Chain Reaction MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Chain Reaction offers a game-changing sweep, giving players a formidable edge by clearing multiple threats.
  2. Though costly at four mana, the card’s potential board-clearing effect makes it a powerful inclusion.
  3. Expertly navigating against Chain Reaction by managing creature toughness and playing fewer entities is key.

Text of card

Chain Reaction deals X damage to each creature, where X is the number of creatures on the battlefield.

"We train for the improbable, like lightning striking the same place twice, or striking everywhere at once." —Nundari, Sea Gate militia captain


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chain Reaction provides a sweeping effect that can potentially clear the board of multiple creatures, swinging the game in your favor. By removing numerous threats at once, it helps you establish a significant card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Chain Reaction itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, clearing the board can disrupt your opponent’s mana dorks or other resource-generating creatures. This indirect effect can slow down your opponent’s resource acceleration and give you a lead in the race for board dominance.

Instant Speed: While Chain Reaction is a sorcery and doesn’t benefit from the flexibility of instant speed, its impact on the game can be immediate and decisive, similar to instant speed effects in its potential to completely alter the state of the game at key moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Chain Reaction does not have a discard requirement, managing resources is still crucial and a heavy board clear may reset your own progress alongside your opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: Chain Reaction demands red mana specifically for casting, meaning it slots primarily into red-centered or multicolor decks that can generate this kind of mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including three generic and one red, Chain Reaction can be rather costly, especially in fast-paced games where lower-cost board clears could be more efficient.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Chain Reaction is a powerful inclusion for red-based control or midrange decks, offering a flexible board wipe that scales with the number of creatures in play. Whether you’re up against token strategies or creature-heavy opponents, Chain Reaction adapts to the situation, potentially clearing the board to give you an advantage.

Combo Potential: Utilized in decks that manipulate the number of creatures on the battlefield or in combinations that deal damage to players for each creature dying, Chain Reaction can serve as a pivotal piece to initiate devastating combos, or contribute to strategies built around damage amplifiers.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based aggro decks are prevalent, Chain Reaction becomes an essential card for controlling the pace and resetting the board. Its presence in your collection ensures you have a response to swarm strategies that can overwhelm conventional single-target removal spells.


How to beat

Chain Reaction is a potent sweeper in MTG that can turn the tide of a game by dealing damage to each creature based on the number of creatures on the battlefield. In games where the board is teeming with creatures, Chain Reaction can clear the field. Nonetheless, players can strategize around this red sorcery to maintain their board advantage.

To effectively navigate around Chain Reaction, consider playing fewer creatures with higher toughness, as they are more likely to survive the damage. Utilizing instant-speed spells to protect your creatures or employing counterspells to prevent Chain Reaction from ever resolving are also viable tactics. Additionally, keeping an eye on your opponent’s mana and playing around the four-mana mark, which Chain Reaction requires, can guide you to make smarter decisions on when to extend your board presence or hold back. Playing in such a manner not only protects your creatures but also obliges your opponent to find another way to deal with your threats without relying on Chain Reaction’s board-wiping capabilities.

Being mindful of these strategies can contribute to outmaneuvering opponents who depend on Chain Reaction, allowing you to maintain dominance on the battlefield and direct the flow of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Knowing the ins and outs of Chain Reaction can be a game-changer for your MTG deck. With its capacity to level the battlefield and swing momentum in your favor, it’s a staple for red-focused players. Whether you’re disrupting opponent strategies or setting up for your own victorious combo, understanding when and how to use this mighty card is key. Explore beyond Chain Reaction’s fiery burst and gear up with tactics to counter it, ensuring you remain one step ahead. Dive deeper into strategic analysis and optimal deck construction with us; engage with decks where Chain Reaction could shine or navigate its weaknesses like a pro. Ready to embrace the full potential of your MTG collection? Let’s advance your play, and achieve mastery together.


Cards like Chain Reaction

Chain Reaction stands as a powerful area-of-effect card within MTG, holding its ground against other board clearance options. When compared to Blasphemous Act, another red damage-based wipe, Chain Reaction is less reliant on the number of creatures on the battlefield to reduce its cost. However, Blasphemous Act can potentially be cast for a single red mana, offering a potential cost benefit in creature-heavy matches.

Similarly, when examining Star of Extinction, another formidable red damage spell, Chain Reaction often requires a lower mana investment and simultaneously depends on the number of creatures present to maximize its impact. Star of Extinction, while dealing massive damage to creatures and planeswalkers, also destroys a land, but comes at a higher base cost and doesn’t variably scale with the creature population.

Ultimately, considering the strategic depth of the game, Chain Reaction shines in situations where the battlefield is crowded with creatures, allowing players to harness its full potential as an adaptable board clear. It strikes a unique balance between efficiency and flexibility in red’s arsenal of mass removal spells within MTG.

Blasphemous Act - MTG Card versions
Star of Extinction - MTG Card versions
Blasphemous Act - Innistrad (ISD)
Star of Extinction - Ixalan Promos (PXLN)

Cards similar to Chain Reaction by color, type and mana cost

Shatterstorm - MTG Card versions
Flashfires - MTG Card versions
Anarchy - MTG Card versions
Phoenix Heart - MTG Card versions
Reign of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Deadshot - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Flood - MTG Card versions
Relentless Assault - MTG Card versions
Flameshot - MTG Card versions
Bend or Break - MTG Card versions
Scorching Missile - MTG Card versions
Reckless Crew - MTG Card versions
Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions
Demolish - MTG Card versions
Granulate - MTG Card versions
Touch and Go - MTG Card versions
Sunder from Within - MTG Card versions
Thoughts of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Inner Fire - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Slide - MTG Card versions
Shatterstorm - Antiquities (ATQ)
Flashfires - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Anarchy - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Phoenix Heart - Celebration Cards (PCEL)
Reign of Chaos - Mirage (MIR)
Deadshot - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Flood - Exodus (EXO)
Relentless Assault - Commander Legends (CMR)
Flameshot - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Bend or Break - Invasion (INV)
Scorching Missile - Odyssey (ODY)
Reckless Crew - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Draconic Intervention - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Demolish - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Granulate - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Touch and Go - Unhinged (UNH)
Sunder from Within - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Thoughts of Ruin - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Inner Fire - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Flowstone Slide - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chain Reaction MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake and Commander 2011, 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 Chain Reaction and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Chain Reaction Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2010-02-05 and 2023-02-03. Illustrated by Trevor Claxton.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-02-05WorldwakeWWK 742003normalblackTrevor Claxton
22011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 1132003normalblackTrevor Claxton
32015-11-13Commander 2015C15 1442015normalblackTrevor Claxton
42018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1212015normalblackTrevor Claxton
52021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1612015normalblackTrevor Claxton
62021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1162015normalblackTrevor Claxton
72022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1032015normalblackTrevor Claxton
82022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2652015normalblackTrevor Claxton
92022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 7832015normalblackTrevor Claxton
102023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 972015normalblackTrevor Claxton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chain Reaction has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-03-01 The value of X is determined as Chain Reaction resolves.

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