Volcano Hellion MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Hellion
Released	2007-02-02
Set symbol
Set name	Planar Chaos
Set code	PLC
Power	6
Toughness	5
Number	111
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne Reynolds

Key Takeaways

Volcano Hellion’s entry can shift board states, affording players tactical creature control.
Pairs well with damage-friendly creatures, enhancing resource acceleration and combo plays.
Instant synergy offers surprise plays, turning the tide in critical game moments.

Text of card

Volcano Hellion has echo , where X is your life total. When Volcano Hellion comes into play, it deals an amount of damage of your choice to you and target creature. The damage can't be prevented.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Volcano Hellion enters the battlefield, its unique ability can be leveraged to eliminate key opposing creatures, potentially clearing the way for a more advantageous board state. This tactical use not only disrupts your opponent but also indirectly contributes to your own card advantage by maintaining your creature presence.

Resource Acceleration: As Volcano Hellion’s damage can be directed to your own creatures as well, it pairs exceptionally with creatures that benefit from being dealt damage, thus accelerating your resource gain through synergistic interactions and combo potential within your board.

Instant Speed: While Volcano Hellion itself is not an instant, it features a powerful synergy with cards that are. By including instants in your deck that can modify life totals or provide damage prevention, you can spring surprises on your opponents at critical moments, effectively using Volcano Hellion’s explosive entry as a major turning point in the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Volcano Hellion necessitates that you have another creature on the battlefield to pair it with when it enters play. This condition can put you at a disadvantage if your board is clear, ultimately limiting the Hellion’s effectiveness and reducing strategic flexibility.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both red and two additional generic mana, the Volcano Hellion’s mana cost may restrict its integration in multi-colored decks. This limitation can be especially challenging when managing a deck’s mana base to accommodate such cards without compromising the deck’s overall synergy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at four mana, the Volcano Hellion’s initial impact may not align with its cost, particularly when measured against other cards at or below this mana threshold. In the competitive MTG landscape, where efficiency is key, the Hellion’s cost-to-effect ratio could be considered suboptimal, potentially making it a less favored option for deck construction.

Reasons to Include Volcano Hellion in Your Collection

Versatility: Volcano Hellion offers flexible damage output, allowing you to tailor its effect to remove key threats on the board or to push through for a significant amount of direct damage to opponents when timing is right.

Combo Potential: Its ability to deal massive damage in a single turn makes it an excellent combo piece in decks looking to exploit life total changes or damage triggers. This opens up synergies with cards like Stuffy Doll or cards that benefit from high power creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy on creature-based strategies, Volcano Hellion provides a potent answer to swarming tactics. Plus, its ability to be both a threat and a removal tool ensures it occupies a valuable niche in your arsenal.

How to beat

Volcano Hellion is a powerful creature in Magic: The Gathering that brings an interesting dynamic to the battlefield with its unique ability to set its own damage. This peculiarity makes it a force to reckon with, especially when combined with effects that prevent or mitigate damage to preserve your life total.

Overcoming this daunting threat requires a strategic approach. Key tactics include employing instant-speed removal spells that can interrupt the Hellion’s entrance to the field, or using damage prevention shields to nullify its potentially game-ending hit. Additionally, cards that offer protection from red or creatures with indestructible attributes stand as solid barriers against the Hellion’s onslaught. Counterspells also play a pivotal role in checking the creature before it can assert its presence.

Another angle to consider when facing Volcano Hellion is to exploit its significant life-payment downside. Encouraging situations where the opponent pays steep life totals for a high-powered Hellion could be turned to your advantage with the right timing and life-draining effects. This opens a pathway to victory by leveraging the risk the Volcano Hellion imposes on its controller.

Cards like Volcano Hellion

Volcano Hellion presents an interesting dynamic among creatures in MTG, boasting an unusual ability that enables players to deal damage to creatures or players at the price of equal damage to themselves. This self-damage aspect is akin to the concept seen in cards like Brion Stoutarm, which allows for flinging creatures at opponents, though without the self-inflicted harm. What sets Volcano Hellion apart is its combo potential in decks that capitalize on life loss and damage redirection.

Then there’s Stuffy Doll, which can be considered a classic counterpart for Volcano Hellion. Stuffy Doll allows you to single out an opponent and ensure that any damage it takes is mirrored to them. This synergizes with Volcano Hellion’s pain-sharing ability, making them a daunting pair. Flameblast Dragon also bears a resemblance, offering controlled damage output without the reciprocal pain, though at an incremental mana cost per instance of damage.

Despite the inherent risks associated with playing Volcano Hellion, its explosive potential for high damage makes it a noteworthy option for players inclined towards risky, high-reward strategies. When compared to its counterparts, Volcano Hellion carries the unique flair of being a double-edged sword that, when wielded correctly, can deliver game-ending results.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Volcano Hellion MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos, 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 Volcano Hellion and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Volcano Hellion 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 Volcano Hellion card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2007-02-01	As Volcano Hellion’s enters-the-battlefield ability resolves, you choose a number. Volcano Hellion deals that amount of damage to you and to the targeted creature. You may choose 0.
2007-02-01	Volcano Hellion’s echo cost constantly changes; it’s not locked in when it enters the battlefield. The echo cost you pay is equal your life total as the echo triggered ability resolves.