Heartfire MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Heartfire provides efficient creature-based damage for breaking stalemates or finishing games.
  2. Offers strategic flexibility with its instant-speed casting, allowing for surprise tactics.
  3. Demands sacrifice of a creature or planeswalker, requiring careful play considerations.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or planeswalker. Heartfire deals 4 damage to any target.

The mage looked within and realized there was still one piece of fuel to burn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Heartfire provides an efficient way to turn creatures into direct damage, which can be pivotal when breaking through stalemates or securing the game. By sacrificing a creature, you not only deal damage but potentially open the field for future advantageous plays.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or cards, Heartfire allows for a unique type of resource acceleration. You can convert excess or expendable creatures into immediate impact on the board, accelerating your game plan by removing key threats or finishing off an opponent.

Instant Speed: The instant-speed nature of Heartfire offers flexibility. You have the discretion to cast it during your turn for aggressive plays or defensively on your opponent’s turn. This unpredictability can give you a strategic upper hand, making it harder for opponents to anticipate and prepare for your next move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Heartfire card demands that you sacrifice a creature or planeswalker as part of its casting cost, which means you’re potentially losing board presence or future value from those cards just to fuel this spell.

Specific Mana Cost: Heartfire’s casting cost includes one generic and one red mana, which may not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks that don’t focus heavily on red mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While only costing two mana, the additional requirement of sacrificing a non-land permanent can make the cost of playing Heartfire feel much higher, especially in decks that rely on synergetic creature or planeswalker strategies.


Reasons to Include Heartfire in Your Collection

Versatility: Heartfire is a flexible card that can be a key part of various deck styles. Its low mana cost and instant speed allow it to be easily incorporated into aggressive strategies while also serving as a potential surprise finisher in more controlling decks.

Combo Potential: This spell excels in decks that generate a substantial number of creatures, enabling you to sacrifice a creature that perhaps has outlived its usefulness to deal a decisive 4 damage to a creature or player, which can shift the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that tends to be creature-heavy, Heartfire provides an edge by offering a cost-effective way to remove opponents’ threats or directly reduce the opponent’s life points, thus maintaining relevance in a variety of competitive formats.


How to beat Heartfire

Heartfire is an intense burst of direct damage that can swiftly change the game’s landscape in MTG. To effectively counter it, a player must prioritize maintaining creature control on the battlefield. This card necessitates sacrificing a creature or planeswalker to cast, which means reducing the number of potential sacrifices available to your opponent is key. Cards that offer protection or indestructibility to your creatures can also dampen Heartfire’s impact significantly, preserving your board state while your opponent is forced to make unfavorable sacrifices.

Moreover, keeping a watch for instant-speed spells that can disrupt or negate Heartfire is vital. Counterspells play a pivotal role here, allowing a player to prevent Heartfire from resolving. It’s also beneficial to force plays at a time that’s disadvantageous for your opponent, potentially leaving them without the resources they need to utilize Heartfire effectively. Lastly, having an awareness of your life total in relation to Heartfire’s damage output can make all the difference—sometimes saving a counterspell for a more crucial moment can be the best strategy to overcome this explosive card.


Cards like Heartfire

Heartfire stands out in Magic: The Gathering as an impactful instant-speed removal that allows a player to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker to deal 4 damage to any target. This card invites comparisons to other red spells like Lightning Strike, which can also deal 3 damage to any target at two mana without the need for a sacrifice. While Lightning Strike is less costly in terms of card advantage, it delivers less damage.

Another comparable card is Fling, which also operates on the principle of sacrificing a creature, but the damage dealt is equal to that creature’s power. Fling’s damage potential is variable and could potentially be more or less than Heartfire’s fixed four. Moreover, Skewer the Critics presents itself as a direct damage alternative that can deal 3 damage at the cost of one mana through the spectacle cost, but unlike Heartfire, it lacks the flexibility of an instant since it’s a sorcery.

Thus, when evaluating Heartfire alongside its counterparts, it is valued for its unique ability to turn a disposable creature into substantial instant damage, carving out its niche among red removal options in Magic: The Gathering.

Lightning Strike - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Skewer the Critics - MTG Card versions
Lightning Strike - Theros (THS)
Fling - Stronghold (STH)
Skewer the Critics - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Heartfire by color, type and mana cost

Shatter - MTG Card versions
Word of Blasting - MTG Card versions
Incinerate - MTG Card versions
Guerrilla Tactics - MTG Card versions
Aleatory - MTG Card versions
Orcish Catapult - MTG Card versions
Blood Frenzy - MTG Card versions
Falter - MTG Card versions
Shattering Pulse - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Strike - MTG Card versions
Starstorm - MTG Card versions
First Volley - MTG Card versions
Surging Flame - MTG Card versions
Psychotic Fury - MTG Card versions
Sudden Shock - MTG Card versions
Fists of the Anvil - MTG Card versions
Release the Ants - MTG Card versions
Magma Jet - MTG Card versions
Seismic Shudder - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Shatter - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Word of Blasting - Ice Age (ICE)
Incinerate - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Guerrilla Tactics - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)
Aleatory - Mirage (MIR)
Orcish Catapult - Astral Cards (PAST)
Blood Frenzy - Tempest (TMP)
Falter - Urza's Saga (USG)
Shattering Pulse - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Flowstone Strike - Nemesis (NEM)
Starstorm - Onslaught (ONS)
First Volley - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Surging Flame - Arena League 2006 (PAL06)
Psychotic Fury - Dissension (DIS)
Sudden Shock - Time Spiral (TSP)
Fists of the Anvil - Tenth Edition (10E)
Release the Ants - The List (PLST)
Magma Jet - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Seismic Shudder - Zendikar (ZEN)
Fling - Magic 2012 (M12)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Heartfire MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark and Jumpstart, 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 Heartfire and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Heartfire Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Craig J Spearing.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 1312015normalblackCraig J Spearing
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 3332015normalblackCraig J Spearing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Heartfire has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 Players can respond to Heartfire only after it’s been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to destroy the permanent you sacrificed to stop you from casting this spell.
2019-05-03 You must sacrifice exactly one creature or planeswalker to cast this spell; you can’t cast it without sacrificing one, and you can’t sacrifice additional permanents.

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