Fire Ants MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 187

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 187s

Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
1999-11-12 - Number 27

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Insect
Power	2
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Fire Ants clear boards with its ability, creating a significant card advantage.
Instant speed activation allows strategic and game-altering plays.
High casting cost and specific mana needs may limit versatility.

Text of card

oc T: Fire Ants deals 1 damage to each other creature without flying.

Visitors to Shiv fear the dragons, the goblins, or the viashino. Natives fear the ants.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Diving into the world of Magic the Gathering, the Fire Ants card has a distinct ability to clear multiple low-toughness creatures off the board. This creates card advantage by potentially removing several of an opponent’s creatures with just a single card, thereby consolidating and improving your position in the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Fire Ants itself doesn’t directly provide mana or tokens, its presence can accelerate your resource advantage indirectly. By eliminating mana dorks or smaller utility creatures, it disrupts your opponent’s resource acceleration, tipping the scale to your benefit.

Instant Speed: The real spark for Fire Ants lies in its threat of activation at instant speed. This enables a strategic player to wait for the perfect moment before unleashing its ability, often during an opponent’s turn. Keeping mana untapped until instantly required allows for a fiery surprise that can change the tide of gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Fire Ants is their activation cost, which requires the player to discard a card. This can lead to a detrimental situation for the player if the card count in their hand is critically low, hindering their ability to maintain card advantage or respond to an opponent’s threats effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: Fire Ants’ casting cost requires a precise combination of mana, including both red and generic mana. This specific mana requirement confines the card to decks that can reliably produce the necessary colors, thus restricting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is on the higher side for its effect, Fire Ants faces competition from other cards within the MTG universe that may provide similar or better effects for less mana investment. The requirement of committing a significant amount of mana for the card’s activation could be a strategic setback when more efficient options could be played instead.

Reasons to Include Fire Ants in Your Collection

Versatility: Fire Ants offer a unique function in red decks that benefit from repeatable board control tools. Their ability to deal damage across the board can be tactically significant in games where small creature tokens are prevalent. This makes Fire Ants a flexible addition to both aggressive and control strategies.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that increase damage output or use damage as a resource. Pair Fire Ants with cards that double damage or grant deathtouch to turn their ability into a board wipe, showcasing their potential to create game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where numerous players rely on x/1 creatures, the consistent damage ability of Fire Ants can disrupt opponents’ plans. They provide a recurring threat that must be answered, thus keeping decks that rely on low-toughness creatures in check.

How to beat

Fire Ants can be a pesky card to face in your MTG matches. This creature card becomes a nuisance with its ability to deal damage to each other creature without flying at the mere activation cost. It’s a card well suited for disrupting the board, especially against decks that rely heavily on ground troops.

There are several ways to tackle the threat posed by Fire Ants. Firstly, consider deploying creatures with flying, as they’re out of Fire Ants’ reach. Another effective strategy is using removal spells. Direct damage spells or targeted removal like Doom Blade can swiftly eliminate Fire Ants before they wreak havoc on your creatures. You can also employ larger creatures that can withstand the damage from Fire Ants, giving you a sizeable advantage on the battlefield.

Moreover, counterplay can be key. Implementing enchantments or artifacts that prevent activations or increase the activation cost can make it prohibitive for your opponent to use Fire Ants’ ability. As with any MTG strategy, adapting your approach according to your deck’s strengths and the overall game situation is essential to outplay your opponent and beat cards like Fire Ants.

Cards like Fire Ants

Fire Ants offers a unique twist to the red creature spells in Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to damage all creatures for one point, it echoes the mechanics of cards like Pyrohemia. However, Pyrohemia is enchantment-based and requires a red mana per activation, whereas Fire Ants is a creature with an inherent ability to deal damage without the mana cost each turn.

Squallmonger is another card that shares the symmetrical damage output trait, allowing each player to pay mana to deal damage to each creature and each player. It’s more versatile than Fire Ants but also demands continuous mana investment for its effect. Comparatively, Goblin Sharpshooter can also tap to deal damage, but it targets single creatures and reloads upon any creature’s death, distinguishing itself with a focus on targeted removal instead of widespread harm.

All in all, Fire Ants positions itself as a tactical option for players who appreciate the strategy behind controlled board disturbances. It challenges opponents with constant pressure and benefits from being a creature that contributes to board presence while sharing similarities with other MTG damage dealers.

Cards similar to Fire Ants by color, type and mana cost

Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions

Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions

Cunning Bandit // Azamuki, Treachery Incarnate - MTG Card versions

Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions

Shinen of Fury's Fire - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fire Ants MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Urza's Saga, 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 Fire Ants and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fire Ants Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 1999-11-12. Illustrated by Tom Fleming.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1998-10-12	Urza's Saga	USG	187	1997	Normal	Black	Tom Fleming
2	1998-10-12	Urza's Saga	USG	187s	1997	Normal	Black	Tom Fleming
3	1999-11-12	Battle Royale Box Set	BRB	27	1997	Normal	White	Tom Fleming