Burnt Offering MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 116

Treasure Chest (PZ2)
2016-11-16 - Number 65833

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant

Key Takeaways

Generates mana by sacrificing creatures, offering a surprising advantage in tight spots.
Instant speed use allows for flexible and strategic gameplay in MTG.
Requires red and black mana, restricting it to specific decks.

Text of card

Sacrifice a creature to add that creature's casting cost in any combination of red and/or black mana to your mana pool.

"My foes serve me twice: in dying, and in death." —Lim-Dûl, the Necromancer

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Burnt Offering gives players the unique capability to convert a creature’s power into a sudden influx of mana. In scenarios where creatures are either going to be destroyed or are of no further use, this card effectively recycles them into resources.

Resource Acceleration: The influx of black and/or red mana that Burnt Offering provides can be a significant resource acceleration. This can lead to playing higher-cost cards much earlier than usual or enabling powerful combos that require a substantial amount of mana in a single turn.

Instant Speed: One of Burnt Offering’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to be cast at instant speed. It offers strategic flexibility, allowing players to wait until the last possible moment before deciding the best use of their creature, potentially outmaneuvering opponents and maximizing their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Burnt Offering necessitates the sacrifice of a creature, potentially depleting your battlefield presence, which can leave you vulnerable to attacks.

Specific Mana Cost: It requires red and black mana for casting, which restricts its inclusion to only those decks that can produce both colors consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost plus the need to sacrifice a creature, the total investment might outweigh the mana generated, especially when considering alternatives that provide mana without such a significant trade-off.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Burnt Offering allows for an incredible amount of flexibility in constructing your deck. This card is a prime choice for those wanting to experiment with instant-speed mana generation that can pivot into powerful plays within the same turn.

Combo Potential: Burnt Offering is a key component in many combo decks, facilitating explosive turns where you can sacrifice a creature for a sudden influx of red and black mana. This can enable casting high-cost spells much earlier or triggering high-impact abilities that could swing the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Given the dynamic nature of the game, the value of Burnt Offering can surge, particularly in metas where the acceleration of your game plan is critical to outpacing opponents. Its capability to feed both mana and graveyard strategies makes it a card to watch and incorporate into decks that operate on both axes.

How to beat

Burnt Offering embodies the quintessential risk-reward dynamic in Magic: The Gathering, enabling a sudden surge of red and black mana at the cost of a creature. This spell can fuel game-swinging actions in a single turn, yet it can be outmaneuvered. When facing a Burnt Offering strategy, timing is critical. Display patience and keep removal spells or countermeasures at the ready. Allow your opponent to overcommit their resources to a creature they intend to sacrifice.

Commanding an understanding of this card’s nuances provides you with the strategic upper hand. Employing instant-speed removal or negation can disrupt the Burnt Offering play. Keep an eye out for spells like Naturalize or Krosan Grip that target the key cards that synergize with Burnt Offering. One can also opt for strategic counterspells, such as Counterspell or Negate, to directly address Burnt Offering and maintain control of the game pace.

Adapting your gameplay to anticipate and neutralize Burnt Offering can be a significant turning point in a match. Watch for the telltale signs of a Burnt Offering setup and prepare your response accordingly, ensuring your victory is not sacrificed in the flames of your opponent’s ambitions.

BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the multifaceted aspects of Burnt Offering can turn a game of MTG in your favor. From transforming expendable creatures into a swell of mana to completing game-winning combos, this card’s potential is boundless. It’s essential to weigh its pros and cons while crafting your deck, keeping in mind its synergy with other cards and the current meta. For those who thrive on strategic plays and enjoy manipulating the battlefield, Burnt Offering is more than a card—it’s a tactical tool. Delve deeper into its applications and integrate this dynamic spell into your deck with guidance from the BurnMana community. Learn, adapt, and conquer!

Cards like Burnt Offering

Burnt Offering joins the suite of mana generation spells in Magic: The Gathering’s extensive catalogue. When held up against other ramps like Dark Ritual or Desperate Ritual, Burnt Offering stands out with its distinct sacrifice mechanic. This card allows a player to sacrifice a creature and gain an amount of mana in any combination of black and red proportional to the creature’s power. Unlike Dark Ritual, which provides a fixed three black mana, Burnt Offering’s output is variable and tied directly to the creature’s attributes.

Sacrifice spells often come with their own pros and cons, and Culling the Weak is another example that compares closely with Burnt Offering. It provides a quick boost of four black mana at the cost of a creature, but it doesn’t offer the color flexibility of Burnt Offering. Alternatively, there’s Infernal Plunge, reminiscent of Burnt Offering, yet it generates three red mana exclusively and demands the sacrifice of a creature as its cost.

In essence, each sacrifice-based mana spell in MTG serves a strategic purpose, with Burnt Offering allowing for a dynamic play when a burst of mana in multiple colors is crucial. This flexibility can empower a variety of deck archetypes, from combo setups to enabling high-cost spells ahead of schedule.

Cards similar to Burnt Offering by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Burnt Offering MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Treasure Chest, 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 Burnt Offering and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Burnt Offering Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2016-11-16. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1995-06-03	Ice Age	ICE		116	1993	Normal	Black	Daniel Gelon
2	2016-11-16	Treasure Chest	PZ2		65833	2015	Normal	Black	Rick O'Brien

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Burnt Offering has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-04-15	Players can only respond once this spell has been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to destroy the creature you sacrificed to prevent you from casting this spell.
2013-04-15	You must sacrifice exactly one creature to cast this spell; you cannot cast it without sacrificing a creature, and you cannot sacrifice additional creatures.