Rush of Ice MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Awaken
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Number	84
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Deruchenko Alexander

Key Takeaways

Rush of Ice excels in tempo control and can unexpectedly bolster your battlefield with the Awaken ability.
The card’s specific mana cost and discard necessity may hinder its inclusion in diverse decks.
Integrating Rush of Ice into your collection provides versatility and combo opportunities in the right meta.

Text of card

Tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. Awaken 3— (If you cast this spell for , also put three +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Rush of Ice doesn’t draw cards directly, it can make your plays more efficient, effectively putting you ahead in tempo by freezing an opponent’s creature. This can be especially impactful if it allows you to bypass a key blocker and make profitable attacks potentially leading to an eventual card advantage as you whittle down their resources.

Resource Acceleration: With its awaken cost, Rush of Ice can transform a land into a creature, giving you an additional attacking or blocking option. Not only does this offer a form of creature-based resource acceleration, but it can also be a surprise element that turns the tides in your favor, leveraging your lands as more than just mana sources.

Instant Speed: Casting a spell like Rush of Ice at instant speed grants you flexibility in your game plan. You can wait to see how your opponent plays their turn, effectively keeping your options open. Pausing an advancing threat on their side on the end step before your turn can give you the upper hand, allowing you to be the aggressor in the next sequence of play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The need to have the proper card in hand to get the full value can feel restrictive, especially in decks that don’t focus on card draw.

Specific Mana Cost: Rush of Ice features a specific mana requirement that can affect deck flexibility, necessitating a dedicated spot in blue mana decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With other spell options available, the mana investment in Rush of Ice might not translate into the expected level of board control or tempo gain.

Reasons to Include Rush of Ice in Your Collection

Versatility: Rush of Ice is an adaptable card that can serve multiple roles within various deck types. Its main function as a tempo play can stall opponents or clear the way for your attacks, while the awaken ability offers late-game value by turning lands into attackers or blockers.

Combo Potential: With its awaken mechanic, Rush of Ice can synergize with decks that capitalize on land creatures or benefit from sorcery spells. It can help you create unexpected threats and work with spells or abilities that buff land creatures for game-changing plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where speed and board presence are crucial, the flexibility to either freeze an opposing creature or develop your board by awakening a land can be crucial. Rush of Ice can adapt to the shifting needs against various decks, making it a smart choice for competitive play.

How to beat Rush of Ice

Rush of Ice is a versatile blue spell that creates a temporary setback for your opponent by freezing their creature, preventing it from untapping during their next untap step. This card can also bolster your defenses with an Awaken mechanic, turning your land into a creature. Dealing with Rush of Ice requires a strategic approach. Firstly, countering it with spells like Negate or Dispel can negate its freezing effect entirely. Cards that grant hexproof to your creatures, such as Ranger’s Guile or Swift Warden, can also effectively neutralize the threat by making your creatures immune to such targeting spells.

Additionally, creature abilities that untap your creature or that give it indestructible, such as Vitalize or Lazotep Plating, offer ways to subvert Rush of Ice’s control. Speed and pre-emptive action are crucial, so keeping mana available for instant-speed responses can give you the edge you need. Furthermore, instant-speed removals that can take out the animated land creature are useful if the Awaken cost has been paid. Though it may delay your strategy temporarily, Rush of Ice can be overcome with the right counters and protective measures.

Cards like Rush of Ice

Rush of Ice is a unique blue spell in the vast repertoire of Magic: The Gathering. Its closest comparison might be with spells like Frost Lynx, as both have effects on a single creature. Rush of Ice allows you to tap a target creature and keep it frozen during its controller’s next untap step. Frost Lynx also taps a creature upon entering the battlefield, but it lacks the flexibility of Rush of Ice’s awaken ability, which can leave behind a land turned creature.

Clutch of Currents emerges as another similar card, but it’s more than just a tap-down spell – it bounces a creature to its owner’s hand. While it also has the awaken mechanic, it provides a different kind of tempo advantage. Another card in this vein is Grip of the Roil. This spell not only taps a creature but also allows you to draw a card, capturing both tempo and card advantage in a single cast.

Analyzing their strengths and utilities, Rush of Ice holds its ground with the added versatility of the awaken mechanic, making it a spell of choice for players seeking to impact the board while developing their own land count.

Cards similar to Rush of Ice by color, type and mana cost

Drafna's Restoration - MTG Card versions

Merfolk Secretkeeper // Venture Deeper - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rush of Ice MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Rush of Ice and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rush of Ice has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-08-25	Awaken doesn’t give the land you control a color. As most lands are colorless, in most cases the resulting land creature will also be colorless.
2015-08-25	If a spell with awaken has multiple targets (including the land you control), and some but not all of those targets become illegal by the time the spell tries to resolve, the spell won’t affect the illegal targets in any way.
2015-08-25	If the non-awaken part of the spell doesn’t require a target and you cast the spell for its awaken cost, then the spell won’t resolve if the target land you control becomes illegal before the spell resolves (such as due to being destroyed in response to the spell being cast).
2015-08-25	If the non-awaken part of the spell requires a target, you must choose a legal target. You can’t cast the spell if you can’t choose a legal target for each instance of the word “target” (though you only need a legal target for the awaken ability if you’re casting the spell for its awaken cost).
2015-08-25	Rush of Ice can target a creature that’s already tapped. It still won’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
2015-08-25	Rush of Ice tracks the creature, but not its controller. If the creature changes controllers before its first controller’s next untap step has come around, then it won’t untap during its new controller’s next untap step.
2015-08-25	The land will retain any other types, subtypes, or supertypes it previously had. It will also retain any mana abilities it had as a result of those subtypes. For example, a Forest that’s turned into a creature this way can still be tapped for .
2015-08-25	You can cast a spell with awaken for its mana cost and get only its first effect. If you cast a spell for its awaken cost, you’ll get both effects.