Thunderblade Charge MTG Card


Thunderblade Charge - Future Sight
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released2007-05-04
Set symbol
Set nameFuture Sight
Set codeFUT
Number124
Framefuture
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJustin Murray

Key Takeaways

  1. Graveyard-triggered ability offers recurring card advantage, bypassing traditional draw mechanisms.
  2. Capable of accelerating tempo, it pressures opponents and synergizes with extra combat spells.
  3. Despite a restrictive mana cost, its adaptability makes it valuable in aggressive red strategies.

Text of card

Thunderblade Charge deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, if Thunderblade Charge is in your graveyard, you may pay . If you do, play it without paying its mana cost.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thunderblade Charge offers a unique form of card advantage not by drawing directly but by providing recurring potential through its graveyard-triggered ability. This gives players repeated access to a powerful effect, effectively negating the loss of the card if it’s dealt with the first time.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly impacting mana resources, leveraging Thunderblade Charge can grant players an aggressive tempo, pressuring opponents and possibly drawing out their resources more quickly. In tandem with cards that untap creatures or grant extra combat phases, the Charge can be an acceleration tool for victory.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Thunderblade Charge’s rebounding capacity seamlessly integrates with instant-speed play. By offering an effect that can be triggered from the graveyard, it poses a consistent threat that must be heeded even during an opponent’s turn, keeping them on their toes and potentially affecting their decisions around instant-speed interactions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thunderblade Charge requires its controller to forgo the opportunity of another play, as casting it necessitates discarding a card from your hand to bring it back from the graveyard. This can be a steep price when you are trying to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: With a strict mana cost that includes two red mana, Thunderblade Charge mandates a dedicated red mana base, potentially restricting it to mono-red or red-centric decks and limiting its flexibility in multi-colored deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to cast initially and an additional four mana to use its recursive ability from the graveyard, Thunderblade Charge can be mana-intensive. In a game where tempo and efficiency are key, this significant mana investment could hamper the deployability of other spells or the execution of broader game plans, especially in formats that favor lower-costing spells.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thunderblade Charge offers flexibility across various deck archetypes. Aggressive strategies appreciate the recurring damage it can deal, making it a tool for sustained offense throughout the game.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks designed to exploit casting from the graveyard. Paired with effects that allow creatures to deal combat damage multiple times, it can be a key component in powerful damage-dealing combos.

Meta-Relevance: With a dynamic metagame that often rotates between control and creature-based strategies, Thunderblade Charge has the ability to break through defensive lines or finish off an opponent in a single, explosive turn.


How to Beat Thunderblade Charge

Thunderblade Charge is an intriguing card known for its reusability after a creature you control deals combat damage to a player. Its capacity to return from the graveyard to your hand can be a consistent threat to your opponents in the game. However, there are strategies to mitigate its impact and keep you on the winning path.

One effective approach is to focus on creature control, utilizing removal spells or abilities that can neutralize or destroy attacking creatures before they can deal combat damage. Spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile could be handy in this situation. Denying your opponent’s creatures from inflicting combat damage directly disrupts the recurrence of Thunderblade Charge.

Another strategy is to employ counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak when Thunderblade Charge is initially cast or when its triggered ability from the graveyard is activated. Graveyard disruption is also a key tactic; cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Bojuka Bog can exile Thunderblade Charge, preventing it from returning repeatedly. By understanding these approaches and incorporating them into your gameplay, you’ll diminish the advantage Thunderblade Charge offers and maintain control over the battlefield.


Cards like Thunderblade Charge

Thunderblade Charge is an intriguing option for players seeking to add some punch to their spell repertoire in Magic: The Gathering. When comparing it to other spells that offer a form of combat trick or post-damage effect, one can look towards cards like Cerebral Vortex. Cerebral Vortex, similarly, deals damage to a player and draws cards, though it does so in a way that relies on an opponent’s actions rather than your own combat prowess.

Another card with a kinship to Thunderblade Charge is Gravitic Punch, which provides a direct way to deal damage as a sorcery, and like Thunderblade Charge, has a jump-start mechanic that allows for a reuse from the graveyard. Although Gravitic Punch doesn’t imbue a creature with an ability or trigger upon dealing combat damage, it bears the resemblance of direct player-target damage with a reuse factor.

In summary, while Thunderblade Charge has unique aspects, particularly its potential for recurring damage, it exists in a family of MTG cards that give players various ways to combine damage with additional strategic benefits. Thunderblade Charge stands out for its capacity to be a repeated threat, ensuring its place in the toolkit of players valuing persistent damage sources.

Cerebral Vortex - MTG Card versions
Gravitic Punch - MTG Card versions
Cerebral Vortex - Guildpact (GPT)
Gravitic Punch - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Thunderblade Charge by color, type and mana cost

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Game of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Evaporate - MTG Card versions
Steam Blast - MTG Card versions
Goblin Offensive - MTG Card versions
Desert Sandstorm - MTG Card versions
Arc Lightning - MTG Card versions
Pillage - MTG Card versions
Search for Survivors - MTG Card versions
Searing Rays - MTG Card versions
Rupture - MTG Card versions
Tundra Fumarole - MTG Card versions
Browbeat - MTG Card versions
Erratic Explosion - MTG Card versions
Threaten - MTG Card versions
Sizzle - MTG Card versions
Hammer of Bogardan - MTG Card versions
Fiery Gambit - MTG Card versions
Flamebreak - MTG Card versions
Panic Attack - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Game of Chaos - Ice Age (ICE)
Evaporate - Homelands (HML)
Steam Blast - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Goblin Offensive - Urza's Saga (USG)
Desert Sandstorm - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Arc Lightning - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Pillage - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Search for Survivors - Prophecy (PCY)
Searing Rays - Invasion (INV)
Rupture - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tundra Fumarole - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Browbeat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Erratic Explosion - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Threaten - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sizzle - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hammer of Bogardan - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Fiery Gambit - Mirrodin (MRD)
Flamebreak - Darksteel (DST)
Panic Attack - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thunderblade Charge MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight, 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 Thunderblade Charge and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thunderblade Charge has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-05-01 Thunderblade Charge triggers only once per combat damage step per player no matter how many of your creatures deal combat damage to that player, how much damage is dealt, or who that player is. (It might be you if the combat damage is redirected.)
2007-05-01 When the ability triggers, first you choose whether to pay . If you paid, then you choose whether to cast the spell.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks