Undying Flames MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Epic
Released	2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Saviors of Kamigawa
Set code	SOK
Number	119
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tsutomu Kawade

Key Takeaways

Card advantage is vital, allowing a constant flow of spells without depleting your hand resources.
The card offers ways to cast costly spells earlier by circumventing their mana costs.
Undying Flames affords flexibility, letting you cast epic reveals at instant speed.

Text of card

Remove cards from the top of your library from the game until you remove a nonland card. Undying Flames deals damage to target creature or player equal to that card's converted mana cost. Epic (For the rest of the game, you can't play spells. At the beginning of each of your upkeeps, copy this spell except for its epic ability. You may choose a new target for the copy.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Undying Flames, each epic reveal not only maintains your hand size but can potentially keep an onslaught of spells coming each turn without expending resources from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Undying Flames itself does not produce mana or tokens directly, it does allow players to bypass mana costs for the spells revealed, effectively accelerating your ability to utilize high-cost cards.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery with an ongoing effect, the card itself isn’t instant speed, but it allows you to cast the revealed spells as though they were instants, giving unexpected flexibility and surprise factor in your plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Undying Flames necessitates the player to discard their entire hand, which can backfire significantly if your strategy relies on maintaining card advantage or holding crucial spells for the right moment.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s epic ability is activated through a specific mana combination that heavily leans towards red, potentially restricting deck compatibility and making it a challenging fit for multi-colored or mana-flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a six mana cost to unleash its potential, Undying Flames comes with a steep price. This investment could put players at a disadvantage, especially when faced with faster, lower-cost strategies that dominate the early game.

Reasons to Include Undying Flames in Your Collection

Versatility: Undying Flames offers a unique approach to dealing damage that can adapt to different playstyles. With its epic mechanic, it can become the cornerstone of a strategy built around casting spells from the top of your library, making it useful in various builds that thrive on nontraditional win conditions.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that manipulate the top of the library or that have ways to play with additional mana. The ability to potentially cast high-cost spells for free each turn can be combined with cards that reveal the top card of your library or effects that rearrange it, to maximize value.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where longer games prevail, Undying Flames can shine by outlasting opponents with a continuous stream of spells. It’s particularly effective against slower and control-oriented decks, where setting up a game-winning engine becomes feasible and less prone to disruption.

How to Beat Undying Flames

Undying Flames is a unique sorcery within the realm of MTG that brings the Epic mechanic to the spotlight. When this spell is cast, it essentially sets the pace for the rest of the game by requiring the player to exile cards from the top of their library until they hit a nonland card, which can then be cast without paying its mana cost. What makes this card interesting is that once it’s played, the caster can’t play other spells for the remainder of the game.

To effectively counter Undying Flames, the use of instant-speed interaction is crucial. Counterspells like Counterspell or Negate are classic responses to prevent Undying Flames from resolving. Moreover, strategic planning is important. Players can keep their removal or counterspells reserved specifically for pivotal moments. Discard effects also provide another avenue, stripping the card from opponents’ hands before they have a chance to cast it. Hindering tutors that search for specific cards like Undying Flames can offer a preventive measure, disrupting an opponent’s strategy early on.

With the right strategy and timing, players can overcome Undying Flames, keeping the match in their favor. Awareness of the battlefield, hand, and what the opponents might play next is key to defeating this sweeping, game-altering spell.

Cards like Undying Flames

Undying Flames stands as a captivating spell within the realm of MTG’s Epic cycle. It bears comparison with its counterparts from the Saviors of Kamigawa set, such as Eternal Dominion. Both cards share the Epic trait, which prevents players from casting other spells for the duration of the game. However, Undying Flames focuses on inflicting direct damage drawn from the top of your library, carving a path that relies on deck construction to maximize damage output.

Characters like Flames of the Firebrand can be seen as a distant cousin, as it also deals damage divided among one, two, or three targets, though it lacks the Epic mechanic and the game-long commitment to a single spell. Another related card is Fire Servant, which can double the damage of red spells. It doesn’t offer the same potential for exponential damage as Undying Flames, but it works immediately and with any red damage spell.

Assessing their unique mechanics and strategic uses, Undying Flames is a standout, particularly for MTG enthusiasts who relish a challenge and enjoy building a strategy around a single, powerful ability that can potentially spiral into a victory.

Flames of the Firebrand - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Undying Flames by color, type and mana cost

Chaotic Transformation - MTG Card versions

Into the Maw of Hell - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Undying Flames MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Undying Flames and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Undying Flames 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 Undying Flames card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.