Lava Serpent MTG Card

Cycling Lava Serpent maintains hand fluidity and progresses towards drawing more suitable cards during play. Red decks benefit from the serpent’s flexibility and aggressive play, making it fit aggressive and fast-paced strategies. Despite its strengths, Lava Serpent’s high casting cost requires careful consideration in deck-building and playstyle.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elemental Serpent
Abilities Cycling,Haste
Power 5
Toughness 5

Text of card

Haste Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Lavabrink's boiling moat is a deterrent for most, and a relaxing bath for one.

Cards like Lava Serpent

The Lava Serpent card brings a significant presence to the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its similarity to other creatures, such as the Rumbling Baloth, lies in their substantial power and toughness ratio. Both cards offer a robust 6/5 stat line, ideal for making a massive impact during combat phases. The key difference shines with Lava Serpent’s haste ability, allowing it to attack immediately, unlike the Rumbling Baloth that requires a turn to prepare.

Impetuous Devils is another card echoing Lava Serpent’s immediacy with haste. Unlike Lava Serpent, which has cycling as an additional feature, giving it versatility to be traded for a new card, Impetuous Devils focuses on a one-time substantial damage with its must-be-blocked clause before vanishing. Cards like Flameborn Hellion also share a kinship, presenting themselves as a hasty threat. Yet, the Hellion’s higher mana cost and attack restrictions provide a trade-off when comparing to the more flexible Lava Serpent.

Evaluating these counterparts, Lava Serpent shines for players seeking prompt and adaptable force, making it a respectable choice for strategies emphasizing speed and the option to cycle when a different approach is necessary.

Rumbling Baloth - MTG Card versions
Impetuous Devils - MTG Card versions
Flameborn Hellion - MTG Card versions
Rumbling Baloth - MTG Card versions
Impetuous Devils - MTG Card versions
Flameborn Hellion - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though the Lava Serpent itself may not directly provide card draw, its presence in a deck that thrives on cycling can keep your hand refreshed. Utilizing its cycling ability ensures you’re never stuck with it if a more immediate solution is needed, maintaining the flow of your gameplay and potentially leading to drawing into more advantageous cards.

Resource Acceleration: The cycling cost of the Lava Serpent comes at a trivial mana investment, which means it can seamlessly fit into your curve. This action does not accelerate your mana resources directly, but it allows the optimization of mana usage, ensuring that no mana goes to waste while you search for critical resources.

Instant Speed: Lava Serpent’s cycling ability can be activated at instant speed, offering strategic flexibility. This enables you to retain mana for potential threats or opportunities during your opponent’s turn, only cycling the Lava Serpent when it’s most tactically viable to ensure you are not prematurely committing to your plays without full information.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Lava Serpent, players must be cautious of its cycling ability. To utilize this, you must discard the card for two mana, which might not always be the optimal move, especially if your hand is already low on cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Lava Serpent comes with a specific mana cost that demands a considerable amount of red mana. This requirement can hinder your deck-building options, limiting its inclusion to mainly red-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing six mana to cast traditionally, Lava Serpent’s presence on the battlefield comes later in the game. This high cost can be problematic when you need to establish a board presence quickly or when competing against decks that ramp up much faster.

Reasons to Include Lava Serpent in Your Collection

Versatility: Lava Serpent is a flexible choice for red deck players, fitting well into aggressive strategies. Its cycling ability offers card filtering to help find key pieces during the game.

Combo Potential: As a creature with haste, Lava Serpent is an immediate threat when played. It can complement strategies that capitalize on creatures entering and dealing damage quickly.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors fast-paced play, Lava Serpent can be a power play. Its speed and strength can turn the tides against slower, developing decks, making it a relevant choice for the current dynamics.

How to Beat Lava Serpent

Lava Serpent, a creature card from the world of Magic: The Gathering, presents an aggressive presence on the battlefield with its haste ability, making it capable of delivering swift attacks upon entering the game. However, despite its immediacy in combat, overcoming the might of the Lava Serpent can be straightforward with the correct strategy.

The most effective method involves utilizing removal spells that can neutralize the threat before it inflicts significant damage. Cards like Murder, which can destroy any creature at instant speed, or Shock, which can deal damage directly if the serpent’s toughness is diminished through other interactions, can be practical solutions. Control decks armed with counterspells also hold an advantage by preventing the serpent from hitting the field in the first place.

Cards that alter combat dynamics, such as those imposing pacifism or freezing effects, can also contain Lava Serpent’s potential. In this regard, Lava Serpent, while robust in its entry, can be swiftly subdued by an array of tactical approaches and card choices designed to mitigate swift threats.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lava Serpent MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Lava Serpent and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lava Serpent Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-04-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Jason A. Engle.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-04-24Ikoria: Lair of BehemothsIKO 1242015NormalBlackJason A. Engle
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 5672015NormalBlackJason A. Engle

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lava Serpent has restrictions

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