Stronghold Furnace MTG Card
2009-09-04 - Number 37
2018-12-25 - Number 75
2023-04-21 - Number 160
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Plane — Rath |
Text of card
If a source would deal damage to a creature or player, it deals double that damage to that creature or player instead. Whenever you roll chaos, Stronghold Furnace deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
Cards like Stronghold Furnace
Stronghold Furnace is an intriguing enchantment in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It offers a unique dynamic similar to cards like Dictate of the Twin Gods. Both cards have the ability to double damage dealt to creatures and players, magnifying the potency of every strike. Where Stronghold Furnace differs is in its lack of flash, despite the added bonus of costing one less mana, allowing a faster play than Dictate.
Another card in this comparison is Furnace of Rath. This enchantment also doubles damage dealt, but it has a higher mana cost compared to Stronghold Furnace. However, Furnace of Rath’s influence is broader, affecting all damage sources without the specific creature-targeting restriction of Stronghold Furnace, making it a more universal threat on the battlefield.
In the realm of doubling damage, there are clear trade-offs to consider. Stronghold Furnace might not have flash like Dictate or the sweeping effect of Furnace of Rath, but its lower mana cost and specific design can be critically advantageous in the right deck build. Its place within damage-augmenting enchantments in Magic: The Gathering is therefore secured by its cost-effective damage amplification.
Cards similar to Stronghold Furnace by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Stronghold Furnace enhances your strategic position by effectively doubling the damage output of red instant and sorcery spells. This increased potency can quickly whittle down opponents’ life totals or clear the board of threats, both of which are tantamount to gaining an edge in card efficiency.
Resource Acceleration: In decks that harness the prowess of red spells, Stronghold Furnace acts as an accelerator, not in creating mana but in amplifying the impact of each mana spent. By making every spell potentially more devastating, it allows players to use their resources more effectively, securing a faster route to victory.
Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Stronghold Furnace’s impact on instant-speed red spells is notable. It allows players to cast high-intensity damage spells during the opponent’s turn or in response to actions, which can lead to unexpected swings in board state and momentum with doubled effects.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Stronghold Furnace comes at a price beyond mana—specifically, the need to discard a card. For players managing their hand size and resources, this could set back your overall game plan, forcing a tough decision between keeping your current hand intact or playing this enchantment.
Specific Mana Cost: The Stronghold Furnace calls for a precise combination of mana to cast—namely red. This restricts deck-building flexibility and could potentially limit the versatility of the card when constructing multi-colored decks or strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at five mana, including three generic and two red, Stronghold Furnace may be a challenging include in swifter, more aggressive decks. Its place in a mana curve competes with other impactful five-mana spells, which might offer more immediate or game-changing effects.
Reasons to Include Stronghold Furnace in Your Collection
Versatility: Stronghold Furnace has a flexible role as it boosts the power of red spells, enhancing damage outputs across a multitude of red-centric or splash red decks.
Combo Potential: Paired with cards that deal damage or “ping” opponents, Stronghold Furnace can significantly increase the impact of those effects, offering potential for powerful combos in the right setup.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where dealing damage quickly or altering the math of burn spells is crucial, Stronghold Furnace can be a game changer, tipping the scales in your favor against a variety of strategies.
How to beat
Stronghold Furnace is a unique card in the vast spectrum of MTG cards, providing a scenario where damage dealt by your red instant and sorcery spells doubles up, a threat that can quickly escalate if not handled promptly. The card’s potency lies in the amplification of even the most negligible burn spells, turning them into potential game-enders. As daunting as it may seem, overcoming the fiery prowess of Stronghold Furnace is achievable.
To extinguish the threat, players should focus on disrupting the card’s activation. Handling Stronghold Furnace often involves employing countermeasures like enchantment removal, specifically targeting artifacts. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize stand out as efficient answers within your arsenal, offering a quick and clean removal. Another effective strategy is to preemptively deny your opponent the setup, using counter spells to prevent it from ever hitting the board. This heads off the problem before it can ignite a damaging cycle. Alternatively, once the furnace is in play, life gain strategies can help cushion the blow from the enhanced damage, buying you time to dismantle it with artifact control.
Mastery over such nuances is key to controlling the game’s pace and maintaining an upper hand against cards like Stronghold Furnace, ensuring that no matter how scorching the battle gets, one can weather the flames and emerge victorious.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Stronghold Furnace MTG card by a specific set like Planechase Planes and Planechase Anthology Planes, 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 Stronghold Furnace and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
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- MTG Mint Card
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- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Stronghold Furnace Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2009-09-04 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by Jim Pavelec.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-09-04 | Planechase Planes | OHOP | 37 | 2003 | Planar | Black | Jim Pavelec | |
| 2 | 2018-12-25 | Planechase Anthology Planes | OPCA | 75 | 2015 | Planar | Black | Jim Pavelec | |
| 3 | 2023-04-21 | March of the Machine Commander | MOC | 160 | 2015 | Planar | Black | Jim Pavelec |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Stronghold Furnace card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | A face-up plane card that's turned face down becomes a new object with no relation to its previous existence. In particular, it loses all counters it may have had. |
| 2009-10-01 | A plane card is treated as if its text box included “When you roll {PW}, put this card on the bottom of its owner's planar deck face down, then move the top card of your planar deck off that planar deck and turn it face up.” This is called the “planeswalking ability.” |
| 2009-10-01 | If a spell or ability divides damage among multiple recipients (such as Pyrotechnics does), the damage is divided before Stronghold Furnace's effect doubles it. The same is true for combat damage. |
| 2009-10-01 | If an ability of a plane refers to “you,” it's referring to whoever the plane's controller is at the time, not to the player that started the game with that plane card in their deck. Many abilities of plane cards affect all players, while many others affect only the planar controller, so read each ability carefully. |
| 2009-10-01 | If multiple effects modify how damage will be dealt, the player who would be dealt damage or the controller of the creature that would be dealt damage chooses the order to apply the effects. For example, Mending Hands says, “Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.” Suppose a spell would deal 5 damage to a player who has cast Mending Hands targeting themselves. The player who would be dealt damage can either (a) prevent 4 damage first and then let Stronghold Furnace's effect double the remaining 1 damage, taking 2 damage, or (b) double the damage to 10 and then prevent 4 damage, taking 6 damage. |
| 2009-10-01 | Stronghold Furnace's first ability interacts with all damage, not just combat damage. Notably, it doubles the damage from its own chaos ability. |
| 2009-10-01 | The controller of a face-up plane card is the player designated as the “planar controller.” Normally, the planar controller is whoever the active player is. However, if the current planar controller would leave the game, instead the next player in turn order that wouldn't leave the game becomes the planar controller, then the old planar controller leaves the game. The new planar controller retains that designation until they leave the game or a different player becomes the active player, whichever comes first. |