Unholy Heat MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Delirium

Key Takeaways

  1. Delivers a potential two-for-one value by dealing six damage for one mana with delirium.
  2. Instant speed allows flexibility and a surprise factor during opponents’ turns.
  3. Delirium dependency and single red mana cost can limit its early game impact.

Text of card

Unholy Heat deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker. Delirium — Unholy Heat deals 6 damage instead if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.

"The devils use fire. Why shouldn't we?"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Unholy Heat doesn’t directly draw cards, it does effectively serve as a two-for-one in many scenarios. By dealing six damage to a creature or planeswalker for a single mana when you have delirium, you can eliminate a threat and preserve your own cards in hand, maintaining a strategic upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: Unholy Heat is a boon for decks looking to operate efficiently. At one red mana, it’s a budget-friendly play that accelerates your board state control without heavy resource investment, letting you deploy other threats or answers swiftly.

Instant Speed: The agility of instant-speed spells is inherently powerful in MTG, and Unholy Heat thrives in this space. It allows you to react to your opponent’s actions during their turn or end step, making it a versatile removal option that can catch adversaries off guard and shift the tide of battle without skipping a beat.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Unholy Heat offers substantial damage output, it demands you to have delirium — having four or more card types among cards in your graveyard — to unlock its full potential. This requirement can be challenging to satisfy in the early phases of the game, leaving you at a disadvantage when timely removal is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s efficiency is tied to a single red mana in its casting cost. While this is generally flexible, it can still be restrictive for decks that run a tight or varied mana base, particularly in multicolored decks that may not always have red mana readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its initial low cost of one red mana, achieving delirium to inflict six points of damage can often require additional setup and resources. This makes Unholy Heat less mana-efficient compared to other instant-speed removal options that either have a lower mana cost or no additional setup requirements, potentially slowing down your tempo.


Reasons to Include Unholy Heat in Your Collection

Versatility: Unholy Heat offers a low-cost, high-impact removal option. Its ability to deal with both creatures and planeswalkers makes it a functional choice for various deck archetypes that require efficient removal tactics.

Combo Potential: This card works well with decks that focus on increasing spell damage output or those that operate on delirium mechanics to ensure its maximum damage potential is often utilized.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of creature-centric and planeswalker-heavy decks in many formats, Unholy Heat serves as a crucial tool to control the board and maintain tempo against aggressive opponents.


How to Beat

Unholy Heat is an impactful red spell that offers significant removal capabilities in Magic: The Gathering. Its power to potentially deal six damage to a creature or planeswalker for just one red mana makes it a formidable tool for red deck players. Players facing against Unholy Heat often have to be tactical, considering that for the spell to reach its full damage potential, there must be a total of seven or more different cards in their controller’s graveyard—known among players as achieving “delirium.”

To effectively counteract Unholy Heat, consider running cards that can remove opponent’s graveyard cards, such as Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze, thereby negating delirium. Alternatively, spells that can give your creatures temporary protection—like Gods Willing or Vines of Vastwood—can create a layer of defense by making them an invalid target or protecting them from the spell’s damage. Also, prioritize fielding creatures with toughness greater than six to escape the spell’s maximum damage threshold if delirium is reached. Lastly, having counterspells at the ready to disrupt your opponent’s strategy can ensure your key creatures or planeswalkers stay in play, turning the game in your favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of removal in MTG is key to dominating the battlefield, and Unholy Heat is a spell worth considering for this role. With the potential to dispatch significant threats for minimal mana, integrating this card into your strategy could be game-changing. Whether you’re countering creature-heavy tactics or just need precise removal at instant speed, understanding the nuances of this spell will sharpen your deck’s edge. If you’re eager to enhance your MTG prowess and want to delve deeper into the strategic possibilities that Unholy Heat can offer, we’re here to guide you. Explore with us and unlock new levels of gameplay.


Cards like Unholy Heat

Unholy Heat is a powerful instant in the vast pool of red damage spells. It’s often compared to Lightning Bolt, one of the most iconic spells, which deals three damage to any target for a single red mana. Unholy Heat brings flexibility to the table by having the potential to deal six damage for just two mana if a player has delirium—meaning there are four or more card types among cards in their graveyard. This makes Unholy Heat a versatile tool in the late game or in decks designed around the graveyard.

Another card that echoes its functionality is Fiery Impulse, which deals two damage to a creature and can deal an extra one with spell mastery. However, Unholy Heat surpasses it with its higher damage ceiling. A close relative is also Flame Slash, which deals four damage to a creature for a single red mana but lacks the instant speed or delirium bonus damage.

Drawing a line between these spells, Unholy Heat presents itself as a contender for the most adaptable and potential-rich spell in red’s removal suite. Even though it requires a specific condition to unlock its full power, its ceiling in the right setup makes it a standout option.

Lightning Bolt - MTG Card versions
Fiery Impulse - MTG Card versions
Flame Slash - MTG Card versions
Lightning Bolt - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Fiery Impulse - Magic Origins (ORI)
Flame Slash - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Unholy Heat by color, type and mana cost

False Orders - MTG Card versions
Chaoslace - MTG Card versions
Red Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions
Tunnel - MTG Card versions
Artifact Blast - MTG Card versions
Lightning Bolt - MTG Card versions
Active Volcano - MTG Card versions
Shock - MTG Card versions
Panic - MTG Card versions
Vertigo - MTG Card versions
Hearth Charm - MTG Card versions
Pyroblast - MTG Card versions
Fighting Chance - MTG Card versions
Shower of Sparks - MTG Card versions
Heat Ray - MTG Card versions
Overload - MTG Card versions
March of Reckless Joy - MTG Card versions
Burst Lightning - MTG Card versions
Fever Charm - MTG Card versions
Electrostatic Bolt - MTG Card versions
False Orders - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Chaoslace - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Red Elemental Blast - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Tunnel - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Artifact Blast - Antiquities (ATQ)
Lightning Bolt - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Active Volcano - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Shock - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Panic - Ice Age (ICE)
Vertigo - Ice Age (ICE)
Hearth Charm - Visions (VIS)
Pyroblast - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Fighting Chance - Exodus (EXO)
Shower of Sparks - Duel Decks: Heroes vs. Monsters (DDL)
Heat Ray - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Overload - Invasion (INV)
March of Reckless Joy - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Burst Lightning - Zendikar (ZEN)
Fever Charm - Onslaught (ONS)
Electrostatic Bolt - Mirrodin (MRD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unholy Heat MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons 2 and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Unholy Heat and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Unholy Heat Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Kari Christensen.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 1452015normalblackKari Christensen
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 5292015normalblackKari Christensen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Unholy Heat has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 The card types that can appear in a graveyard are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal. Legendary, basic, and snow are supertypes, not card types; Kavu and Equipment are subtypes, not card types.
2021-06-18 Unholy Heat checks your graveyard as it resolves to determine if it deals 2 or 6 damage. At that time, Unholy Heat isn't in the graveyard yet.

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