Izzet Steam Maze MTG Card

Designed for strategic hand management, maximizing potential plays each turn. Enables quick threat deployment and multifaceted plays through resource acceleration. Instant speed activation provides flexibility and tactical advantage in game.

Izzet Steam Maze - Planechase Planes (OHOP)

Planechase Planes (OHOP)
2009-09-04 - Number 19

Izzet Steam Maze - Planechase Anthology Planes (OPCA)

Planechase Anthology Planes (OPCA)
2018-12-25 - Number 40

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Rarity	Common
Type	Plane — Ravnica

Text of card

Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, that player copies it. The player may choose new targets for the copy. Whenever you roll chaos, instant and sorcery spells you cast this turn cost less to cast.

Cards like Izzet Steam Maze

The Izzet Steam Maze is an intriguing entry in the realm of resource acceleration in Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels to lands like Izzet Boilerworks, which offers dual mana acceleration. Where the Izzet Steam Maze shines is in its potential to untap another land, providing a surge of mana akin to Boilerworks but with added versatility in your mana pool management.

Comparably, we have Izzet Guildgate, a land that enters the battlefield tapped but provides dual mana without additional effects. While it doesn’t have the untap feature of the Izzet Steam Maze, it still ensures mana fixing that is critical in multicolored decks. Another similar card worth mentioning is Sulfur Falls, checking for an Island or Mountain to enter untapped and offer instant usability, although it lacks the untap synergy that the Izzet Steam Maze has.

Analyzing these cards side by side, each has its distinct advantages depending on the deck and strategy you’re executing. Yet, it is evident that Izzet Steam Maze holds a unique position in enabling rapid mana generation and optimizing play sequences, making it a standout choice for MTG enthusiasts with a keen eye for efficiency and combo potential.

Cards similar to Izzet Steam Maze by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Izzet Steam Maze is a powerhouse when it comes to giving players more options in their hand. With the ability to sift through the top cards of your library, you’re equipped to set yourself up for future turns, ensuring that you’re never without a play.

Resource Acceleration: One of the most significant factors in any match is how quickly you can deploy your threats and answers. The Izzet Steam Maze excels by untapping lands, which in essence, can double your resource availability in a turn. This can lead to casting more spells and potentially overwhelming your opponent with a flurry of actions they may not be prepared for.

Instant Speed: Flexibility during gameplay is crucial, and this card delivers just that. Being able to activate the maze at instant speed means you can adapt to an ever-changing battlefield. Waiting until just the right moment to unleash the maze’s ability can catch an opponent off guard, perhaps during their end step, keeping the tempo in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Izzet Steam Maze card demands that you discard a card as part of its casting cost. This stipulation can place players in a tight spot, especially when their hand is dwindling and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Crafting your deck around the Izzet Steam Maze may require a precisely tuned mana base. Its cost necessitates both blue and red mana, which might not always be convenient, depending on the flexibility of your land cards.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When assessing the card’s overall efficiency, the mana investment might seem steep. In the landscape of MTG, the mana you pour into summoning the maze could potentially be allocated to spells and creatures that yield a more immediate and significant impact on the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Izzet Steam Maze offers flexibility in building strategies with its capability to support various archetypes. It’s a staple card for players who want to weave an element of unpredictability into their game plan.

Combo Potential: The unique interactions that Izzet Steam Maze enables are considerable. It synergizes with spells that benefit from casting multiple instants and sorceries, thus triggering a cascade of potent effects.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment that prizes quick adaptations and clever plays, Izzet Steam Maze stands out. It’s a smart pick for those looking to stay one step ahead in rapidly evolving competitive scenes.

How to beat

Izzet Steam Maze can be a real puzzle on the battlefield, manipulating both the flow of spells and the resources available to an MTG player. The card’s unique ability to allow casting of the next instant or sorcery spell each turn without paying its mana cost is both a powerful asset and a potential route for your opponent to gain an overwhelming advantage. Especially in a deck that can manipulate or cast numerous spells in a single turn.

Defeating this card revolves around anticipating and disrupting the intricate combo plays Izzet Steam Maze can enable. One effective strategy is to employ counter spells to prevent key spells that your opponent aims to cast for free from resolving. Another method is to exert pressure early in the game before your opponent can establish their mana base and start the combo engine. You could also include enchantment removal in your deck to directly target and eliminate Izzet Steam Maze from the field, cutting off the advantage it provides. Remember, a well-timed removal or disruptive spell can turn the tide of the game against the Izzet Steam Maze.

Understanding how to dismantle your opponent’s strategies is crucial, especially when facing such an engine card like Izzet Steam Maze. By keeping ahead of their game plan and employing your own resources smartly, you can navigate through the maze and emerge victorious.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Izzet Steam Maze MTG card by a specific set like Planechase Planes and Planechase Anthology Planes, 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 Izzet Steam Maze and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Izzet Steam Maze Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-09-04 and 2018-12-25. Illustrated by Franz Vohwinkel.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2009-09-04	Planechase Planes	OHOP		19	2003	Planar	Black	Franz Vohwinkel
2	2018-12-25	Planechase Anthology Planes	OPCA		40	2015	Planar	Black	Franz Vohwinkel

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2009-10-01	A copy is created even if the spell that caused Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability to trigger has been countered by the time that ability resolves.
2009-10-01	A face-up plane card that’s turned face down becomes a new object with no relation to its previous existence. In particular, it loses all counters it may have had.
2009-10-01	A plane card is treated as if its text box included “When you roll {PW}, put this card on the bottom of its owner’s planar deck face down, then move the top card of your planar deck off that planar deck and turn it face up.” This is called the “planeswalking ability.”
2009-10-01	If an ability of a plane refers to “you,” it’s referring to whoever the plane’s controller is at the time, not to the player that started the game with that plane card in their deck. Many abilities of plane cards affect all players, while many others affect only the planar controller, so read each ability carefully.
2009-10-01	If the spell that’s copied has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Earthquake does), the copy has the same value of X.
2009-10-01	If the spell that’s copied is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. Its controller can’t choose a different one.
2009-10-01	Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability will copy any instant or sorcery spell, not just one with targets.
2009-10-01	The controller of a face-up plane card is the player designated as the “planar controller.” Normally, the planar controller is whoever the active player is. However, if the current planar controller would leave the game, instead the next player in turn order that wouldn’t leave the game becomes the planar controller, then the old planar controller leaves the game. The new planar controller retains that designation until they leave the game or a different player becomes the active player, whichever comes first.
2009-10-01	The controller of the copy can’t choose to pay any additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too.
2009-10-01	The controller of the spell that caused Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability to trigger also controls the copy. The copy resolves before the original spell.
2009-10-01	The copy that Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability creates is created on the stack, so it’s not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell (like Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability itself) won’t trigger.
2009-10-01	The copy will have the same targets as the spell it’s copying unless its controller chooses new ones. That player may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. The new targets must be legal.
2009-10-01	The effect of Izzet Steam Maze’s first ability is mandatory. You must copy the spell whether you want to or not.