn can set forth a tempo that instant-speed cards later in the game can take advantage of. It clears the way for your instant-speed interactions to be more impactful by focusing them on a narrower range of opposing threats.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some burn spells that offer a no-strings-attached deal of damage, the Blaze MTG card does not include any additional cost or discard requirements. However, this straightforward approach could lead players to overlook strategic card management and resource conservation.

Specific Mana Cost: Blaze requires a specific amount of red mana proportional to the damage you wish to deal. This can make it challenging to splash into multicolored decks or to cast when under a restrictive mana base, potentially limiting its inclusion to mono-red decks or those with heavy red mana accessibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Blaze’s cost directly scales with the damage it deals, so while it can be powerful in the late game, its early game impact is limited. Additionally, in many scenarios, other cards can provide more efficient damage-to-mana ratios or come with secondary benefits that Blaze lacks, making it a card that is often overshadowed in competitive play.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Blaze offers a simple yet powerful effect, dealing direct damage to any target. It can be used in a variety of red-centric decks that aim to finish opponents quickly or require flexible removal options.

Combo Potential: This spell can work as a closer in combos that generate infinite mana, serving as a straightforward win condition once the resources are in place.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment geared towards creatures with high toughness, Blaze can serve as a scalable solution, eliminating key threats or reducing an opponent’s life total at critical moments.


How to beat

Overcoming the raw power of Blaze, a card known for dealing a significant amount of direct damage in Magic: The Gathering, requires a strategic approach. This classic fire spell allows players to pour as much mana as available to inflict damage directly to their opponents or creatures, making it a flexible and potentially game-ending card if not dealt with correctly.

The key to countering Blaze lies in its reliance on mana. Mana control tactics, such as land destruction or cards that limit mana usage, can hinder the spell’s effectiveness. Another effective strategy is utilizing counterspells to negate Blaze before it can unleash its damage. Spell negation not only prevents the immediate threat but also puts your opponent a step behind by wasting their mana and turn.

Additionally, if Blaze targets creatures, giving them indestructible or regenerative abilities for the turn can nullify the impact. In summary, precise timing and smart mana management are essential when facing a card with the potential of Blaze. As it can be a win condition for many decks, prepare sideboard options or adapt in-game strategies to safeguard your victory against this fiery spell.


Cards like Blaze

Blaze stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a simple yet classic example of a fire spell. It allows players to deal direct damage to any target by paying X mana. If we consider other cards that share its direct damage appeal, we can’t overlook Fireball. Fireball offers the flexibility to divide damage across multiple targets, although with an additional cost per target, making it a versatile option during gameplay.

Another comparable spell is Banefire. Similar to Blaze, Banefire’s damage scales with the mana invested into it. However, Banefire adds an uncounterable clause when enough mana is poured into it, thus it can be a more reliable finisher in matches against control decks. Moving on, we also have Rolling Thunder, which, like Fireball, allows the split of damage among several targets. It tends to be more controlled in its distribution, despite carrying a slightly higher base cost.

In essence, while Blaze offers a straightforward approach to dealing damage based on the available mana, its counterparts introduce tactical nuances to the straightforward damage mechanic, giving MTG players a variety of strategies to consider when building their deck around this powerful spell type.

Fireball - MTG Card versions
Banefire - MTG Card versions
Rolling Thunder - MTG Card versions
Fireball - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Banefire - Conflux (CON)
Rolling Thunder - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Blaze by color, type and mana cost

Disintegrate - MTG Card versions
Fireball - MTG Card versions
Earthquake - MTG Card versions
Mana Clash - MTG Card versions
Detonate - MTG Card versions
Winds of Change - MTG Card versions
Gamble - MTG Card versions
Meltdown - MTG Card versions
Goblin Grenade - MTG Card versions
Tremor - MTG Card versions
Ghitu Fire - MTG Card versions
Tahngarth's Glare - MTG Card versions
Lava Burst - MTG Card versions
Overmaster - MTG Card versions
Devil's Play - MTG Card versions
Firebolt - MTG Card versions
Crack the Earth - MTG Card versions
Meteor Shower - MTG Card versions
Burning Inquiry - MTG Card versions
Devastating Summons - MTG Card versions
Disintegrate - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Fireball - The List (PLST)
Earthquake - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Mana Clash - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Detonate - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Winds of Change - Masters Edition (ME1)
Gamble - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Meltdown - Urza's Saga (USG)
Goblin Grenade - Arena New Player Experience Extras (XANA)
Tremor - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Ghitu Fire - Invasion (INV)
Tahngarth's Glare - Apocalypse (APC)
Lava Burst - Deckmasters (DKM)
Overmaster - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Devil's Play - Shadows of the Past (SIS)
Firebolt - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Crack the Earth - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Meteor Shower - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Burning Inquiry - Magic 2010 (M10)
Devastating Summons - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blaze MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Portal, 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 Blaze and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Blaze Magic the Gathering card was released in 14 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-05-01PortalPOR 118s1997normalblackDavid A. Cherry
21997-05-01PortalPOR 1181997normalblackGerry Grace
31997-05-01PortalPOR 118†1997normalblackGerry Grace
41997-05-01PortalPOR 118†s1997normalblackDavid A. Cherry
51998-06-24Portal Second AgeP02 911997normalblackDavid A. Cherry
61999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 1681997normalwhiteGerry Grace
71999-05-01Portal Three KingdomsPTK 1021997normalwhiteQu Xin
82000-08-02World Championship Decks 2000WC00 nl168sb1997normalgoldGerry Grace
92001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 175★1997normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
102001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 1751997normalwhiteAlex Horley-Orlandelli
112003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1772003normalwhiteAlex Horley-Orlandelli
122003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 177★2003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
132005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1752003normalwhiteAlex Horley-Orlandelli
142005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 175★2003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
152007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1902003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
162009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 472003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
172010-06-04Duels of the PlaneswalkersDPA 392003normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
182018-06-08BattlebondBBD 1672015normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
192022-10-14Game Night: Free-for-AllGN3 692015normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
202022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 4992015normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blaze has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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