Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave MTG Card


Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave - Zendikar Rising
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Released2020-09-25
Set symbol
Set nameZendikar Rising
Set codeZNR
Number166
Frame2015
LayoutModal DFC
BorderBlack
Illustred byTomasz Jedruszek

Key Takeaways

  1. Acts as instant removal or a land, providing strategic flexibility in-game.
  2. Enhances mana curve and deck adaptability with its dual nature.
  3. Perfectly suited for red decks needing early game presence and mana flow.

Text of card

Spikefield Hazard deals 1 damage to any target. If a permanent dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

"Stop screaming! You'll only bring down more spikes." —Raff Slugeater, goblin shortcutter


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spikefield Hazard offers potential card advantage by efficiently dealing with an opposing creature while seamlessly fitting into your land drops when necessary. This flexibility ensures you’re not sacrificing momentum in your game plan, providing a subtle edge over your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Acting as both a land and a spell, this card can help smooth out your mana curve. As a land, Spikefield Hazard ensures you’re making your land drops, and on the flip side, as a spell, it may remove a crucial early-game creature from your adversary, hindering their development and accelerating your path to victory.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Spikefield Hazard at instant speed gives you the upper hand by keeping your options open. It allows you to react to your opponent’s moves, potentially removing a key threat just before it can deal damage or utilize an ability, all while maintaining the surprise element and strategic depth of your play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Spikefield Hazard offers a unique versatility, having to optionally discard it as a land comes at a cost. Choosing to play it as a land means you’re forever discarding its potential utility as a spell, making it a tough decision when resources are thin on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: It’s a single red mana spell, which is great for red-themed decks but can be limiting if you’re trying to fit it into a multi-color deck. Its dependency on red mana means it won’t always slide seamlessly into the mana curve of more diverse decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a utility card, the mana cost to damage ratio is higher compared to other direct damage spells. In high-paced games, the one damage to any target might not impact the board as much as other low-cost spells could. Thus, when deck building, one must weigh its utility against other potentially more impactful cards in the same mana range.


Reasons to Include Spikefield Hazard in Your Collection

Versatility: Spikefield Hazard offers a flexible choice for deck builders, serving both as a land when needed or a spell capable of picking off small creatures, making it a useful addition in a variety of situations.

Combo Potential: This card can be seamlessly integrated into decks that capitalize on direct damage or spellslinger synergies, effectively enabling more complex strategies by dealing damage while possibly clearing a path for larger threats.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the prevalence of aggressive strategies that rely on early creature drops, having Spikefield Hazard on hand provides a timely response to neutralize key threats and maintain board control in fast-paced games.


How to Beat

Spikefield Hazard poses an interesting challenge in Magic: The Gathering. It’s not only a land card but also an instant spell that offers versatility on the battlefield. As a land, it enters the battlefield tapped but can be sacrificed later to deal 1 damage to any target. This dual nature makes it a useful tool in a pinch, especially when you need just one more point of damage to take out a key creature or finish off an opponent.

To overcome the threat of Spikefield Hazard, savvy players should consider the timing of their creature plays. Deploying key creatures after Spikefield Hazard has been converted from land to spell can be a strategic move. Additionally, creatures with toughness greater than 1 are less vulnerable to Spikefield Hazard’s damage. Utilizing spells or abilities to increase the toughness of creatures currently on the battlefield can also render Spikefield Hazard less effective. Ultimately, by keeping a careful watch on mana availability and predicting the likely points in the game when Spikefield Hazard could be used, players can craft a game plan that diminishes the impact of this versatile card in their opponents’ arsenal.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the varied capabilities of your MTG deck components is key to gaining an advantage in this intricate game. With a card like Spikefield Hazard, you’re getting a dual-purpose tool that is as versatile as it is potent in the right circumstances. Its role in any red deck cannot be overstated – it’s a quintessential piece for those crucial moments that could swing the game in your favor. For aspiring champions keen to refine their gameplay and expand their strategic horizons, incorporating this card could mean the difference between a narrow defeat and a thrilling victory. If you’re interested in exploring the depths of this pivotal card and others like it, we encourage you to enhance your collection and elevate your game. Delve deeper with us into the strategic intricacies of MTG.


Cards like Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave

Spikefield Hazard offers MTG enthusiasts a versatile option in their red mana decks, not just as an instant spell but also as a land with Spikefield Cave. When looking at Similar spells, Shock stands out as a classic choice. Both cards can deal 2 damage to any target, but Shock lacks the modal utility of transforming into a land to optimize mana flow during the game.

Another peer to Spikefield Hazard is Pillar of Flame, which delivers the same amount of damage and exiles the creature if it dies, an advantage in certain play scenarios. However, it does not offer the land option that makes Spikefield Hazard uniquely flexible in a tight spot. Then there’s Lava Dart, commanding attention with its low cost and flashback feature. While it only deals 1 damage, the recycling ability can pivot the scale of a match.

Ultimately, Spikefield Hazard shines in its duality. It fulfills a need for early game removal while maintaining late-game relevance by doubling as a land, a strategic depth that any player will appreciate in the often unpredictable battlegrounds of MTG.

Shock - MTG Card versions
Pillar of Flame - MTG Card versions
Lava Dart - MTG Card versions
Shock - MTG Card versions
Pillar of Flame - MTG Card versions
Lava Dart - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-09-25 A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land.
2020-09-25 If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name.
2020-09-25 If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield.
2020-09-25 In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
2020-09-25 The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
2020-09-25 There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face.
2020-09-25 To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics.

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