Burning-Tree Shaman MTG Card
2006-02-03 - Number 105
2019-02-15 - Number 89
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Centaur Shaman |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Indirect card advantage gained by taxing opponents’ activated abilities through resource attrition.
- Forces opponents to reconsider ability usage, granting strategic advantage by slowing them down.
- Shapes gameplay, requiring careful calculation of every action to mitigate its taxing effect.
Text of card
Whenever a player plays an activated ability that isn't a mana ability, Burning-Tree Shaman deals 1 damage to that player.
Gruul shamans are bent on punishing the civilized. Any act more complex than rubbing sticks together or eating with utensils is met with the stinging burn of their magic.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Burning-Tree Shaman doesn’t directly allow for drawing cards, but its ability can disrupt the opponent’s strategy, indirectly leading to a form of card advantage through attrition. This can chip away at opponents’ resources over several turns.
Resource Acceleration: Although not a traditional ramp card, this Shaman’s presence on the battlefield can accelerate your game plan by pressuring opponents to think twice before using activated abilities, potentially slowing them down and giving you a comparative advantage.
Instant Speed: This creature itself does not operate at instant speed, but its influence on instant speed activated abilities of opponents’ cards cannot be understated—any such ability uses will cost them, catalyzing a thought-intensive environment where every move must be calculated.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Burning-Tree Shaman does not inherently require a discard, managing its triggered ability can be a tricky affair. In decks not built to capitalize on this feature, it could potentially force unwanted discards if alternate cost spells or abilities are used carelessly.
Specific Mana Cost: This shaman demands a precise mana composition of one red and one green to be cast. This mana requirement shapes the decks it can fit into, generally confining it to Gruul archetypes or those that can reliably produce both colors of mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, the Burning-Tree Shaman competes with other potent creatures and spells in the same slot. While its ability to tax non-mana abilities is useful, players might find creatures with higher impact or utility for the same or less mana investment, making the Shaman a less attractive option in some metagames.
Reasons to Include Burning-Tree Shaman in Your Collection
Versatility: Burning-Tree Shaman is a highly adaptable card that can be slotted into Gruul decks, counter-centric builds or even as a tool for punishing noncreature strategies. Its ability to damage opponents on the activation of abilities makes it a deterrent against a wide array of decks.
Combo Potential: This card can be a key piece in synergistic plays, where its damage-dealing ability can be combined with other cards to control the board and pressure opponents simply by responding to their actions. It has the potential to magnifying the impact of your own strategy while hindering others.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where activated abilities are commonplace, Burning-Tree Shaman remains a relevant disruption tool. Particularly in metas where planeswalkers, utility creatures, or artifact abilities are prevalent, this Shaman can continuously chip away at an opponent’s life total, swinging the game in your favor.
How to beat
Navigating around the prowess of Burning-Tree Shaman in your Magic: The Gathering matches requires a focused strategy. This card is noted for punishing players who lean on activated abilities, placing a toll on every non-mana ability used. To circumvent its taxing effect, consider spells and creatures that thrive on static abilities or offer value upon entering the battlefield.
Ideally, shifting to a strategy with fewer activated abilities can significantly minimize the impact of Burning-Tree Shaman. Supplement your deck with passive creatures or those with triggered abilities as a solid game plan. Cards like Tarmogoyf or Snapcaster Mage, which have inherent abilities that operate without activations, could prove beneficial in this matchup. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can remove the Shaman from play before its ability can substantially affect the game.
Lastly, it’s crucial to manage your life total wisely. Chipping away at Burning-Tree Shaman’s influence by strategically playing your spells can help you maintain control. With careful card selection and a keen awareness of your actions, overcoming the challenge posed by Burning-Tree Shaman is well within reach for any adept MTG player.
Cards like Burning-Tree Shaman
Burning-Tree Shaman earns its unique place in Magic: The Gathering with its specificity in reacting to players’ actions. It finds peers in cards like Harsh Mentor, which similarly punishes players for activating abilities of artifacts, creatures, or lands that aren’t mana abilities. However, Burning-Tree Shaman stands out by expanding its reach to include all nonmana abilities, not just those of permanents on the battlefield but also including triggered abilities from instant and sorcery cards.
Eidolon of the Great Revel is another card that echoes this punitive philosophy, dealing damage to a player whenever they cast a spell with a low mana value. While it shares the pain-dealing aspect of Burning-Tree Shaman, Eidolon’s effect is limited to just spell casting, ignoring the vast landscape of abilities that Burning-Tree Shaman oversees. Compared to another counterpart, Zo-Zu the Punisher, which deals damage to players for land plays, Burning-Tree Shaman offers a broader deterrent against a common strategy of using inexpensive activated abilities.
Thus, Burning-Tree Shaman offers a distinct advantage in matches where abilities abound, making it a strategic inclusion for players looking to control the tempo and tactics of gameplay. This card delivers a balance of aggression and control, extending its influence beyond what its closest relatives in MTG can claim.
Cards similar to Burning-Tree Shaman by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Burning-Tree Shaman MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact and RNA Guild Kit, 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 Burning-Tree Shaman and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Burning-Tree Shaman Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2019-02-15. Illustrated by Dan Scott.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-02-03 | Guildpact | GPT | 105 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Dan Scott | |
| 2 | 2019-02-15 | RNA Guild Kit | GK2 | 89 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Dan Scott |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Burning-Tree Shaman has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Burning-Tree Shaman card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-02-01 | A mana ability is an ability that adds mana to your mana pool, not one that costs mana to activate. |
| 2013-04-15 | A mana ability is an ability that (1) isn’t a loyalty ability, (2) doesn’t target, and (3) could put mana into a player’s mana pool when it resolves. |
