Magma Phoenix MTG Card

Magma Phoenix’s return ability and instant-speed death damage offer unique board control and card advantage. High mana costs and specific red mana demands may restrict deck-building versatility. Despite limitations, its potential for board clearance and meta-relevance merits consideration for collection inclusion.

Magic 2010 (M10)
2009-07-17 - Number 148

Magic 2011 (M11)
2010-07-16 - Number 150

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Phoenix
Abilities	Flying
Power	3
Toughness	3

Text of card

Flying When Magma Phoenix is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to each creature and each player. : Return Magma Phoenix from your graveyard to your hand.

Cards like Magma Phoenix

Magma Phoenix offers a dynamic element to creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It stands out with its ability to deal damage to all creatures and players when it dies, akin to cards like Pyroclasm or Slagstorm. However, Magma Phoenix requires a mana investment to return from the graveyard to your hand, making it a recurring threat. Pyroclasm, by contrast, is a one-off event, incapable of returning without additional card interactions.

Another relative is the beloved Inferno Titan, which also delivers damage upon entering the battlefield or attacking. While Inferno Titan doesn’t have the self-recursion ability, it compensates with its sheer size and potential for repeated, targeted damage. Then we have the spell Earthquake, allowing players to deal damage to each creature without flying and each player. This resembles the Phoenix’s death-triggered ability but Earthquake scales with the mana you pour into it, offering greater flexibility at the cost of not being a creature.

Assessing Magma Phoenix against its counterparts, it positions itself distinctly by combining creature presence with a board-impacting ability and a self-recursive option that ensures its influence is felt repeatedly throughout the game.

Cards similar to Magma Phoenix by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Magma Phoenix provides a unique card advantage by returning to your hand from the graveyard after a board wipe, essentially granting you an extra card to play.

Resource Acceleration: Its damage-dealing ability upon death can accelerate your game plan by clearing smaller creatures off the board, potentially saving resources that would have been used on removal spells.

Instant Speed: While Magma Phoenix itself isn’t an instant, its death-triggered ability to deal damage happens immediately, allowing for strategic plays during an opponent’s turn if it is destroyed.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Magma Phoenix necessitates a significant trigger condition which can be challenging to meet during gameplay. A player must have a way to willingly kill or sacrifice the Phoenix to leverage its board-clearing death throes, potentially requiring additional card setup or losing the creature to an opponent’s benefit.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a precise blend of mana with a triple red commitment, Magma Phoenix is stringent in its casting conditions. This limits deck flexibility, predominantly fitting into mono-red or heavily red-focused deck archetypes, therefore not being easily slotted into multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature with a return-to-hand ability tethered to a damage-dealing effect upon death, the mana investment is significant. At five mana to cast, Magma Phoenix competes with other cards at this cost point that may offer immediate and more impactful board presence or utility.

Reasons to Include Magma Phoenix in Your Collection

Versatility: Magma Phoenix offers flexibility to red-centered decks, blending well with strategies that need both flying presence and recurring damage effects. Its ability to deal damage to each creature when it dies means it can work both offensively and defensively.

Combo Potential: This card can work well within a wide range of deck synergies. Its death-triggered ability can be tactically used in combination with sacrifice mechanics, to clear the board or deal the finishing blow in a tight match.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-heavy decks prevail, the Magma Phoenix shines by disrupting enemy formations and pressuring control archetypes. This becomes particularly useful, making it a card to consider when designing a deck meant to adapt to evolving play environments.

How to beat

Magma Phoenix brings a fiery presence to the battlefield, with its ability to inflict widespread damage upon death. This creature offers a unique challenge, particularly when it swoops back into play from the graveyard. Tackling this perpetually reborn threat requires strategic planning. Countering this card often involves exiling effects to prevent it from returning to the hand. Cards like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void are sound choices to permanently deal with the Phoenix.

Removing it without triggering its death ability is another tactic. Using enchantments like Darksteel Mutation or Imprisoned in the Moon can effectively neutralize it without causing a blaze. Alternatively, players might consider incorporating cards with protection from red, such as Auriok Champion, to withstand the fiery damage it can unleash. Board manipulation and strategic creature removal are key to ensuring this resilient phoenix doesn’t outlast your defenses.

Ultimately, commanders that excel in resource control and grave hate will find themselves well-equipped to quash the undying flames of Magma Phoenix. Keeping these cards at the ready can ensure the mythical bird doesn’t rise from the ashes to burn through your hard-fought victories on the planes of Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Magma Phoenix MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010 and Magic 2011, 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 Magma Phoenix and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Magma Phoenix Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-07-17 and 2010-07-16. Illustrated by Raymond Swanland.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2009-07-17	Magic 2010	M10		148	2003	Normal	Black	Raymond Swanland
2	2010-07-16	Magic 2011	M11		150	2003	Normal	Black	Raymond Swanland

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Magma Phoenix has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal