Scorch Rider MTG Card

Kicker ability of Scorch Rider can simulate card advantage, eliminating blockers and boosting tempo. Demands discard upon casting, which can prematurely reduce strategic options and hand size. Unifies with multiple deck archetypes, offering versatility and potential for powerful combos.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Warrior
Abilities	Kicker
Released	2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set name	Zendikar Rising
Set code	ZNR
Power	4
Toughness	3
Number	158
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Andrey Kuzinskiy

Text of card

Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.) When Scorch Rider enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, it gains haste until end of turn.

"Lava flows where it pleases. I'm just happy to be along for the ride!"

Cards like Scorch Rider

Scorch Rider is an intriguing creature in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It mirrors the functionality of cards such as Goblin Heelcutter. Both share the common playstyle of temporarily removing a blocker when entering the battlefield, though Scorch Rider offers flexibility with its kicker cost, allowing it to impact the battlefield immediately. Where Goblin Heelcutter demands a dash cost to trigger its ability each turn, Scorch Rider’s kicker is a one-time payment for a similar effect.

Another card that echoes the spirit of Scorch Rider is Emberhorn Minotaur. It belongs to the cohort of creatures that can become unblockable under certain conditions. While the Minotaur requires exertion to deny blockers, Scorch Rider can consistently bypass a blocker if its kicker is paid. This consistency can be pivotal in games charged with aggressive strategies.

Assessing Scorch Rider amidst its peers, it stands out for its direct and optional playstyle. This strategic flexibility, provided by its kicker cost, makes it a card that can adapt to various in-game scenarios, earning it a unique position amongst creatures with similar blocker-control abilities in Magic: The Gathering.

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scorch Rider offers a unique twist in the battlefield with its kicker ability. While it does not directly allow you to draw cards, casting it with kicker can simulate card advantage by potentially eliminating an opponent’s blocker or threatening creature, thus retaining more of your creatures on the board for further turns.

Resource Acceleration: Scorch Rider itself doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense of providing additional mana. However, its four-mana cost aligns with the curve in most aggressive decks, allowing you to maintain tempo and apply continuous pressure. Additionally, if you’re using cards that benefit from casting spells with a kicker, Scorch Rider can synergize to indirectly ramp your resources or advantages.

Instant Speed: While Scorch Rider cannot be played at instant speed, its potential as an aggressive creature can be maximized by playing it at the right moment. Its ability to potentially come down and immediately make an impact if you pay the kicker cost aligns with the strategy of keeping your opponent off balance, similar to the tactical deployment of instant-speed spells.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Invoking this fiery ally from your hand to the battlefield demands that you discard another card, which may deplete your hand and reduce your strategic options too soon.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning Scorch Rider requires a precise blend of mana, including a red mana source. This limits flexibility and can strain mana bases not heavily invested in red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that could be considered steep for its in-game impact, Scorch Rider may lag behind when jockeying for a spot in your deck against other creatures that offer more bang for your mana buck or cards that provide immediate value upon entering the fray.

Reasons to Include Scorch Rider in Your Collection

Versatility: Scorch Rider is a flexible card that can seamlessly slide into numerous deck archetypes. As a creature with a solid power-to-mana cost ratio, it serves well in aggro builds while also being a choice pick for midrange decks seeking to maintain board presence.

Combo Potential: Given its kicker mechanic, Scorch Rider can mesh with strategies emphasizing on entering the battlefield effects. This card can be a catalyst for powerful combo plays, especially when leveraged alongside cards designed to capitalize on additional creatures entering the fray.

Meta-Relevance: The current competitive landscape often sees decks that need to quickly populate the board and maintain pressure. Scorch Rider fits into this mold, allowing players to stay relevant against a variety of other popular strategies and maintain momentum in fast-paced matches.

How to beat

Scorch Rider proves to be a sturdy creature card that may seem daunting to handle in a match of MTG. Its potential to become a consequential threat with its kick ability, enabling it to harness haste, can catch any opponent off guard. To effectively neutralize the Scorch Rider’s impact, swift removal is key. Cards that can exile or destroy creatures at instant speed, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, are perfect for dealing with a surprise onslaught.

Furthermore, setting up a formidable line of defense is also strategic. Playing creatures with powerful blocking capabilities can withstand hits from Scorch Rider and similar aggressors. Ensuring that you have blockers with toughness greater than Scorch Rider’s power will discourage your opponent from attacking, making it easier to control the pace of the game. Another tactic is to utilize counter spells when the Scorch Rider is being cast; cards like Counterspell or Negate can stop the Scorch Rider in its tracks, preventing any immediate threats from materializing.

Having these strategies in place will help stabilize your board position and ultimately outmaneuver the heated charge of Scorch Rider, keeping you one step ahead in the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scorch Rider MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Scorch Rider and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scorch Rider has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-09-25	An ability that triggers when a player casts a kicked spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger, but after targets have been chosen for that spell. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-09-25	If you copy a kicked spell, the copy is also kicked. If a card or token enters the battlefield as a copy of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield, the new permanent isn’t kicked, even if the original was.
2020-09-25	If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can’t kick it.
2020-09-25	Kicker represents an optional additional cost that you may choose to pay as you cast the spell. A spell cast with that additional cost paid is “kicked.”
2020-09-25	Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if they’re kicked. You ignore these targeting requirements if those spells aren’t kicked, and you can’t kick those spells unless you can choose the appropriate targets. On the other hand, you can kick a permanent spell even if you won’t be able to choose targets for an enters-the-battlefield ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
2020-09-25	To determine a spell’s total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card’s effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The converted mana cost of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2020-09-25	You can’t pay a kicker cost more than once.