Scent of Cinder MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scent of Cinder could offer a varying level of card advantage depending on the number of red cards in your hand. In a deck tailored to make the most of it, this could result in a significant damage output, effectively converting excess cards into potential game-ending plays.

Resource Acceleration: While Scent of Cinder itself doesn’t directly accelerate resource production, casting it for its potential maximum damage can quickly shift the tempo of the game. Successfully clearing blockers or damaging opponents could indirectly accelerate your winning strategy by removing obstacles.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Scent of Cinder at instant speed provides enormous strategic flexibility. It allows players to wait for the most opportune moment before revealing the strength of their hand, potentially catching an opponent off-guard or disrupting their plans during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To fully harness Scent of Cinder’s potential, you need to discard a card, which can deplete your hand and be detrimental if you’re already behind in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands red mana to cast. If you’re playing a multicolored deck or don’t have red mana readily available, it could sit useless in your hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Scent of Cinder’s mana cost may seem reasonable at first glance, but when you consider the additional cost of discarding, its effectiveness starts to diminish, especially when compared with other damage-dealing spells in the same mana range.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Scent of Cinder offers a flexible damage output that can be easily adjusted to target creatures, planeswalkers, or opponents directly. It’s a strong sideboard card for red decks facing strategies that flood the board with creatures.

Combo Potential: As it counts the number of red cards in your hand, it pairs well with effects that let you draw or reveal multiple cards, potentially delivering a game-ending blow by increasing the damage dealt.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where red-based decks dominate, Scent of Cinder becomes a relevant tool. It thrives as a situational card against creature-heavy decks, allowing red players to remove key threats or close out games abruptly.

How to beat

Scent of Cinder presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering, where its power hinges upon revealing red cards from your hand. So, part of the strategy to counter it involves minimizing the damage it can deal. Since the spell’s effect scales with the number of red cards shown, one approach is to disrupt the opponent’s hand with discard effects or by applying pressure to force them to play out their red cards sooner. Cards like Thoughtseize or Duress strip potential fuel for Scent of Cinder right from your opponent’s grip.

Countermagic is another effective tool. Holding up mana for a Counterspell or Mana Leak when your opponent aims to cast Scent of Cinder can negate the threat altogether. It’s also beneficial to be aware of the timing; Scent of Cinder requires a single red mana, so stay alert and ready to respond when your opponent has that mana open. Lastly, playing around this card by managing your life total carefully and maintaining board control can minimize the impact Scent of Cinder might have on the game’s outcome, allowing you to maintain advantage and eventually outpace your opponent.