Ryusei, the Falling Star MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Dragon Spirit
Abilities Flying
Power 5
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Ryusei clears boards upon death, providing a major shift in board presence akin to drawing multiple cards.
  2. It pairs well with instant-speed sacrifice effects, adding a layer of strategy during opponents’ turns.
  3. Despite a high mana cost, Ryusei’s death-triggered ability offers substantial tactical advantages in game.

Text of card

Flying When Ryusei, the Falling Star is put into a graveyard from play, it deals 5 damage to each creature without flying.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ryusei, the Falling Star can potentially provide a significant advantage by dealing damage to multiple creatures upon death, thereby clearing the board and making way for your assaults. This move can equate to drawing multiple cards in terms of board presence shift.

Resource Acceleration: While Ryusei itself doesn’t accelerate resources directly, its board-clearing effect can act as a resource acceleration by reducing the need for additional removal spells, thus freeing up mana and cards for other strategies in your deck.

Instant Speed: Although Ryusei operates at sorcery speed, its impactful death trigger works well with instant speed tricks that sacrifice creatures or effects that can instantaneously destroy Ryusei in response to an opponent’s actions, leveraging the game in your favor during any phase of your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Ryusei the Falling Star necessitates a strategic hand management, as losing it to a discard could cost you a board-altering effect just when you need it most.

Specific Mana Cost: This Dragon’s casting cost demands a hefty investment in red mana, making it less flexible and harder to incorporate into multicolored decks that don’t prioritize red mana resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, Ryusei is a late game play. Many decks strive for a more aggressive strategy, making the deployment of such a mana-intensive creature potentially slow in the fast-paced MTG environment.


Reasons to Include Ryusei the Falling Star in Your Collection

Versatility: Ryusei the Falling Star serves as a powerful addition to decks that harness the power of dragons, as well as those capitalizing on creature-based strategies. Its ability to impact the board even after it leaves the battlefield makes it a flexible choice for various game plans.

Combo Potential: Upon demise, Ryusei’s ability to deal damage to each creature without flying presents numerous combo possibilities. It can be particularly potent in decks that can repeatedly bring it back from the graveyard, allowing players to wipe out swaths of opposing forces multiple times.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where players often build around numerous creatures, Ryusei the Falling Star can act as a game-changer. It’s capable of clearing a crowded board, giving the player a definitive edge in creature-heavy metas. Its presence in your collection ensures you’re well-equipped to handle such scenarios.


How to beat Ryusei, the Falling Star

Ryusei, the Falling Star is a formidable force on the battlefield that demands immediate attention. Its devastating ability to deal damage to all creatures upon death makes it a threat that players must carefully navigate. To effectively beat this powerful dragon, it’s essential to employ strategies that minimize its impact or remove it without triggering its ability.

One approach is to use exile effects to remove Ryusei from play, such as with cards like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, which prevent the death ability from activating. Another tactic is to take control of the creature and sacrifice it while you have few or no other creatures on the board, lessening the potential damage. Additionally, countering Ryusei with spells like Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent it from ever hitting the field. Players can also prepare their board by having indestructible creatures or those with protection from red to withstand Ryusei’s lethal ability.

Understanding the right moment to deal with Ryusei, the Falling Star, is crucial. Reacting too early or too late could cost the game, so patience and prediction are key. Having a plan and the necessary tools at your disposal will help keep this celestial giant from crashing down on your parade.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding Ryusei, the Falling Star’s intricacies is essential for optimizing its potential in your MTG gameplay. Acknowledge its ability to transform the board state upon its exit and consider its synergistic role in dragon-themed or graveyard recursion decks. Remember, Ryusei excels in a meta full of creatures, so its value can fluctuate with the ever-changing landscape of the game. We invite you to delve deeper into strategies, deck builds, and how to effectively counter this celestial dragon, ensuring you’re well-prepared for any encounter. Visit BurnMana for comprehensive guides, in-depth analysis, and tips to enhance your MTG journey.


Cards like Ryusei, the Falling Star

Ryusei, the Falling Star is a powerful creature card that stands out in the Dragon archetype of Magic: The Gathering. Its most distinctive feature is the ability to deal damage to each creature without flying when it dies. A near kin in terms of impact is Thundermaw Hellkite, which although doesn’t have Ryusei’s death-triggered ability, can tap all flying creatures opponents control and has haste to deliver immediate damage.

Another card to draw parallels with is Balefire Dragon, which also bears the Dragon creature type and has a powerful ability that can clear opponents’ boards by dealing damage equal to its power to each creature that player controls whenever it deals combat damage to a player. The difference lies in the triggering condition—Balefire Dragon requires combat damage for its effect, whereas Ryusei only needs to die. Lastly, Scourge of Valkas offers a similar flavor, providing damage to any target when a Dragon enters the battlefield under your control, potentially leading to repeated instances of damage unlike Ryusei’s one-time effect upon leaving the battlefield.

Comparing these cards, Ryusei, the Falling Star positions well within the realm of high-impact MTG Dragons that can be pivotal in controlling the board state with their destructive abilities.

Thundermaw Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Balefire Dragon - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Valkas - MTG Card versions
Thundermaw Hellkite - Magic 2013 (M13)
Balefire Dragon - Innistrad (ISD)
Scourge of Valkas - Magic 2014 (M14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ryusei, the Falling Star MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Champions of Kamigawa Promos, 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 Ryusei, the Falling Star and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ryusei, the Falling Star Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2004-10-01 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 320012003normalblackNottsuo
22004-10-01Champions of Kamigawa PromosPCHK 185★2003normalblackNottsuo
32004-10-01Champions of KamigawaCHK 1852003normalblackNottsuo
42010-06-18ArchenemyARC 452003normalblackNottsuo
52013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 1282003normalblackNottsuo
62017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1412015normalblackNottsuo
72017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 1442015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
82020-09-26The ListPLST ARC-452003normalblackNottsuo
92022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 8062015normalblackGrzegorz Rutkowski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ryusei, the Falling Star has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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