Igneous Elemental MTG Card
2019-06-14 - Number 133
2021-08-26 - Number 471
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
This spell costs less to cast if there is a land card in your graveyard. When Igneous Elemental enters the battlefield, you may have it deal 2 damage to target creature.
Volcanic violence made manifest.
Cards like Igneous Elemental
Igneous Elemental breathes fiery innovation into the pool of red creature spells in the world of MTG. Close relatives in this fiery family include the likes of Barrage Tyrant, which shares a penchant for dealing damage. Though both cards possess the ability to alter the battlefield’s state, Igneous Elemental does so by offering a cost reduction if there’s a land card in exile. This nuanced economy of mana sets it apart from its kin.
Exploring further, Ember Swallower can be seen as kinfolk, albeit with a steeper mana investment. This leviathan requires an additional cost to unleash its land desolation effect. On the other scale, Pilot Driver is less mana-intensive and allows for swifter play, inciting immediate impact through damage buffing. Despite not offering cost reduction advantages like Igneous Elemental, both cards celebrate the aggressive red strategies favored by many players.
Comparing these cards carves out a specific niche for Igneous Elemental, primarily due to its flexibility in casting cost and instant board presence. It stands as a testament to the adaptability and raw power that red creature spells can bring to a player’s deck in MTG.
Cards similar to Igneous Elemental by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When Igneous Elemental enters the battlefield, it can potentially eliminate an opponent’s creature. Removing a threat while adding a creature to your board effectively works as a two-for-one, providing a significant card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: Igneous Elemental benefits from lands or other permanents you’ve sacrificed or lost earlier in the game. This effect can reduce its casting cost, effectively accelerating your use of resources and allowing you to deploy threats sooner.
Instant Speed: While Igneous Elemental itself is not an instant, its cost reduction ability can indirectly enable instant speed plays. By using fewer resources to cast it, you keep mana open to respond with instant speed spells during critical moments of the match.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Igneous Elemental often requires you to discard another card, which can be a serious downside when your hand is running out of cards. Balancing your plays to ensure this cost doesn’t set you back can be a tricky aspect of using it effectively.
Specific Mana Cost: Igneous Elemental comes with a mana cost that includes red. This can make it a bit inflexible since it primarily fits into decks that are heavy on mountains or have a robust mana-fixing base to accommodate the color requirement.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of six mana to cast normally, this card sits at a higher spectrum of mana costs for creature spells. Considering this, there are alternatives that may offer similar or better abilities at a more efficient mana investment, which can be a significant con when deckbuilding.
Reasons to Include Igneous Elemental in Your Collection
Versatility: Igneous Elemental can be a constructive addition to decks that capitalize on landfall mechanics or require an additional punch of damage. Its ability to deal damage upon entering the battlefield makes it a flexible choice for both aggressive and control strategies.
Combo Potential: When paired with cards that reduce the cost of elementals or utilize creatures in the graveyard, Igneous Elemental’s potential climbs. It can be a cornerstone for elemental-themed decks and works beautifully alongside graveyard synergies.
Meta-Relevance: In metas where small creatures dominate the board, the introduction of Igneous Elemental can shift the momentum in your favor. It’s particularly impactful in games that prolong, where its direct damage and solid body can turn the tide.
How to beat Igneous Elemental
Igneous Elemental presents a unique challenge to MTG players with its ability to reduce its casting cost if you’ve landed a land card in the graveyard this turn. Naturally, one would think of leveraging cheap removal spells or creature abilities that don’t rely on land placement to counter this six-cost card that becomes more accessible with a land in the bin.
Cards like Unsummon can temporarily disrupt the momentum by bouncing the Elemental back to the hand, requiring the owner to play another land to recast it cheaply. For a more permanent solution, cards with exile effects such as Path to Exile provide an effective countermeasure by removing Igneous Elemental from the game entirely, bypassing its cost-reduction ability.
Timing is key when facing this creature. Playing removal spells after the land has been played but before the cheaper cast of Igneous Elemental can preserve your mana efficiency. Moreover, spells that prevent players from playing land cards from the graveyard, such as Ashiok, Dream Render, can negate the cost-reducing aspect of this creature, making it less of a threat and maintaining game tempo in your favor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Igneous Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Igneous Elemental and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Igneous Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Anastasia Ovchinnikova.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-06-14 | Modern Horizons | MH1 | 133 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anastasia Ovchinnikova | |
| 2 | 2021-08-26 | Jumpstart: Historic Horizons | J21 | 471 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Anastasia Ovchinnikova |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Igneous Elemental has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Igneous Elemental card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-06-14 | Igneous Elemental costs only less to cast if you have more than one land card in your graveyard. |