Spark Jolt MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Scry
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Number	140
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mike Bierek

Key Takeaways

Efficient early play with damage plus scry 1, ideal for setting up subsequent draw quality.
Instant speed allows flexible play, disrupting opponents’ creatures and strategies effectively.
Restricts deck diversity somewhat with its red mana requirement limiting multicolor integration.

Text of card

Spark Jolt deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

Acolytes of Purphoros hammer the world until they see the sparks of change.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Spark Jolt may not let you draw multiple cards, it does offer the ability to scry 1 after dealing damage. This subtle advantage allows you to sift through your deck and improve the quality of your draws, setting you up for future turns.

Resource Acceleration: Spark Jolt is not typically known for resource acceleration; however, its low mana cost can be a crucial factor. It allows you to utilize mana efficiently in the early game, preserving your resources for more significant spells while still interacting with the board.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Spark Jolt at instant speed gives you flexibility during the game. You can disrupt your opponent’s strategies by removing a key one-toughness creature in combat or at the end of their turn, keeping mana open for adaptive gameplay and maintaining the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spark Jolt does not have a discard requirement, thus no drawback in terms of additional costs that require you to lose hand advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Spark Jolt requires red mana to play, which can restrict its integration into multicolored decks that may not always have red mana readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Spark Jolt’s mana cost is comparatively low, requiring only a single red mana, in certain situations, there are alternative cards that could provide a higher impact or more versatility for a similar or only slightly higher mana investment.

Reasons to Include Spark Jolt in Your Collection

Versatility: Spark Jolt is a useful addition to various deck types, particularly those seeking quick damage spells or needing to trigger prowess and similar abilities. Its low mana cost makes it highly accessible during the early phases of the game.

Combo Potential: Besides dealing damage, Spark Jolt’s ability to scry 1 offers deck manipulation, enabling combos by filtering upcoming draws. It pairs well with strategies that capitalize on casting multiple spells in a single turn or need to sift through the deck for key components.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by creature-based aggro decks, Spark Jolt serves as an efficient tool for picking off small creatures or finishing off weakened ones. Additionally, its instant speed allows players to hold up mana for other responses while having the option to cast it end of turn.

How to beat

Spark Jolt may seem like a modest card at first glance within the realm of MTG, but its potential to disrupt an opponent’s strategy shouldn’t be underestimated. This card serves as a quick and efficient way to deal with low-toughness creatures that could be key to your rival’s game plan. With its instant speed and the added bonus of scrying 1, Spark Jolt provides a handy tool for both board control and deck manipulation.

Countering Spark Jolt effectively necessitates strategic play. It’s important to recognize the types of creatures that are vulnerable to such a spell. Creatures with toughness greater than 1 are out of Spark Jolt’s range, making them a safer bet on the battlefield. Alternatively, consider employing spells that grant your creatures temporary toughness boosts or hexproof to shield them when your opponent reaches for their red mana.

By understanding how to safeguard your creatures from this quick jolt of damage and card insight, you maintain the integrity of your game plan against players wielding this nifty piece of instant speed interaction. In MTG, anticipating and neutralizing seemingly minor threats like Spark Jolt often spell the difference between defeat and a well-earned victory.

Cards like Spark Jolt

Spark Jolt is an intriguing card in the realm of MTG quick plays and removals. Much like Shock, a staple in direct damage decks, Spark Jolt delivers a jolt of damage directly to a creature or player. However, Shock has twice the impact, dealing 2 damage versus Spark Jolt’s 1. What sets Spark Jolt apart is the scry 1 ability, offering a glance at the next card and the option to keep it at the top or push it to the bottom of the library.

Comparatively, we have Magma Spray, another one-cost red spell that excels at dealing damage to creatures. While it doesn’t allow for a scry, it exiles the target if it would die that turn, which can be crucial against decks that rely on graveyard strategies. Additionally, Peak Eruption serves a more niche role, dealing damage specifically to mountains and their controllers, and can be incredibly effective in a meta filled with red decks.

When analyzing Spark Jolt’s place in the pantheon of red spells, it’s clear that its ability to both slightly damage and sort the upcoming draw is unique. This can be especially helpful in sculpting the player’s next moves, ensuring Spark Jolt has a solid, if somewhat specialized, role in certain MTG strategies.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spark Jolt MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Spark Jolt and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spark Jolt has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Scry appears on some spells and abilities with one or more targets. If all of the spell or ability's targets are illegal when it tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't scry.
2013-09-15	When you scry, you may put all the cards you look at back on top of your library, you may put all of those cards on the bottom of your library, or you may put some of those cards on top and the rest of them on the bottom.
2013-09-15	You choose how to order cards returned to your library after scrying no matter where you put them.
2013-09-15	You perform the actions stated on a card in sequence. For some spells and abilities, that means you'll scry last. For others, that means you'll scry and then perform other actions.