Magmasaur MTG Card

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 188

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 141

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Elemental Dinosaur
Power	0
Toughness	0

Key Takeaways

Board control potential through Magmasaur’s ability to eliminate multiple creatures instantly.
Indirect tempo gain by influencing opponent’s resource management decisions.
Instant-speed sacrifice of Magmasaur grants adaptive strategic responses.

Text of card

Magmasaur comes into play with five +1/+1 counters on it. During your upkeep, remove a +1/+1 counter from Magmasaur, or sacrifice Magmasaur and it deals 1 damage for each +1/+1 counter on it to each creature without flying and each player.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Magmasaur has the potential to clear the board of smaller creatures, allowing you to maintain a card advantage by effectively dealing with multiple threats with a single card. This can lead to a significant swing in board state and card economy in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Magmasaur itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, its mere presence can change how your opponent allocates their resources, possibly delaying their development to avoid losing creatures to Magmasaur’s ability. This can indirectly accelerate your game plan by giving you a tempo advantage.

Instant Speed: The key strength of Magmasaur lies in its ability to be sacrificed at instant speed. This enables strategic flexibility, allowing you to respond to your opponents’ moves by threatening a board wipe during their turn. It can serve as a powerful deterrent, keeping your opponents wary of overcommitting to the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Magmasaur necessitates discarding a card from your hand, a drawback that can diminish your strategic options, especially when your hand is already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning Magmasaur requires a precise combination of mana, including red, which can make it challenging to integrate into multicolored decks that may have mana flexibility issues.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its base casting cost, Magmasaur comes with a relatively steep price for its abilities. Other creatures or spells in the same mana range might provide greater utility or lower-cost alternatives for similar effects.

Reasons to Include Magmasaur in Your Collection

Versatility: Magmasaur is a flexible addition to decks that capitalize on sacrifice mechanics or need a recurring threat. Its ability to adjust to various board states makes it a helpful card in multiple situations.

Combo Potential: With the right set of cards, Magmasaur can become a part of powerful combos, particularly in decks that manipulate +1/+1 counters or require elements to sacrifice for greater effects.

Meta-Relevance: Magmasaur shines in environments where creatures are key components of the meta. Its ability to wipe out smaller creatures each turn can disrupt opponent strategies and maintain board control.

How to beat

The Magmasaur is a formidable card, capable of shaking up the battlefield with its explosive ability. To successfully navigate a game against this particular card, it’s crucial to understand its strengths and play around them. With a high mana cost and its dependence on no lands being in hand, countering it requires a precise strategy.

Control decks have an inherent advantage, leveraging counter spells to prevent Magmasaur from hitting the field in the first place. Permission strategies are also effective, biding time and drawing out the game until your opponent is forced to play lands, thus nullifying the Magmasaur’s ability. Alternatively, removal spells are effective after its resolution if you can manage to keep your land count high and therefore its ability in check. Enchantment-based board control like ‘Pacifism’ or ‘Claustrophobia’ can also neutralize it without triggering its ability, providing a clear path to victory. Lastly, hand disruption spells can strip this threat from your opponent’s grip before it can ever impact the board.

In essence, while Magmasaur presents a significant threat on paper, a strategic approach utilizing disruption and control tactics can mitigate its impact and guide you to triumph over this fiery adversary.

Cards like Magmasaur

In the passionate and strategic world of Magic: The Gathering, cards like Magmasaur bring unique mechanics to the game’s vibrant ecosystem of creatures. When exploring cards with a similar impact, one could look at Inferno Elemental for its hefty damage delivery upon attacking. Both cards possess the potential to drastically affect the board state, though Magmasaur requires a prerequisite of no cards in hand to survive maintenance.

Another creature that echoes Magmasaur’s fiery nature is Shard Phoenix, which can also be sacrificed for area damage. While Shard Phoenix offers a recurring advantage with its buyback ability, Magmasaur offers a larger base damage output upon death. Furthermore, comparing it to cards like Spark Elemental reveals differences in longevity and impact. Spark Elemental provides an immediate, one-time effect, whereas Magmasaur may stick around, posing a threat each turn its condition is met.

Assessing these fiery inhabitants of MTG, Magmasaur holds its ground, especially in decks designed to manipulate hand size. Its presence on the battlefield can be strategically pivotal, making it an intriguing choice for players who enjoy a high-risk, high-reward playstyle.

Cards similar to Magmasaur by color, type and mana cost

Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions

Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions

Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions

Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions

Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Magmasaur MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Tempest Remastered, 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 Magmasaur and other MTG cards: