Winter Blast MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Winter Blast provides control by tapping opponents’ creatures, ultimately granting a strategic edge in the battle.
  2. Its instant speed usage offers tactical depth, making it a flexible disruption tool during crucial moments.
  3. The cost of discarding a card is significant, balancing its beneficial effect on the game.

Text of card

X target creatures become tapped. Winter Blast does 2 damage to each target creature that has flying.

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!" —William Shakespeare, *King Lear*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Winter Blast offers a unique edge when it comes to managing the battlefield. By tapping several of your opponent’s creatures, you’re indirectly gaining card advantage by mitigating potential threats and maintaining control.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly related to mana acceleration, Winter Blast can be employed as a tempo play, slowing down your opponent and effectively giving you the upper hand. This equates to a sort of resource acceleration as you’re indirectly gaining time—just as valuable as mana in many game states.

Instant Speed: The ability to use Winter Blast at instant speed cannot be overstated. This feature offers strategic flexibility, allowing you to wait for the most opportune moment to disrupt your opponent’s plan, be it during their attack phase or in response to a game-changing spell.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Winter Blast demands discarding a card when you cast it. This can put players at a significant disadvantage, especially in the later stages of the game when every card in hand counts towards strategic plays and maintaining options.

Specific Mana Cost: The specific mana cost of Winter Blast requires one green mana, which may not integrate well in multicolored decks that are tight on mana fixing, potentially making it a less flexible choice for players valuing mana diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana needed to cast Winter Blast is relatively high when considering its effect on the game. For three mana, players might expect more impact, but the card provides a singular effect, which may not always justify the investment, given that other cards might offer more versatile or powerful effects for a similar or lower mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Winter Blast offers a unique toolbox card that can serve multiple roles across various archetypes. With its capacity to tap or destroy creatures and even snipe artifacts, it’s a utility spell that can adapt to changing board states and strategies.

Combo Potential: This card is a staple for decks that capitalize on tapping and untapping mechanics. It can be used to disrupt enemy defenses or clear the way for a decisive attack. It synergizes with cards that benefit from tapping mechanics or require the removal of problematic artifacts to secure victory.

Meta-Relevance: As the competitive scene shifts and creature-based strategies become prevalent, Winter Blast holds its ground as an effective tool. It can tilt the odds in your favor by offering control over the battlefield, aligning well with decks designed to handle creatures and artifacts that dominate the meta.


How to beat Winter Blast

Winter Blast is a unique card that presents strategic challenges in a match. Its ability to tap down multiple targets can be quite disruptive, hindering your capacity to attack or block effectively. When facing this icy enchantment, one of the best countermeasures is proactive removal. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant that can directly destroy an enchantment are key pieces in your arsenal, allowing you to eliminate the threat before it freezes over your game plan.

In addition to direct removal, having a deck that operates efficiently with untapped creatures is another smart strategy. Cards that offer vigilance to your creatures ensure they remain untapped after they attack, allowing them to circumvent the frigid grip of Winter Blast. Lastly, instant-speed spells that can bounce Winter Blast back to the opponent’s hand temporarily can open a window of opportunity for a decisive turn.

Overall, while Winter Blast can apply pressure by controlling the battlefield, preparing your deck with enchantment removal, vigilance granters, and bounce spells will help keep the board state fluid and maintain the warmth of your offense against a potentially cold defeat.


Cards like Winter Blast

Winter Blast slots into the niche category of green crowd control within Magic: The Gathering. It shares the stage with cards like Squall Line and Hurricane, which offer a similar board impact by dealing damage to creatures with flying. Winter Blast’s unique edge lies in its capability to tap a number of creatures equal to the snow mana paid, a feature that neither Squall Line nor Hurricane possess, granting it a strategic flexibility in freezing opponents’ offense.

Taking a closer look at Hornet Sting, another green spell that can deal damage to any target, we notice a more direct and less conditional approach, albeit at a much lower scale of damage. In contrast, although Winter Blast demands more specific mana to utilize its full potential, its scope of influence can be game-altering.

By analyzing the utility and cost-effectiveness of Winter Blast compared to its counterparts, we recognize its role as not just a damage dealer but also a tactical play that can significantly influence the board state, coupling area damage with the potential to stall advancing threats.

Squall Line - MTG Card versions
Hurricane - MTG Card versions
Hornet Sting - MTG Card versions
Squall Line - Time Spiral (TSP)
Hurricane - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Hornet Sting - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Winter Blast by color, type and mana cost

Hurricane - MTG Card versions
Stream of Life - MTG Card versions
Metamorphosis - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Tutor - MTG Card versions
Fruition - MTG Card versions
Salvage - MTG Card versions
Rofellos's Gift - MTG Card versions
Thrive - MTG Card versions
Chatter of the Squirrel - MTG Card versions
Dwell on the Past - MTG Card versions
Insist - MTG Card versions
Primal Might - MTG Card versions
Scale Up - MTG Card versions
Glimpse of Nature - MTG Card versions
Ancient Stirrings - MTG Card versions
Gelatinous Genesis - MTG Card versions
Corrosive Gale - MTG Card versions
Prey Upon - MTG Card versions
Slime Molding - MTG Card versions
Green Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Hurricane - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Stream of Life - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Metamorphosis - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Sylvan Tutor - Portal (POR)
Fruition - Portal (POR)
Salvage - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Rofellos's Gift - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Thrive - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Chatter of the Squirrel - The List (PLST)
Dwell on the Past - Torment (TOR)
Insist - Torment (TOR)
Primal Might - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Scale Up - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Glimpse of Nature - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ancient Stirrings - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Gelatinous Genesis - Double Masters (2XM)
Corrosive Gale - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Prey Upon - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Slime Molding - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Green Sun's Zenith - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Winter Blast MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border, 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 Winter Blast and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Winter Blast Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2007-09-10. Illustrated by Kaja Foglio.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 2131993normalblackKaja Foglio
21995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 2901993normalblackKaja Foglio
31995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 2901993normalwhiteKaja Foglio
41995-08-01RenaissanceREN 1691993normalblackKaja Foglio
51996-07-01Rivals Quick Start SetRQS 461993normalwhiteKaja Foglio
61996-12-31Introductory Two-Player SetITP 471993normalwhiteKaja Foglio
71997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 3431997normalwhiteKaja Foglio
82007-09-10Masters EditionME1 1381997normalblackKaja Foglio

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Winter Blast has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-09-16 Checks if the creatures are Flying on resolution and not on announcement. It’s not a targeting restriction.
2007-09-16 Winter Blast can target tapped creatures. If they have flying, the second part of the effect will still affect them.

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