Expansion // Explosion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides strategic advantage by duplicating instants and sorceries, leading to significant card gains.
  2. Instant speed casting offers flexibility, making it a reactive or proactive tool in matches.
  3. Despite its high mana cost, it can turn the tide of the game, especially with sufficient mana.

Text of card

Explosion deals X damage to any target. Target player draws X cards.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Expansion // Explosion enables players to copy any instant or sorcery with a mana cost of four or less. This capacity to duplicate spells can lead to significant card advantage, giving you more resources and options than your opponent. When casting Explosion, you can draw X cards, where X is the amount of damage dealt to any target, thus refilling your hand while controlling the board.

Resource Acceleration: While Expansion doesn’t directly accelerate resources, the copied spell might, depending on your choice. Explosion, on the other side, can be tailored to your mana availability, potentially dealing a massive amount of damage and drawing a substantial number of cards in the late game, thereby accelerating your path to victory.

Instant Speed: Both halves of this versatile split card can be cast at instant speed, providing strategic flexibility. The Expansion half can be used reactively to copy an opponent’s spell or proactively to enhance your own plays. Explosion can serve as a surprise finisher or a way to react to the opponent’s threats while restocking your hand, keeping you agile and unpredictable.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Expansion // Explosion demands that you surrender a card from your hand which can be a setback when your options are already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s requirement for both blue and red mana restricts its seamless inclusion, making it less versatile across a broader range of deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When casting Explosion, the cost can escalate quickly. For decks that aim to maintain tempo or play multiple spells in a turn, the high investment might not yield proportional returns.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Expansion // Explosion offers a unique two-card flexibility that can seamlessly adapt to various game situations, tailoring its impact to either early or late stages of a match.

Combo Potential: The Expansion half can copy key instants or sorceries, thereby amplifying combo decks, while Explosion provides a powerful finisher that can deal a significant amount of damage and replenish your hand.

Meta-Relevance: Given its dual utility, Expansion // Explosion maintains a strong presence across multiple formats. Its ability to alter the course of a game makes it a worthy addition to any collection with an eye on competitive play.


How to beat

Expansion // Explosion has gained notoriety as an adaptable and often game-ending card in Magic: The Gathering. This split card offers unique flexibility by allowing players to either copy a low-cost spell or to deal damage and draw cards simultaneously, fitting into a variety of strategies. To effectively counter Expansion // Explosion, it’s essential to anticipate and disrupt the two-part card. For instance, utilizing counterspells like Negate can prevent the card from being played effectively, especially in the late game where Explosion’s potential is maximized.

Another effective tactic is to apply pressure early on and reduce the card’s impact by not allowing the game to extend into the later stages where your opponent’s mana base can support a high-cost Explosion. Apply this strategy with aggressive creatures to keep your opponent on the defensive. Additionally, hand disruption tools such as Thoughtseize or Duress can preemptively remove Expansion // Explosion from your opponent’s hand before they get the chance to use it, mitigating its potential to swing the game’s momentum.

Understanding the dual nature of Expansion // Explosion and remaining proactive in your strategy can shift the odds in your favor, limiting the effectiveness of this notorious card in your opponent’s arsenal.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive into the strategic depths of MTG with Expansion // Explosion, a versatile card offering both early game adaptability and late-game power. As you build your deck, consider how this split card can double your spellcasting potential or serve as a potent game-ender. Whether you’re new to the battlefield or a seasoned planeswalker, mastering the dual nature of Expansion // Explosion can elevate your gameplay. Ready to harness the power of this dynamic card? Join us for more insights and strategies to optimize your MTG experience and command the game with confidence.


Cards like Expansion // Explosion

Expansion // Explosion is a versatile option within the realm of Magic: The Gathering’s multicolored instant spells. When it comes to functionality, Expansion mirrors cards like Reverberate and Twincast, both of which allow players to copy spells. Expansion stands out by offering this ability at a relatively low cost and with the potential to target not just your own spells but your opponents’ as well.

Shifting focus to the latter half of the card, Explosion serves as a formidable finisher, echoing the mechanics found in cards such as Blue Sun’s Zenith or Sphinx’s Revelation. These cards also offer card draw combined with an additional effect, yet Explosion uniquely adds direct damage to the mix. Though it requires a heavier mana investment compared to Expansion, the impact of this card can be game-ending, offering both an offensive and a card advantage tactic.

To sum up, Expansion // Explosion strikes an impressive balance between versatility and power. It provides two potent effects that cater to different stages of the game, making it a preferred choice in Izzet spell-slinging decks for players looking to have both early-game interactions and late-game dominance.

Reverberate - MTG Card versions
Twincast - MTG Card versions
Blue Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Sphinx's Revelation - MTG Card versions
Reverberate - Magic 2011 (M11)
Twincast - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Blue Sun's Zenith - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Sphinx's Revelation - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Expansion // Explosion MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica Promos and Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Expansion // Explosion and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Expansion // Explosion Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Deruchenko Alexander.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 224s2015splitblackDeruchenko Alexander
22018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 2242015splitblackDeruchenko Alexander
32018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 224p2015splitblackDeruchenko Alexander
42024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 2432015splitblackDeruchenko Alexander

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Expansion // Explosion has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 Expansion can copy any instant or sorcery spell with an appropriate converted mana cost, not just one with targets.
2018-10-05 If a spell has in its mana cost, include the value chosen for that X when determining the converted mana cost of that spell.
2018-10-05 If one of Explosion’s two targets becomes illegal, the other is affected as appropriate.
2018-10-05 If the spell has damage divided as it was cast, the division can’t be changed (although the targets receiving that damage still can). The same is true of spells that distribute counters.
2018-10-05 If the spell that’s copied has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Banefire does), the copy will have the same value of X.
2018-10-05 If the spell that’s copied is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. A different mode can’t be chosen.
2018-10-05 If you copy a spell, you control the copy. It will resolve before the original spell does.
2018-10-05 The controller of a copy can’t choose to pay any alternative or additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any alternative or additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy.
2018-10-05 The copy is created on the stack, so it’s not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won’t trigger.
2018-10-05 The copy will have the same targets as the spell it’s copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can’t choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks