Flameblade Adept MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Jackal Warrior
Abilities Menace
Power 1
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Flameblade Adept turns discarding into a potent strategy, growing stronger with each card cycled or discarded.
  2. It thrives in synergy-driven decks, with its menace ability posing a recurring threat to opponents.
  3. While potent, its reliance on discarding can limit its effectiveness if not strategically managed.

Text of card

Menace Whenever you cycle or discard a card, Flameblade Adept gets +1/+0 until end of turn.

"Allow zealous flames to light your path and the glory you seek will be revealed." —Hazoret, god of zeal


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flameblade Adept might seem modest at first glance, but it has strong synergy potential. When paired with cards that allow you to discard your hand, it enables you to cycle through your deck, effectively digging for key cards and gaining advantage against your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Though Flameblade Adept itself does not directly produce additional resources, it accelerates your game plan by growing stronger with each cycle or discard, applying pressure and demanding an answer from your opponent earlier than they might be prepared for.

Instant Speed: While Flameblade Adept operates at sorcery speed, its prowess in decks that utilize instant-speed discards cannot be understated. The Adept’s ability to grow in strength as you discard at instant speed allows for unexpected power spikes, turning it into a significant threat that must be handled swiftly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The effectiveness of Flameblade Adept relies heavily on discarding cards, a constraint that can backfire if your hand is already dwindling. This requirement could force unwanted sacrifices, diminishing your strategic options through the course of play.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card that needs a red mana to cast, Flameblade Adept can sometimes be restrictive. Players running multicolor decks may find its red mana requirement a potential stumbling block if they struggle to access the appropriate mana source when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game where efficiency can equate to victory, Flameblade Adept’s mana cost, though not exorbitant, may seem steep to players considering its power output and inherent risks. For the cost, there are alternate creatures or spells in MTG that might offer a better mana-to-impact ratio, making Flameblade Adept a less attractive choice in competitive scenarios.


Reasons to Include Flameblade Adept in Your Collection

Versatility: Flameblade Adept works well across multiple deck archetypes, particularly those that can regularly discard or cycle cards, allowing its menace ability to turn it into a consistent threat.

Combo Potential: The card has excellent synergy with effects that cause you to discard, thereby increasing its power rapidly, which can be a game-changer in aggressive red strategies.

Meta-Relevance: With the dynamic shifts in the competitive scene, Flameblade Adept remains a valuable card for its ability to apply early pressure and scale effectively as the game progresses.


How to beat

Flameblade Adept presents itself as a menacing force in any MTG player’s arsenal, particularly for fans of Minotaur decks. Its prowess is amplified in strategies that revolve around discarding and cycling cards, making it a formidable one-drop with the potential for immense power. To counteract the Adept’s impact, you’ll want to deploy removal spells efficiently. Instant speed spells like Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt can dispatch the Adept before it snowballs out of control.

Moreover, considering Flameblade Adept thrives in a synergy-based environment, disrupting the combo pieces around it can be equally effective. Removing important enablers, such as Hollow One or another pivotal graveyard-matters card, can significantly diminish its threat. Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of board control. Utilizing sweepers or spells that force multiple creatures to be sacrificed can neutralize the effect of multiple Adepts, preserving your life total and giving you the upper hand in maintaining board presence. To beat Flameblade Adept, stay one step ahead and interrupt the cycle-discard engine that fuels its power.


Cards like Flameblade Adept

Flameblade Adept offers a unique prowess to Red’s aggressive strategies in Magic: The Gathering. This card boldly stands alongside other one-mana red creatures, such as Goblin Guide and Monastery Swiftspear. Unlike these powerhouses, Flameblade Adept hinges its strength on the cycling and discard synergies, swelling in power each time an action triggers its ability, as opposed to straight prowess triggers from casting noncreature spells.

Goblin Guide, while lacking such synergies, provides consistent early pressure by revealing the top card of an opponent’s library. Monastery Swiftspear is another card that shares haste with Flameblade Adept, but it leans more towards a spell-heavy deck due to its prowess ability. Both are excellent in delivering fast damage, yet Flameblade Adept carves out its niche in decks that exploit wheel effects like Windfall or Reforge the Soul, turning each card discarded into a potential wellspring of damage, especially with multiple copies on the field.

Each of these cards excels in Red’s plan for rapid assaults but in different deck archetypes. Flameblade Adept demonstrates its might in the right environment – where discarding isn’t a downside, but a path to victory.

Goblin Guide - MTG Card versions
Monastery Swiftspear - MTG Card versions
Windfall - MTG Card versions
Reforge the Soul - MTG Card versions
Goblin Guide - Grand Prix Promos (PGPX)
Monastery Swiftspear - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Windfall - Urza's Saga (USG)
Reforge the Soul - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Flameblade Adept by color, type and mana cost

Goblin Balloon Brigade - MTG Card versions
Mons's Goblin Raiders - MTG Card versions
Hurr Jackal - MTG Card versions
Goblin Digging Team - MTG Card versions
Primordial Ooze - MTG Card versions
Goblin Artisans - MTG Card versions
Gorilla Shaman - MTG Card versions
Goblin Swine-Rider - MTG Card versions
Orcish Conscripts - MTG Card versions
Mountain Goat - MTG Card versions
Roc Hatchling - MTG Card versions
Jackal Pup - MTG Card versions
Mogg Fanatic - MTG Card versions
Flailing Soldier - MTG Card versions
Branded Brawlers - MTG Card versions
Scarred Puma - MTG Card versions
Grim Lavamancer - MTG Card versions
Enslaved Dwarf - MTG Card versions
Kessig Wolfrider - MTG Card versions
Goblin Guide - MTG Card versions
Goblin Balloon Brigade - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Mons's Goblin Raiders - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Hurr Jackal - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Goblin Digging Team - The Dark (DRK)
Primordial Ooze - Chronicles (CHR)
Goblin Artisans - Rinascimento (RIN)
Gorilla Shaman - Coldsnap Theme Decks (CST)
Goblin Swine-Rider - Visions (VIS)
Orcish Conscripts - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Mountain Goat - Portal (POR)
Roc Hatchling - Weatherlight (WTH)
Jackal Pup - The List (PLST)
Mogg Fanatic - Tenth Edition (10E)
Flailing Soldier - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Branded Brawlers - Prophecy (PCY)
Scarred Puma - Invasion (INV)
Grim Lavamancer - Torment (TOR)
Enslaved Dwarf - Torment (TOR)
Kessig Wolfrider - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Goblin Guide - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flameblade Adept MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Flameblade Adept and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Flameblade Adept Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-04-28 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-04-28AmonkhetAKH 1312015normalblackTomasz Jedruszek
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 1312015normalblackGabor Szikszai

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flameblade Adept has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-04-18 An ability that triggers whenever you discard a card doesn’t give you permission to discard cards. You’ll need another effect that instructs or allows you to discard them.
2017-04-18 An ability that triggers whenever you “cycle or discard” a card triggers only once if you cycle a card. The ability “Whenever you discard a card” is functionally identical to this ability; cycling is mentioned for clarity.
2017-04-18 If a player discards a card during their cleanup step due to having too many cards in hand, any appropriate abilities that trigger on discarding that card trigger. If this happens, those triggered abilities are put onto the stack and players receive priority in that cleanup step to cast spells or activate abilities (normally, no players may take actions during a cleanup step). Another cleanup step is created following that one.
2017-04-18 Some cards have an ability that triggers whenever you cycle any card. These triggered abilities resolve before you draw from the cycling ability.

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