Orcish Oriflamme MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 21 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables card advantage by enhancing creatures’ attack, leveraging the existing board state.
  2. Presents specific red mana requirement, limiting its use in non-red focused decks.
  3. Retains relevance in creature-heavy metas, boosting aggressive playstyles effectively.

Text of card

When attacking, all of your attacking creatures gain +1/+0.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the key benefits of the Orcish Oriflamme is its ability to alter the course of the battlefield without the need for multiple cards. By boosting the attack power of all your creatures, it effectively amplifies the value of each creature card you have in play, offering a form of card advantage through quality of your forces rather than sheer quantity.

Resource Acceleration: Orcish Oriflamme can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. Although it doesn’t directly produce mana, by increasing the damage output of your creatures, it enables a faster pathway to victory. Speeding up the game in your favor is a form of indirect resource acceleration, since you’re getting more from the resources you’ve already invested in your creatures.

Instant Speed: While Orcish Oriflamme itself is not an instant, its enduring effect on the battlefield creates a situation where each creature you play afterwards can be seen as having instant impact. Creatures that would otherwise be unthreatening can suddenly become serious threats the moment they hit the board, catching opponents unprepared and offering tactical advantages similar to casting spells at instant speed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Orcish Oriflamme doesn’t have this particular downside, however, cards with a discard requirement can strain your hand, especially if you’re already dealing with a limited number of cards.

Specific Mana Cost: While Orcish Oriflamme requires one generic and one red mana, its specific need for red mana may not fit all deck types, making it less versatile than colorless options or those with hybrid mana costs. This can be problematic in multicolored decks that are not heavily red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that amounts to two mana, Orcish Oriflamme could be considered reasonable. However, in today’s fast-paced games, players may opt for cheaper alternatives that provide similar or greater immediate impact on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Orcish Oriflamme is a card that can easily find a home in red aggressive decks or those looking to amplify their attack phase. It’s a classic card that can bolster the damage output of your creatures, making even your smallest tokens potential threats.

Combo Potential: When combined with cards that generate numerous creatures, Orcish Oriflamme can significantly increase the pressure you put on your opponents. It’s great for strategies that swarm the board, turning quantity into quality with its power-boosting ability.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors creature-based strategies, Orcish Oriflamme shines by tipping combat math in your favor. This historic card still holds relevance in various formats where aggressive tactics are employed, proving that sometimes the old ways still have a bite.


How to Beat Orcish Oriflamme

Orcish Oriflamme is a classic aura from the realm of Magic the Gathering that can tip the scales by enhancing your creatures’ attack power. With a modest mana investment, this enchantment can make an army of smaller creatures more formidable. However, it’s not without its vulnerabilities. Its power lies in its ability to remain on the battlefield, so direct removal spells or enchantment destruction are effective ways to dismantle the strategy that Orcish Oriflamme encourages.

One effective strategy against Orcish Oriflamme is prioritizing the removal of the aura itself. Naturalize and Disenchant are both efficient answers, clearing the way without losing card advantage. It’s also a nonbo with mass bounce effects like Cyclonic Rift that can reset the board, rendering Orcish Oriflamme useless without creatures to enhance. It’s always wise to manage the board presence of smaller creatures to lessen its impact. Finally, don’t underestimate the value of counterspells to prevent Orcish Oriflamme from ever hitting the board. Control the flow of the game, and this enchantment’s flame will flicker out.


Cards like Orcish Oriflamme

Orcish Oriflamme is an influential card in the red arsenal of Magic: The Gathering, holding a historic place in the game since its inclusion in the Alpha set. Its ability to grant a boost in attack to all your creatures is echoed in other cards, such as the renowned anthem effect of Glorious Anthem. Unlike Orcish Oriflamme, which specifically aids red creatures, Glorious Anthem offers a ubiquitous attack and defense increase for all of your creatures, showing a broader utility in multi-colored decks.

Goblin War Drums is another card that shares a common bond with Orcish Oriflamme, providing not only an enhancement in your creatures’ attack but also making them harder to block by granting them the menace ability. The cost is similar, but the added strategic advantage of menace can be a game-changer. However, it lacks the simplicity of Orcish Oriflamme’s direct power boost, which is straightforward and effective.

Evaluating the potential impact of such enhancements on the battlefield is crucial for strategizing in Magic: The Gathering. While Orcish Oriflamme caters to a more aggressive red strategy, enhancing only the attack, cards like Glorious Anthem and Goblin War Drums offer versatility and additional tactical depth to your deck’s capabilities.

Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Goblin War Drums - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - Urza's Saga (USG)
Goblin War Drums - Fallen Empires (FEM)

Cards similar to Orcish Oriflamme by color, type and mana cost

Manabarbs - MTG Card versions
An-Zerrin Ruins - MTG Card versions
Lightning Cloud - MTG Card versions
Aether Flash - MTG Card versions
Heart of Bogardan - MTG Card versions
Furnace of Rath - MTG Card versions
No Quarter - MTG Card versions
Shiv's Embrace - MTG Card versions
Antagonism - MTG Card versions
Pyromancy - MTG Card versions
Close Quarters - MTG Card versions
Collapsing Borders - MTG Card versions
Stand or Fall - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Maneuvers - MTG Card versions
Stensia Uprising - MTG Card versions
Visions of Phyrexia - MTG Card versions
Magmatic Core - MTG Card versions
Pyrohemia - MTG Card versions
Uncontrollable Anger - MTG Card versions
Elemental Mastery - MTG Card versions
Manabarbs - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
An-Zerrin Ruins - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Lightning Cloud - Visions (VIS)
Aether Flash - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Heart of Bogardan - Weatherlight (WTH)
Furnace of Rath - Planechase (HOP)
No Quarter - Tempest (TMP)
Shiv's Embrace - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Antagonism - Urza's Saga (USG)
Pyromancy - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Close Quarters - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Collapsing Borders - Invasion (INV)
Stand or Fall - Invasion (INV)
Impulsive Maneuvers - Odyssey (ODY)
Stensia Uprising - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Visions of Phyrexia - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Magmatic Core - Coldsnap (CSP)
Pyrohemia - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Uncontrollable Anger - Tenth Edition (10E)
Elemental Mastery - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Orcish Oriflamme MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Orcish Oriflamme and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Orcish Oriflamme Magic the Gathering card was released in 19 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 1661993normalblackDan Frazier
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 1671993normalblackDan Frazier
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 1671993normalwhiteDan Frazier
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 1671993normalblackDan Frazier
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 1671993normalblackDan Frazier
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 1691993normalwhiteDan Frazier
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 1691993normalblackDan Frazier
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 1691993normalwhiteDan Frazier
91995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 2151993normalblackDan Frazier
101995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 2151993normalwhiteDan Frazier
111996-07-01Rivals Quick Start SetRQS 361993normalwhiteDan Frazier
121996-12-31Introductory Two-Player SetITP 371993normalwhiteDan Frazier
131997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 2571997normalwhiteDan Frazier
141999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 1971997normalwhiteDan Frazier
152001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 206★1997normalblackBen Thompson
162001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 2061997normalwhiteBen Thompson
172016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 1402015normalblackBen Thompson
182019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 10222015normalblackBen Thompson
192020-09-26The ListPLST EMA-1402015normalblackBen Thompson
202022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 1622015normalblackDan Frazier
212022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 4591997normalblackDan Frazier

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Orcish Oriflamme has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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