Furious Resistance MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Gatecrash
Set code	GTC
Number	93
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Slawomir Maniak

Key Takeaways

Furious Resistance’s instant speed allows for unexpected combat and removal spell responses, enhancing creature survivability.
The card requires red mana, limiting its use in multicolor decks and can pressure your hand with its discard requirement.
Despite a potentially high mana cost, its versatility and meta relevance offer significant advantages in creature-focused decks.

Text of card

Target blocking creature gets +3/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.

"At least the Gateless rebels have ideals. Rakdos just mocks, defiles, and kills all we hold dear." —Libuse, Boros sergeant

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Furious Resistance doesn’t inherently card draw, its capacity to potentially save a creature from destruction or help win a combat means you could preserve a card on the field, indirectly leveraging card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Furious Resistance is not designed for resource acceleration; however, its low mana cost allows players to maintain momentum and use their mana efficiently while setting up broader strategies.

Instant Speed: The strength of being an instant cannot be overstated. Furious Resistance can be cast in response to combat or removal spells, giving the player a surprise edge by bolstering a creature’s resilience precisely when needed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Furious Resistance can bolster your creature in battle, the requirement to discard a card can pressure your hand, leaving you at a potential disadvantage should the game extend past the early stages. Discarding also diminishes your options, possibly forcing a tough decision between maintaining a strategic hand or opting for a temporary boost.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Furious Resistance includes red mana, necessitating a commitment to that color within your deck. This can be restrictive as it might not seamlessly fit into multicolor deck strategies that do not favor red mana or lack the necessary mana base to consistently cast it on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that may be considered high for its effect, Furious Resistance competes with other cards that might provide more substantial impact or versatility for the same or lesser investment. In the landscape of Magic, where efficiency is key, such a cost can be a deterrent, especially when other cards may offer similar effects with additional benefits or lower mana requirements.

Reasons to Include Furious Resistance in Your Collection

Versatility: Furious Resistance offers a cost-effective way to protect your creatures in various situations. Its low mana requirement ensures it can be slotted into numerous red decks that aim to safeguard their important pieces during combat.

Combo Potential: This card can be pivotal in decks centered around combat tricks or those that manipulate damage to trigger enrage abilities or similar effects. The instant speed allows for surprise interactions that can swing the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that favors aggressive tactics, Furious Resistance provides a handy tool for outmaneuvering opponents that rely heavily on removal to disrupt your battlefield presence. Its ability to unexpectedly bolster your creatures can be critical for maintaining momentum against control-heavy strategies.

How to beat

Furious Resistance is a niche spell in Magic: The Gathering that can throw a wrench in your combat plans. Known for its ability to give a creature a sudden toughness boost and the added benefit of dealing damage to the opponent’s creature upon blocking, it can be a game-changer in combat situations. To effectively counter this card, it’s crucial to limit combat interactions where this card thrives. This means either removing potential targets with removal spells before combat or utilizing non-combat strategies to win the game.

Playing around Furious Resistance involves tactical foresight. Knowing when to hold back your creatures to avoid the trap and when to apply pressure elsewhere on the board can mitigate the impact of this red combat trick. Moreover, since it’s a card that reacts to blocking, evasive creatures with flying or unblockable abilities can bypass the potential for Furious Resistance to alter the combat math. Lastly, always consider instant-speed interaction to disrupt the intended combo, ensuring that your key threats remain on the battlefield and continue to press your advantage.

In essence, beating Furious Resistance in MTG requires a blend of strategic creature management, evasive tactics, and timely removals. By anticipating your opponent’s plays and adapting your strategy, you can neutralize this card’s effectiveness and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Furious Resistance

Furious Resistance adds a unique twist to the range of combat tricks available in Magic: The Gathering. It shares a kinship with cards like Brute Strength, which also gives a creature a boost in power accompanied by an additional benefit during the combat phase. Where Furious Resistance stands out is in its provision of defensive capabilities by granting a creature a notable toughness increase, unlike the trample provided by Brute Strength.

Examining Shield of the Realm reveals similarities as well, where emphasis is placed on damage prevention to a creature. However, Shield of the Realm is an equipment that requires a mana investment to equip, while Furious Resistance is a one-time instant that can shield your creature when you most need it. When drawing parallels with spells like Sure Strike, the focus shifts slightly. Sure Strike offers a significant power spike, but offers no toughness augmentation, prioritizing offensive strategy over Furious Resistance’s more balanced approach.

Ultimately, Furious Resistance secures its position in a player’s arsenal as a cost-effective method to surprise an opponent by turning a creature into a sturdier blocker or a survivor of what would otherwise be lethal damage. Its instant speed and accessibility make it a practical choice in the throes of battle.

Cards similar to Furious Resistance by color, type and mana cost

March of Reckless Joy - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Furious Resistance MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Furious Resistance and other MTG cards: