Obsidian Fireheart MTG Card
2009-10-02 - Number 140
2017-06-16 - Number 55
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Obsidian Fireheart indirectly leads to card advantage by pressuring opponents through land burns.
- In a mana-ramp deck, it accelerates threats, imposing consistently recurring damage on lands.
- Demands precise mana, yet without discarding, and its effect persists beyond sorcery speed.
Text of card
: Put a blaze counter on target land without a blaze counter on it. As long as that land has a blaze counter on it, it has "At the beginning of your upkeep, this land deals 1 damage to you." (The land continues to burn after Obsidian Fireheart has left the battlefield.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Obsidian Fireheart doesn’t draw cards directly, its land-burning ability potentially removes the opponent’s resources, indirectly leading to card advantage. By pressuring land resources, you potentially limit the opponent’s ability to answer your threats, making each of your cards more effective.
Resource Acceleration: Obsidian Fireheart in itself is not a resource acceleration card, but in a deck built around ramping up mana, it can be a formidable threat that is put onto the battlefield sooner than expected. This makes its ability to mark lands and deal damage a reoccurring threat that can accelerate the game to a win.
Instant Speed: Although Obsidian Fireheart’s abilities operate at sorcery speed, its enduring effect on land continues to deal damage during each of your opponent’s upkeeps. This creates a persistent threat that can influence your opponent’s strategy, forcing them to play differently, as they have to consider the impact of the marked land at every turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: This fiery elemental doesn’t require you to discard, easing the strain on your hand resources. It’s a breath of fresh air not having to part with cards simply to bring a powerhouse into play.
Specific Mana Cost: Obsidian Fireheart demands a particular blend of mana, including triple red, which can pose a challenge in multicolored decks thirsting for diverse mana sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that rivals some of the most formidable creatures in the game, Obsidian Fireheart may lag behind when haste is of the essence. Other cards within the same mana range could possibly flip the game board in your favor faster.
Reasons to Include Obsidian Fireheart in Your Collection
Versatility: Obsidian Fireheart offers a unique ability to turn lands into ticking time bombs, providing a sustained damage source that can be difficult for opponents to address. This makes it a flexible addition to control or burn decks that appreciate long-term pressure.
Combo Potential: With the right enablers such as damage doublers or proliferate effects, the Fireheart’s land-burn ability can escalate quickly, aligning well with strategies focused on incremental damage or direct-win conditions.
Meta-Relevance: In metas with a slower pace or where land-based strategies are prominent, Obsidian Fireheart can act as a deterrent against greedy mana bases and serve as an unexpected threat that requires immediate answering.
How to Beat Obsidian Fireheart
Obsidian Fireheart is a unique creature that can leave a lasting mark on the battlefield with its ability to set lands ablaze indefinitely. When facing this formidable card in a game of Magic: The Gathering, adapting your strategy is crucial. One approach is to prioritize removal spells that can deal with Obsidian Fireheart before its ability can take effect. Cards like Path to Exile, Murder, and Beast Within offers instant-speed solutions to eliminate this threat from the game. Additionally, countermagic like Mana Leak or Negate can prevent Obsidian Fireheart from ever hitting the field.
In terms of board management, creature blockers with high toughness can be valuable, as they can survive the initial hit from Obsidian Fireheart, buying you crucial time. Ensnaring lands with the Fireheart’s ability is not a decisive game ender if you can keep your life total healthy and efficiently manage your mana base. Keep in mind that, although the blaze counters remain, the activated ability costs significant mana, which can restrict your opponent’s resources. Therefore, efficient pacing and resource management can also tip the scales in your favor when outlasting the fiery impact of Obsidian Fireheart in your matches.
Remember, Obsidian Fireheart’s ability to impose a delayed but inevitable threat highlights the card’s strategic depth. Nevertheless, with astute tactics and calculated responses, you can navigate its fiery presence and secure victory in your Magic: The Gathering duels.
Cards like Obsidian Fireheart
Obsidian Fireheart brings a unique flavor to the Magic: The Gathering battlefield, much like its parallel, Inferno Titan. Both cards are embodiments of the red element’s raw power, with Obsidian Fireheart having the ability to place blaze counters that continually inflict damage on lands. Inferno Titan, distinct in its own right, also delivers damage but spreads it across multiple targets upon entry and attack.
Bearing resemblance but with a twist, we look to Chandra, Pyromaster. She doesn’t directly resemble the playstyle of Obsidian Fireheart, yet she shares the trait of recurring damage—her ability can ping creatures and players alike. While Obsidian Fireheart targets lands, Chandra’s versatility allows her to affect the board more broadly. Then there’s Embermaw Hellion, which amplifies all red source damage, complementing the persistent burn of Obsidian Fireheart’s blaze counters.
While analyzing these fiery aficionados, it’s apparent that Obsidian Fireheart holds a special place for enthusiasts of prolonged control with its unique land-burn capability. This makes it a compelling option for decks crafted around land-focused strategies and attrition warfare in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Obsidian Fireheart by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Obsidian Fireheart MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Archenemy: Nicol Bolas, 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 Obsidian Fireheart and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Obsidian Fireheart Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2017-06-16. Illustrated by Raymond Swanland.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-10-02 | Zendikar | ZEN | 140 | 2003 | normal | black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 2 | 2017-06-16 | Archenemy: Nicol Bolas | E01 | 55 | 2015 | normal | black | Raymond Swanland |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Obsidian Fireheart has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Obsidian Fireheart card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-10-01 | A land with a blaze counter on it is an illegal target for this ability. You may activate the ability targeting a land, then activate the ability in response to itself targeting the same land. Although the first ability to resolve will put a blaze counter on that land, the second ability to resolve won’t resolve. |
| 2009-10-01 | As the reminder text indicates, whether the targeted land has the triggered ability that’s been granted to it depends only on whether it has a blaze counter on it, not on whether Obsidian Fireheart is still on the battlefield. |
| 2009-10-01 | If a land ends up with more than one blaze counter on it (thanks to Doubling Season or Gilder Bairn, for example), the ability still only causes it to deal 1 damage to its controller each turn. |
| 2009-10-01 | If all blaze counters on a land are moved to a different land, the triggered ability doesn’t follow them. The first land no longer has the ability because it no longer has a blaze counter on it. The second land doesn’t have the ability because Obsidian Fireheart didn’t target it. |
| 2009-10-01 | The ability gained by the land triggers at the beginning of the upkeep of the land’s controller, not the beginning of the upkeep of Obsidian Fireheart’s controller. The player who controls the land at the time the ability triggers is the one who’s dealt damage. |
