Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Transform
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Flame Channeler excels by turning noncreature spells into a consistent card advantage.
  2. Embodiment of Flame enhances decks with extra mana and combo possibilities.
  3. Requires strategic deck building to maximize its transformation potential.

Text of card

When a spell you control deals damage, transform Flame Channeler.

At the edge of night, on the cusp of winter, the allure of fire grows ever stronger.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame offers players the potential to transform into a draw engine. When played on the field, its ability to convert noncreature spells into card filtering provides a steady stream of options, ensuring that you stay ahead on resources throughout the duel.

Resource Acceleration: Once transformed into Embodiment of Flame, the card’s utility in mana generation is unlocked. This potent form grants you red mana every time you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, bolstering your mana pool and accelerating your resource availability, paving the way for more significant plays in the early to mid-game stages.

Instant Speed: With its ability centered around spell casting, Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame shines when paired with instant-speed spells. This card’s transform mechanic can be leveraged at instant speed, offering the flexibility needed to adapt to shifting game states, and enabling on-the-fly decisions that can lead to tide-turning moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Flame Channeler requires specific card interactions to transform into Embodiment of Flame, demanding a strategy built around discard or self-mill. For players not focused on this synergy, it often becomes a mere 2/3 creature without leveraging its full potential.

Specific Mana Cost: Embodiment of Flame demands red mana, making it less flexible in multi-color decks that may struggle with mana-fixing. Running this card means ensuring a consistent red mana source, which might not always align with the deck’s overall mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Embodiment of Flame offers the ability to exile top cards and play them, this mechanic kicks in after meeting its transform condition. Other cards may provide immediate impact or more predictable card advantage without requiring a transform mechanic, which could be crippling in fast-paced games where every mana spent is critical.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame is a card that seamlessly fits into multiple deck archetypes. Designed for players who appreciate flexibility, this transformative card can act as a solid creature in the early game and, given the right conditions, morph into a powerful spell synergy enabler.

Combo Potential: The Embodiment of Flame side of this card possesses significant combo potential. By discarding a card, you can unearth an instant or sorcery from your deck, setting the stage for game-changing combos and seamless integration with spell-focused strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting meta-game, having a card that can adapt to various situations is invaluable. Flame Channeler’s ability to leverage the power of instant and sorcery spells ensures that it remains a relevant choice, especially in a metagame that rewards proactive and interactive play.


How to beat

Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame is a dual-faceted card in MTG that can escalate the temperature of a game quickly. As a Flame Channeler, this card thrives in a deck that’s keen on casting instant or sorcery spells, but it flips into Embodiment of Flame upon meeting its specific condition—a reflection of the deck’s synergy and escalating threat level. The transformed side can then repeatedly excavate your deck for potentially game-changing spells when you play with fire—literally and figuratively.

To douse the flames of this red-hot card, you must have an understanding of game tempo and adequate removal. Interaction is key; removal spells like Shock or Fatal Push can effectively handle the Flame Channeler before it transforms, maintaining a balanced board state. Post-transformation, graveyard hate or cards that can exile such as Rest in Peace come into play. These are tools that prevent the Embodiment of Flame from leveraging the graveyard, blunting its impact on the match significantly. Tactics also play a huge part, as you can disrupt the opponent’s game plan and prevent the conditions for transformation altogether.

Ultimately, as with many MTG matches, timing and the strategic use of your resources will be the true measure of whether you can extinguish the threat posed by Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame or if you’ll get burned trying to do so.


Cards like Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame

The Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame card from MTG introduces dynamic gameplay options for red deck enthusiasts. This double-faced card has similarities to transforming cards like Firebrand Archer, which rewards players for noncreature spell casts with direct damage to any target. However, Flame Channeler adds a layer of complexity, not only dealing damage but also offering a conditional transformation into Embodiment of Flame.

Analogous in concept but distinct in application, we spot the prowess-laden Swiftspear Monastery, a card that gains temporary strength with each noncreature spell cast. While it doesn’t transform, its instant value with each spell cast resembles the instant impact Flame Channeler is known for when triggering its transformation. Another kin in this group is the Kessig Flamebreather, which consistently deals damage upon casting the spell but lacks the transformative and direct board impact abilities of Flame Channeler.

The uniqueness of Flame Channeler lies in its potential to become a recurrent source of card advantage with Embodiment of Flame. This edge places it in a niche of its own, providing players with strategic depth and a dual utility that can be rare in red spell-slinging archetypes. This multidimensional aspect proves advantageous when juxtaposed with its counterparts.

Firebrand Archer - MTG Card versions
Kessig Flamebreather - MTG Card versions
Firebrand Archer - MTG Card versions
Kessig Flamebreather - MTG Card versions

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Mogg War Marshal - MTG Card versions
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Véronique Meignaud.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 1412015TransformBlackVéronique Meignaud
22022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 1412015TransformBlackVéronique Meignaud

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-09-24 "A spell you control" means a spell on the stack. Usually, spells on the stack can deal damage only as part of their own resolution.
2021-09-24 A spell that becomes a permanent and then deals damage, such as one that has a triggered ability when it enters the battlefield, will not cause Embodiment of Flame's abilities to trigger.
2021-09-24 A spell that becomes a permanent and then deals damage, such as one that has a triggered ability when it enters the battlefield, will not cause Flame Channeler's abilities to trigger.
2021-09-24 Some spells cause other objects to deal damage, such as spells that have two creatures fight. In those cases, it's those other objects that are dealing damage, not the spell itself, and this will not cause Embodiment of Flame's abilities to trigger.
2021-09-24 Some spells cause other objects to deal damage, such as spells that have two creatures fight. In those cases, it's those other objects that are dealing damage, not the spell itself, and this will not cause Flame Channeler's abilities to trigger.
2021-09-24 You must pay all costs and follow all timing rules for cards you play with Embodiment of Flame's activated ability.

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