Volcanic Strength MTG Card

Magic 2011 (M11)
2010-07-16 - Number 158

Magic 2013 (M13)
2012-07-13 - Number 155

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant

Key Takeaways

Upsides include power boost and potential for unblockability, complementing aggressive red strategies.
Carefully balanced mana cost ensures seamless integration into red decks’ fast-paced aggression.
Well-positioned in the current meta, especially against mountain-based decks, making it a strategic inclusion.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has mountainwalk. (It's unblockable as long as defending player controls a Mountain.)

His blood boiled over, and he erupted with fists of stone.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Volcanic Strength itself does not directly allow you to draw additional cards, its main advantage lies in its power to turn your creature into a more formidable threat. Once attached, it can help you overpower opponents’ creatures with ease, potentially leading to a gain in card advantage as you eliminate their blockers or deter them from engaging in combat.

Resource Acceleration: Volcanic Strength isn’t a direct source of resource acceleration. However, by boosting your creature’s prowess with the additional +2/+2 and mountainwalk, it accelerates your game plan by applying pressure and potentially dealing damage more quickly. This can indirectly lead to resource advantages as you threaten life points, forcing the opponent to respond or adapt their strategy.

Instant Speed: Volcanic Strength is an aura played at sorcery speed, which means instant speed isn’t part of its natural characteristics. However, its real-time effect creates a sudden uplift in your offense that can simulate a burst of power typically associated with instant speed effects. By enhancing a creature unexpectedly during the main phase, it can create sudden shifts in board state, catching an opponent unprepared before they have a chance to react on their own turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Volcanic Strength doesn’t necessitate shedding cards from your hand, which works in its favor. This ensures that playing it isn’t directly detrimental to your card advantage, which is crucial in maintaining resources throughout the game.

Specific Mana Cost: For red deck pilots, the card’s requirement for red mana isn’t an issue. It’s perfectly aligned with the aggressive nature of red strategies, complementing a deck that aims to deal damage quickly and efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s mana cost can be seen as relatively balanced. It’s designed for a specific role within red decks, providing a meaningful power boost and evasion through mountainwalk for an affordable investment, which should not impede the deck’s overall tempo.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Volcanic Strength is a powerful addition to decks that aim to be aggressive. With its ability to give a creature +2/+2 and mountainwalk, it can turn any creature into a significant threat, making it a useful card in red-based beatdown or midrange decks.

Combo Potential: This enchantment thrives in environments rich with mountains, especially in mirror red matchups. Its combo potential surfaces when paired with land destruction or control elements that can ensure the opposing battlefield is primed for an unblockable assault.

Meta-Relevance: If mountains or red decks are prevalent in your local or broader MTG meta, Volcanic Strength can serve as a reliable sideboard card or even a main deck option to give you an edge over opponents that rely on mountainous terrain for their strategy.

How to beat

Volcanic Strength is a card that can turn any creature into an imposing force on the MTG battlefield by granting it both additional power and the mountainwalk ability. When a creature enchanted with Volcanic Strength becomes unblockable by opponents who control a Mountain, it can present a notable challenge.

Countering Volcanic Strength effectively requires strategic use of removal spells or enchantment destruction cards. Targeted removal spells like Disenchant or Naturalize allow players to remove the enchantment directly, thwarting the strength boost given to the creature. In the absence of Mountains on your side of the board, mountainwalk becomes irrelevant. Nevertheless, instant-speed removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can eliminate the creature before the mountainwalk ability becomes a factor in combat.

Alternately, cards that prevent or mitigate combat damage such as Fog can provide a temporary reprieve, giving you time to address the enchanted threat. Considering these options, a versatile deck with answers to enchantments and creatures alike stands a good chance of overcoming the challenge posed by Volcanic Strength.

Cards like Volcanic Strength

Volcanic Strength is a notable enchantment card in MTG that catches the eye of players looking to bolster their creatures. It finds parallels to other cards like Madcap Skills, which also provides a significant power boost and added evasion, allowing creatures to dodge blockers. However, Volcanic Strength stands apart with its additional benefit of mountainwalk, setting a specific requirement to reap the evasion benefit.

Another kindred spirit in the MTG universe is the card Fists of the Anvil. It grants a creature a comparable power enhancement for a single turn. While the sudden surge in strength can be game-changing during combat, it lacks the permanence and strategic advantage of evasion found in Volcanic Strength. Then there’s Titan’s Strength, which gives a smaller boost but sweetens the deal with scry to filter your next draw, advocating a different approach to enhancing creature performance.

In evaluating these alternatives, Volcanic Strength claims its unique position by providing continuous power and the potential for unblockable attacks, catering well to decks that capitalize on domination through combat prowess and tactical land advantages.

Cards similar to Volcanic Strength by color, type and mana cost

Power Surge - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Raging River - Collectors' Edition (CED)

Scald - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)

Goblin Bombardment - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Underworld Breach - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Volcanic Strength MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2011 and Magic 2013, 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 Volcanic Strength and other MTG cards: