Rift Bolt MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 176
2010-11-08 - Number B26
2013-06-07 - Number 126
2017-03-31 - Number 17
2017-11-17 - Number 143
2021-03-19 - Number 184
2022-07-08 - Number 122
2002-06-24 - Number 37849
2020-09-26 - Number TSP-176
| Card sets | Released in 9 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Suspend |
Text of card
Rift Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Suspend 1— (Rather than play this card from your hand, you may pay and remove it from the game with a time counter on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When you remove the last, play it without paying its mana cost.)
Cards like Rift Bolt
In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Rift Bolt is a noteworthy card for its delayed damage potential. It stands in comparison to Lightning Bolt, a staple in direct damage dealing. Both cards have the ability to unleash three damage, but Rift Bolt does so at a sorcery speed with a unique suspend mechanic, allowing players to cast it for a mere single red mana if planned a turn ahead. This contrasts with Lightning Bolt’s instant speed, offering immediate impact on the game.
Another close cousin in this category is Lava Spike, which also costs one red mana and deals three damage but exclusively targets players. Rift Bolt maintains an advantage here with its flexibility to target creatures as well, providing a broader range of strategic options. Additionally, the suspend mechanic of Rift Bolt can be an asset in games that necessitate mana efficiency or work with time counter synergies.
Analyzing alternatives, it becomes apparent that Rift Bolt holds its own within the burn spell lineup of Magic: The Gathering. Its unique timing and versatile targeting options offer players the room to craft intricate strategies and respond to varied in-game scenarios.
Cards similar to Rift Bolt by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Rift Bolt. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Boros Burn | Modern | Boros Burn | Modern League 2024-04-17 |
| Naya Burn | Modern | Naya Burn | Modern Challenge 64 2024-04-21 (1) |
 | Burn | Legacy | Burn | Legacy Showcase Challenge 2024-04-21 |
| Mono-Red Burn | Legacy | Burn | Charlotte Legacy League Season 2 Week 3 |
| WRG | Legacy | Legacy Challenge 32 2024-04-24 |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Rift Bolt provides strategic depth by giving you the flexibility to suspend it for a single red mana, effectively setting up a delayed yet inevitable damage output. This can improve card advantage as players manage their hand and battlefield with a guaranteed threat in cue.
Resource Acceleration: By suspending Rift Bolt, you’re able to allocate resources more efficiently in the early turns of the game, as the one mana investment can allow for a three-damage output later. This enables players to progress their board state while retaining a punch-packed spell in abeyance.
Instant Speed: Even though Rift Bolt is typically cast as a sorcery, its suspended form actually resolves at instant speed during the next upkeep. This provides the advantage of dealing damage during a phase when opponents might not anticipate instant-speed interactions, potentially disrupting their plays or removing key creatures at a crucial moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Rift Bolt demands a meticulous strategy due to its need for the suspension mechanic, potentially restricting your hand-play options for the subsequent turn.
Specific Mana Cost: As a card needing a single red mana, Rift Bolt fits specifically into red-aligned decks which may not synergize well with multi-colored deck strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While costing three mana might seem reasonable, in a game where speed is crucial, other burn spells may offer similar damage for a lower cost, making them more favorable in fast-paced games.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Rift Bolt brings flexibility to your arsenal with its suspend feature, allowing it to slot into various strategies, from burn decks to tempo plays. It’s as efficient in opening hand as it is drawn late game.
Combo Potential: It synergizes with cards that manipulate time counters or capitalize on spell casting, such as “Storm” decks, amplifying its effectiveness beyond a simple damage spell.
Meta-Relevance: Considering its ability to bypass counterspells when suspended and provide direct damage, Rift Bolt maintains its relevance in an ever-shifting competitive scene where tempo and control decks feature prominently.
How to beat
Rift Bolt is a staple in Magic: The Gathering, specifically in decks designed for speed and direct damage. As a deferred threat that can be unleashed with its suspend mechanic, overcoming this card requires strategic planning. Effective measures include countering it when it is cast for its suspend cost or using creature abilities to gain life in response to the damage.
Another tactic is to employ cards that prevent targeting, such as Shroud or Hexproof, rendering your creatures or yourself immune to the bolt’s impact. Though Rift Bolt may seem daunting due to its suspend allowing for an unavoidable three damage later, playing a deck with instant-speed life gain or including versatile counterspells could provide you the edge needed to neutralize this fiery spell’s potential.
Remember that Rift Bolt can only target a single creature or player, so diversifying threats and maintaining a robust board presence can dilute its effectiveness. Adjust your strategy, and you can certainly outpace the impending eruption of Rift Bolt’s damage.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Rift Bolt MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Time Spiral, 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 Rift Bolt and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Rift Bolt Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 37849 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Daniel Ljunggren | ||
| 2 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 176 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | |
| 3 | 2010-11-08 | Magic Online Theme Decks | TD0 | B26 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | |
| 4 | 2013-06-07 | Modern Masters | MMA | 126 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Daniel Ljunggren | |
| 5 | 2017-03-31 | Duel Decks: Mind vs. Might | DDS | 17 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daniel Ljunggren | |
| 6 | 2017-11-17 | Iconic Masters | IMA | 143 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daniel Ljunggren | |
| 7 | The List | PLST | TSP-176 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | ||
| 8 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 184 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Michael Sutfin | |
| 9 | 2022-07-08 | Double Masters 2022 | 2X2 | 122 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daniel Ljunggren |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Rift Bolt has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Rift Bolt card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don’t want to target. Timing permissions based on the card’s type are ignored. |
| 2021-06-18 | Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up. |
| 2021-06-18 | Exiling a card with suspend isn’t casting that card. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2021-06-18 | If an effect refers to a “suspended card,” that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card’s owner’s next upkeep. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can’t be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it’s exiled. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you can’t cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” such as with suspend, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card. |
| 2021-06-18 | Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it’s on the stack). |
| 2021-06-18 | The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn’t paid. |
| 2021-06-18 | When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn’t matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it. |
| 2021-06-18 | You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile. |
| 2021-06-18 | You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage’s ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time. |