Thunderblust MTG Card


Thunderblust provides card advantage by forcing unfavorable trades for the opponents. Can recur as a threat, enhancing resource acceleration within specific deck types. Demanding instant-speed responses, it alters game tempo and opponent strategies.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Haste,Persist
Power 7
Toughness 2

Text of card

Haste Thunderblust has trample as long as it has a -1/-1 counter on it. Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)


Cards like Thunderblust

Thunderblust stands out in Magic: The Gathering as an impactful creature with the potential to dominate the battlefield. It can be compared to other formidable creatures like Ball Lightning, which shares the haste and trample abilities, allowing it to immediately impact the game. However, Thunderblust brings something different to the table with its persist attribute, giving it a form of resilience that Ball Lightning lacks, as it can return to the field once after being destroyed.

Looking to Groundbreaker, another creature in a similar sphere, we see haste and trample again, but like Ball Lightning, without the resilience provided by persist. This makes Thunderblust a sturdier option in longer games where recurring threats are valuable. Elemental Appeal is another parallel, a sorcery that creates a haste and trample creature token but without the additional life Thunderblust might have with its persist mechanic, which can give it a second chance at dealing damage.

The existence of such cards gives Thunderblust a unique niche due to its ability to threaten immediate damage and also potentially return for a second assault, offering a blend of aggression and staying power in player decks.

Ball Lightning - MTG Card versions
Groundbreaker - MTG Card versions
Elemental Appeal - MTG Card versions
Ball Lightning - MTG Card versions
Groundbreaker - MTG Card versions
Elemental Appeal - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thunderblust by color, type and mana cost

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Soul of Magma - MTG Card versions
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Fire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Earth Elemental - MTG Card versions
Eron the Relentless - MTG Card versions
Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions
Hivis of the Scale - MTG Card versions
Hulking Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Flame Spirit - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions
Covetous Dragon - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions
Tephraderm - MTG Card versions
Avarax - MTG Card versions
Bonethorn Valesk - MTG Card versions
Frost Ogre - MTG Card versions
Heartless Hidetsugu - MTG Card versions
Shard Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Soul of Magma - MTG Card versions
Hunted Dragon - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thunderblust, with its powerful presence on the battlefield, often demands an answer from opponents. When it swings your way in battle, it may push your opponent to trade more than one card to deal with it, effectively skewing the card economy in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Thunderblust itself doesn’t directly offer resource acceleration, if you’re playing a deck that synergizes with elemental creatures or has mechanics to revive it from the graveyard (like with its Persist ability), it can become an engine for recurring threats that accelerate your board state with every iteration.

Instant Speed: While Thunderblust operates at sorcery speed, its high impact on the game necessitates instant-speed responses from your opponents. This pressure can change the pace of the game, as you force opponents to either have an immediate answer or suffer the consequences of a 7/2 trampler potentially returning from the graveyard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Thunderblust packs a punch, resurrecting it using its Persist ability can be less appealing since it necessitates discarding another card. If you’re running low on hand options, this could set you back considerably.

Specific Mana Cost: Thunderblust requires a heavy red mana investment, making it challenging to accommodate in multicolored decks. Its reliance on a specific mana type constrains deck-building options and can complicate your mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, including three red, Thunderblust may arrive too late in the game. In a format where the tempo is crucial, there may be alternatives that provide a faster impact on the battlefield for a lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thunderblust can be a formidable addition to decks that prioritize haste and high power. Its ability to return to the battlefield with haste when it has died makes it a recurring threat in aggressive red decks.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with effects that grant +1/+1 counters, preventing it from being sacrificed at the end of the turn. This opens up potential combos with proliferate mechanics or other counter-based strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Thunderblust stands out due to its 7 power and haste, enabling it to outpace and overpower many other creatures on the battlefield.


How to beat

Thunderblust packs a powerful punch as a formidable presence in the Magic: The Gathering arena. With its trample ability and the potential to resurrect with haste via its persist trait, it can be a real threat on the battlefield. But even the mightiest cards have their vulnerabilities—it’s about strategy and counterplay. To overcome Thunderblust, focus on removing it from play to dodge its persist trigger, or counteract it with spells that negate the abilities of creatures. Enchantment-based removals or spells that exile directly from the game bypass the persist mechanic, leaving your opponent without their thunderous asset. Creatures with ‘Protection from Red’ also stand strong against Thunderblust, as they nullify its attack and block it effectively.

Moreover, timing is essential when dealing with this behemoth. Engage in combat on your terms, or manipulate the stack by holding instant-speed removal for the most opportune moment, ensuring Thunderblust doesn’t get a chance to hit the field again. By preparing the right answers and keeping the pressure on your opponent, you can render Thunderblust’s strengths moot, solidifying your path to victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thunderblust MTG card by a specific set like Eventide and Modern Masters 2015, 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 Thunderblust and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thunderblust Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2008-07-25 and 2015-05-22. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-07-25EventideEVE 632003NormalBlackDan Scott
22015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 1312015NormalBlackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thunderblust has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature’s existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point.
2013-06-07 If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they’ll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing.
2013-06-07 If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can’t return to the battlefield.
2013-06-07 If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player’s persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player’s persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time.
2013-06-07 The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it.
2013-06-07 When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it’s a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence.