Aegar, the Freezing Flame MTG Card
2021-02-05 - Number 200
2021-02-05 - Number 321
2023-04-21 - Number 161z
2023-04-21 - Number 96
2023-04-21 - Number 31
2023-04-21 - Number 161
2002-06-24 - Number 88386
2021-02-05 - Number 55
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Giant Wizard |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Aegar affords card advantage with giants or wizards, rewarding strategic play with a full hand.
- Instant speed interactions complement Aegar, offering surprise draws and enhanced battlefield control.
- Despite a restrictive mana cost, Aegar’s potential for deck versatility and combo-making remains high.
Text of card
Whenever a creature or planeswalker an opponent controls is dealt excess damage, if a Giant, Wizard, or spell you controlled dealt damage to it this turn, draw a card.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aegar, the Freezing Flame enables drawing extra cards every time a giant, wizard, or spell you control deals excess damage to a creature in a game. This mechanism keeps your hand filled, tipping the scales in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: Although Aegar doesn’t directly provide mana, he synergizes with cards that deliver excess damage, potentially clearing the way for an accelerated play of high-cost creatures or spells, thus indirectly increasing your resource management capabilities.
Instant Speed: Aegar himself isn’t an instant, but his ability benefits from damage dealt at instant speed. Casting damage-dealing instants on your opponent’s turn that meet his ability criteria grants you the upper hand by drawing cards almost unexpectedly and keeping your strategy flexible.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One downside of Aegar, the Freezing Flame is its reliance on discarding cards to trigger its card draw ability. This can be a tough call when you are maintaining card advantage or need specific answers in your hand to respond to an opponent’s threats.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost can be restrictive as it requires you to have both blue and red mana. This necessity may deter the card’s integration into decks not heavily inclined towards a blue-red color scheme or those that struggle with color fixing.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and one each of blue and red mana, Aegar’s mana requirement is on the higher side. It competes for the same mana curve slot as other impactful cards that could provide immediate effects or more substantial board presence.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Aegar, the Freezing Flame serves as a flexible addition to decks focused on giant tribal or spell-slinging strategies. His ability to draw a card after a giant or wizard deals excess damage fits seamlessly with a variety of builds.
Combo Potential: With Aegar on the battlefield, pairing him with spells that deal damage can lead to significant card advantage. His synergies with cards like Squash or Invasion of the Giants enable both control over the board and a steady flow of options.
Meta-Relevance: In a game that rewards knowledge of the current competitive environment, Aegar stands out as a boon for decks that capitalize on high-damage spells and creatures. As the meta evolves, his value is maintained due to the inherent advantage of card draw in maintaining resources against opponents.
How to beat
Aegar, the Freezing Flame, presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to capitalize on excess damage dealt to opponents’ creatures. To outsmart this Izzet legend, a strategic approach is critical. Player initiative against Aegar hinges on preventing the synergy it creates with spells and creatures that may overkill enemy units. Employing removals that sidestep combat, such as direct damage spells or exile effects, will undercut Aegar’s value addition to your opponent’s strategy.
Control decks can maintain a card advantage by holding back key counterspells for pivotal moments, ensuring Aegar’s abilities are stunted or that it never sticks to the board. Alternatively, avoid deploying creatures with lower toughness, as they offer easy targets for your opponent to profit from Aegar’s draw component. Curating a field with formidable toughness can be the difference, making it challenging for your opponent to achieve the excess damage that triggers Aegar’s advantage.
Facing Aegar, efficiency and timing are your best allies. Adapting plays to minimize its impact secures a stronger position, ultimately turning the tide of combat in your favor against Aegar, the Freezing Flame.
Cards like Aegar, the Freezing Flame
Aegar, the Freezing Flame offers unique tactical advantages for players in MTG who value spell-based direct damage and card draw mechanics. This card bears similarities to other commanders like Mizzix of the Izmagnus, which also rewards players for casting instants and sorceries with cost reduction benefits for each experience counter gained. However, Aegar’s strength lies in dealing excess damage, setting it apart by allowing card draw when dealing excess damage to creatures or planeswalkers, potentially leading to significant card advantage.
Another parallel can be drawn with Niv-Mizzet, Parun, which draws a card for each instant and sorcery that a player casts. While Niv-Mizzet provides relentless card draw fuel, Aegar shines in decks that focus on overpowering opponents’ creatures and planeswalkers with spells that deal damage. Those looking for a commander fostering a control strategy with a side of aggressive creature removal might lean towards Aegar over Niv-Mizzet, catering to a different playstyle within the Izzet League’s instant and sorcery-centered approach.
In essence, Aegar, the Freezing Flame complements MTG decks aimed at a combination of spell-slinging and maximizing the impact of damage-dealing spells. Its unique trigger for drawing cards makes it a formidable option for players looking to harness the power of every point of damage dealt.
Cards similar to Aegar, the Freezing Flame by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aegar, the Freezing Flame MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kaldheim, 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 Aegar, the Freezing Flame and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Aegar, the Freezing Flame Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 88386 | 2015 | Normal | Black | WolfSkullJack | ||
| 2 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 200 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn | |
| 3 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 321 | 2015 | Normal | Black | WolfSkullJack | |
| 4 | Kaldheim Art Series | AKHM | 55 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Chris Rahn | ||
| 5 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 161z | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Luong | |
| 6 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 96 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn | |
| 7 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 31 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Luong | |
| 8 | 2023-04-21 | Multiverse Legends | MUL | 161 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Luong |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aegar, the Freezing Flame has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aegar, the Freezing Flame card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-02-05 | A creature has been dealt excess damage if one or more sources deal more damage to it than the minimum amount of damage required to be lethal damage. In most cases, this means damage greater than its toughness, but consider the damage already dealt to it that turn. |
| 2021-02-05 | A planeswalker is dealt excess damage if it's dealt damage greater than its current loyalty. |
| 2021-02-05 | Even 1 damage dealt to a creature from a source with deathtouch is considered lethal damage, so any amount greater than that will cause excess damage to be dealt, even if the total amount of damage isn't greater than the creature's toughness. Note that a source of damage having deathtouch has no effect on damage dealt to planeswalkers. |
| 2021-02-05 | If a permanent is both a creature and a planeswalker, the minimum amount of damage to be considered lethal damage is used to determine if excess damage has been dealt. For example, if a 5/5 creature that's also a planeswalker with three loyalty counters on it is dealt 4 damage, it's been dealt 1 excess damage and Aegar's ability may trigger. |
| 2021-02-05 | It doesn't matter whether a Giant, Wizard, or spell you control deals the excess damage, only that excess damage was dealt and that one of those three things dealt damage to the creature or planeswalker at some point during the turn. For example, if a 4/4 creature an opponent controls is dealt 2 damage by a spell you control and later that turn is dealt 3 damage by a spell another player controls, Aegar's ability will trigger. |
| 2023-04-14 | Aegar's ability won't trigger when a battle is dealt excess damage. It's not his fault. They didn't exist yet. |
