Blast Zone MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Blast Zone removes multiple board threats simultaneously without sacrificing hand resources.
  2. As a flexible land card, it supports mana base while providing instant disruption potential.
  3. Its ability to be charged up offers strategic late-game plays and board wipes.

Text of card

Blast Zone enters the battlefield with a charge counter on it. : Add . , : Put X charge counters on Blast Zone. , , Sacrifice Blast Zone: Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value equal to the number of charge counters on Blast Zone.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Blast Zone offers a special type of advantage; rather than drawing cards, it can remove multiple threats on the board based on their converted mana costs. This can turn the tide of a game by effectively handling a swarm of tokens or nonland permanents with the same cost, thus maintaining your position without losing card economy.

Resource Acceleration: As a land, Blast Zone contributes to your mana base without taking up other valuable spell slots in your deck. Also, it can be used as a resource acceleration tool by charging it up with additional charge counters, ensuring you have a reactive answer ready without needing to commit other cards or mana.

Instant Speed: One of the key benefits of Blast Zone is its ability to activate at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to detonate it in response to your opponent’s actions. This can effectively disrupt their strategy while maintaining the element of surprise, as you can wait to see how your opponent commits their resources before choosing the best moment to clear the board.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Blast Zone card does not specifically require a discard to activate its abilities, it does demand a significant resource investment. This commitment of resources can be seen as a discard equivalent, since you are often sacrificing potential card plays or development of your board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Blast Zone enters the battlefield with a charge counter on it and requires an investment of colorless mana to increase the number of charge counters. Decks that rely heavily on colored mana may find it challenging to allocate the necessary colorless mana without disrupting their mana base or game strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To detonate and clear the board of nonland permanents with specific mana cost, Blast Zone requires at least three mana — two to place a charge counter and another to activate the destruction ability. This cost climbs as you target higher mana cost permanents, which can be quite restrictive as it consumes mana that could otherwise be used for advancing your board state or countering your opponent’s moves.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Blast Zone offers a flexible solution to numerous threats on the battlefield without being tied to a specific color. Its ability to adjust to different situations by adding charge counters makes it a valuable asset in any deck that struggles with non-creature permanents.

Combo Potential: Being a land with a built-in mechanism for wiping the board, Blast Zone is ripe for synergy with land-focused strategies or decks that take advantage of sacrificable permanents. It can also be a tactical play, setting up the board for advantageous sweeps.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where diverse permanents see play, including Blast Zone in your collection ensures you’re prepared. It serves as an answer to problematic artifacts, enchantments, and low-cost creatures that dominate in many current gameplay formats.


How to Beat Blast Zone

Blast Zone is one of those versatile cards in MTG that can catch opponents off guard. As a land card, it not only taps for colorless mana but also offers a way to clear the board of pesky permanents. What makes it tricky, however, is its ability to scale with the game, affecting cards with various converted mana costs (CMCs).

To effectively counter Blast Zone, players need to be strategic about their permanents’ CMCs on the battlefield. One approach is diversifying the CMCs of your nonland permanents to minimize the impact of Blast Zone’s ability. Another is to deploy instant-speed effects that can respond to the activation of Blast Zone, such as cards that grant indestructibility or hexproof to your valuable assets.

It’s also worth noting that Blast Zone initially comes into play with a charge counter on it, meaning it can’t destroy zero-cost permanents without first being proliferated. Thus, playing zero-cost permanents or permanents with high CMCs can be a workaround to Blast Zone’s destructive capacity. Last, but not least, artifact destruction or land disruption cards like Ghost Quarter can directly target and eliminate Blast Zone before it becomes a threat.


Cards like Blast Zone

Blast Zone stands out in the realm of versatile land cards within Magic the Gathering. It fills a unique role by its ability to deal with a multitude of permanents on the board without favoring any particular color. Comparable to Engineered Explosives, Blast Zone does not require a mana of every color to activate, thus offering flexibility across mono-colored decks. However, unlike Engineered Explosives, Blast Zone cannot be activated the same turn it comes into play, requiring a strategic setup ahead of time.

Similar to Ratchet Bomb, which can also destroy tokens or nonland permanents without a mana cost, Blast Zone differs in that it requires mana investment to set its charge counters. On the flip side, the presence of Blast Zone on the battlefield acts as a deterrent, influencing opponents’ plays due to its potential activation. Meanwhile, Ratchet Bomb’s immediate impact on play does not provide this ongoing tactical advantage.

By examining these card functionalities, Blast Zone undoubtedly claims a significant position within the landscape of MTG due to its versatile removal capabilities. Its fine-tuning and strategic depth enhance its reputation compared with other similar utility options.

Engineered Explosives - MTG Card versions
Ratchet Bomb - MTG Card versions
Engineered Explosives - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Ratchet Bomb - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Cards similar to Blast Zone by color, type and mana cost

Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Arid Mesa - MTG Card versions
Cathedral of Serra - Legends (LEG)
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
Urza's Mine - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi (DDP)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Arid Mesa - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blast Zone MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and War of the Spark, 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 Blast Zone and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Blast Zone Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1058722015normalblackJorge Jacinto
22019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 2442015normalblackChris Ostrowski
32019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 244s2015normalblackChris Ostrowski
42019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 244p2015normalblackChris Ostrowski
52020-05-29Secret Lair: Ultimate EditionSLU 5042015normalblackChris Ostrowski
62022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 2582015normalblackJorge Jacinto
72022-11-18The Brothers' WarBRO 3692015normalblackJorge Jacinto
82023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 9872015normalblackJorge Jacinto

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blast Zone has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 An activation cost of means that you pay twice X. If you want X to be 3, you pay to activate Blast Zone's ability.
2019-05-03 If a permanent has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2019-05-03 Tokens that aren't a copy of something else don't have a mana cost. Anything without a mana cost normally has a mana value of 0.

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