Reckless Rage MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2018-01-19
Set symbol
Set name	Rivals of Ixalan
Set code	RIX
Number	110
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Slawomir Maniak

Key Takeaways

Reckless Rage can trigger multiple beneficial creature abilities with a single cast, offering card advantage.
The card’s instant speed gives players tactical flexibility, optimizing combat and response strategies.
However, the requirement to target one’s own creature can sometimes limit Reckless Rage’s usability in-game.

Text of card

Reckless Rage deals 4 damage to target creature you don't control and 2 damage to target creature you control.

"Hard to starboard! Starb— Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Reckless Rage allows you to deal substantial damage to a creature while simultaneously triggering abilities of your creatures that benefit from being targeted. This potentially turns a single spell into a multi-benefit action, keeping you ahead in the game.

Resource Acceleration: By eliminating key threats for just one red mana, Reckless Rage clears the path for your creatures to attack. Efficient removal spells like this can accelerate your game plan, indirectly contributing to your resource management.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of Reckless Rage provides flexibility, enabling you to respond to opponents’ moves during their turn or capitalize on surprise interactions during combat, thereby maximizing its tactical advantages.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One drawback of Reckless Rage is that it necessitates having a creature of your own to target. This can be problematic when your board is clear, rendering the card unusable and potentially stranded in your hand when you need removal the most.

Specific Mana Cost: Reckless Rage demands a red mana source. This specific mana requirement can pose a challenge in multicolored decks that may not always have the right mana available, which could lead to missed opportunities to use it at a crucial moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its casting cost is relatively low, the actual cost can be high considering it also requires you to risk your own creature. In situations where each mana can be pivotal to your strategy, spending one on an effect that endangers your own board might not always be the optimal play.

Reasons to Include Reckless Rage in Your Collection

Versatility: Reckless Rage shines in decks that utilize creatures capable of surviving its damage, such as those with higher toughness or indestructible. This quality allows it to be a valuable tool across various deck archetypes, from aggressive builds to more midrange strategies.

Combo Potential: With its low mana cost, Reckless Rage pairs excellently with cards that have enrage abilities or benefit from being targeted, like the famed “Feather, the Redeemed” deck, where it can be reused and generate continuous value.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by creature-centric decks, Reckless Rage offers efficient removal, allowing players to deal with opposing threats while maintaining board presence, making it a key tactical advantage in numerous matchups.

How to beat

When you’re facing down the Reckless Rage card in MTG, understanding its strengths and weaknesses is crucial for navigating the challenge it presents. This card is a powerhouse in decks that revolve around creatures with high toughness, as it can eliminate opposing threats while keeping their creature base intact. Its low mana cost makes it a go-to removal tool among red-deck players.

To effectively overcome this card, it’s important to employ strategies that minimize its effectiveness. Creatures with indestructible or those that can regenerate are excellent buffers against its damage. Alternatively, utilizing instant-speed spells or abilities to boost your creature’s toughness before Reckless Rage resolves will help safeguard them from being destroyed. Counterspells are also a reliable defense, negating Reckless Rage before it ever has an impact on the board state.

It’s essential to keep in mind that Reckless Rage requires a target for both its friendly and opposing effects, which implies playing fewer creatures or those with hexproof could limit its viability. Adaptability and anticipation are key when contending with this spell, ensuring you maintain a strong board presence while keeping your key creatures out of harm’s way.

Cards like Reckless Rage

Reckless Rage has carved its niche in Magic: The Gathering as a potent direct damage instant. Resembling cards like Shock and Lightning Strike, it too can take out threats on the battlefield. The key difference lies in its ability to deal 4 damage to a target creature you don’t control and 2 damage to a creature you control. This can synergize with creatures that benefit from being damaged, unlike Shock and Lightning Strike that solely deal damage to opponents’ creatures or players.

Comparatively, Fiery Confluence is another powerful card that offers versatility, allowing choices between dealing damage to creatures or players. It does have a higher casting cost and is a sorcery, which means timing is less flexible than the instant speed of Reckless Rage. Then there’s Flame Slash that offers 4 damage to a creature at sorcery speed without the downside of harming your creatures, though it lacks the instantaneity that Reckless Rage provides.

Ultimately, Reckless Rage holds a unique position in Magic: The Gathering, combining a high damage output with a strategic drawback that can be turned to an advantage in the right deck, distinguishing it from similar direct damage spells.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reckless Rage MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan, 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 Reckless Rage and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reckless Rage has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	If either target is an illegal target as Reckless Rage resolves, the other will still be dealt damage.
2018-01-19	You can’t cast Reckless Rage unless you choose both a creature you control and a creature you don’t control as targets.