Lens Flare MTG Card

Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
2021-06-18 - Number 20

Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
2021-06-18 - Number 330

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Affinity

Key Takeaways

Provides strategic card advantage and maintains hand quality by exchanging less impactful cards.
Instant speed of Lens Flare allows players to react and interact on opponents’ turns.
Alternative casting cost offers a resourceful acceleration option in specific deck builds.

Text of card

Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs less to cast for each artifact you control.) Lens Flare deals 5 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.

The key for surviving a war is never becoming its focus.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lens Flare is a strategic addition to decks that require consistent access to key spells. By allowing players to exile a card with a lesser impact and potentially exchange it against a more immediate threat or needed resource, the card efficiently maintains or improves the player’s hand quality.

Resource Acceleration: This card grants flexibility by providing an alternative casting cost that could speed up gameplay. By being able to utilize the exile of a nonland permanent you own with mana value 4 or greater, Lens Flare imbues players with the potential for resource acceleration without expending mana from their reserves.

Instant Speed: Lens Flare operates at instant speed, thus elevating its strategic value. The card can be played reactively, enabling players to adeptly manage their resources during the full turn cycle. This timing advantage permits engagement with the board state on an as-needed basis, keeping adversaries in a state of uncertainty about your capabilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lens Flare necessitates discarding a card to activate its alternative casting cost, potentially depleting your hand which could be detrimental during critical turns.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both white and red mana, making it less flexible for decks that aren’t built around these colors or that struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a converted mana cost of three including one white and one red, Lens Flare’s cost may be deemed steep considering the plethora of other removal options available in these colors that either cost less or offer more versatility.

Reasons to Include Lens Flare in Your Collection

Versatility: Lens Flare is an adaptable card that can slot into numerous deck types. It’s an essential pick for players looking to handle threats across a broad spectrum of board states.

Combo Potential: This card offers an engaging twist to game dynamics with its ability to synergize with artifacts. Deck builders will find it aligns well with strategies that capitalize on artifact density.

Meta-Relevance: In an ever-evolving game environment, Lens Flare maintains relevance by providing a cost-efficient answer to both aggressive and enduring strategies that dominate the battlefield.

How to Beat Lens Flare

Lens Flare is a card that offers utility and versatility, known for its ability to deal direct damage while providing a cycling option for players seeking enhanced deck fluidity. In the landscape of removal cards, Lens Flare stands out due to its synergy with artifact-heavy decks, as the more artifacts you control, the less mana it requires to cast.

To effectively counter Lens Flare, it’s crucial to manage the battlefield by minimizing the number of artifacts in play. Strategies could include employing artifact removal spells or cards designed to disrupt opponent’s artifact strategies, like Stony Silence or Collector Ouphe. Another tactic is maintaining fewer targets for Lens Flare by leveraging indestructible or hexproof creatures, as well as utilizing instant-speed spells that can provide protection or temporarily boost a creature’s resilience when Lens Flare is cast.

Assessing the broader meta and incorporating a strategic mix of preventative measures could significantly dampen the utility of Lens Flare, ensuring your critical board presence remains intact despite any direct removal attempts your adversary might deploy.

Cards like Lens Flare

Lens Flare adds a new twist to the pool of artifact removal options in Magic: The Gathering. This card bears resemblance to other artifact and enchantment removal spells like Disenchant, which allows players to target and destroy an artifact or enchantment. However, Lens Flare offers an additional dimension by potentially requiring a lower cost if you control an artifact or creature with modified abilities.

Another card that echoes Lens Flare’s utility is Naturalize, enabling the destruction of artifacts and enchantments at the same two mana cost. However, it lacks the versatility of potentially being cheaper which is given by Lens Flare’s unique affinity for artifacts. Crush Contraband takes things a step further by allowing a choice between exiling an artifact or enchantment or both at a higher cost, a feature that Lens Flare does not share but compensates with the possibly lower cost.

Evaluating Lens Flare alongside its peers in MTG, it is clear that it carves out its niche effectively. While not as universally inexpensive as some alternatives, its cost-efficiency in the right deck elevates its standpoint in the realm of modular removal cards.

Disenchant - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Crush Contraband - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Lens Flare by color, type and mana cost

Scars of the Veteran - MTG Card versions

Charge Across the Araba - MTG Card versions

Scars of the Veteran - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Miraculous Recovery - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)

Charge Across the Araba - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Swell of Courage - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)

Arrow Volley Trap - Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning (DDN)

Banishment Decree - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lens Flare MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Modern Horizons 2, 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 Lens Flare and other MTG cards: