Surging Flame MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Ripple

Key Takeaways

  1. Surging Flame balances control and tempo with its card advantage and instant speed utility.
  2. Its demanding mana cost and discard requirement present notable deck-building challenges.
  3. The card’s versatility and meta-relevance make it a formidable choice in varied play styles.

Text of card

Ripple 4 (When you cast this spell, you may reveal the top four cards of your library. You may cast spells with the same name as this spell from among those cards without paying their mana costs. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.) Surging Flame deals 2 damage to any target.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Surging Flame offers the ability to potentially knock cards out of your opponent’s hand while also giving you the chance to pull ahead by playing additional cards. This dual benefit means you’re not just controlling the board; you’re also shaping your future turns with a thicker stack of options.

Resource Acceleration: When casting Surging Flame, the cost-to-effect ratio can lead to a significant tempo swing. If played strategically, this can open the door for more devastating plays in the same turn or prepare the field for a strong follow-up on your next turn.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Surging Flame at instant speed grants you the power to respond decisively to your opponent’s actions. This reactive capability puts pressure on your opponent to play around your open mana, leading to potential misplays on their part or safeguarding your board from threats when most needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Surging Flame necessitates discarding a card as part of its casting cost. This can be particularly punishing when your hand is already running low on cards, potentially sacrificing vital late-game options for an immediate yet fleeting advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands an exact mana combination to play, requiring both red and generic mana. This mana specificity can be restricting, especially in multicolored decks that may need mana flexibility to cast a diverse array of spells efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Surging Flame offers a burst of damage, its mana cost is on the higher end for its damage output category. In decks focusing on efficiency and tempo, the mana investment may not correlate to the impact expected or needed at the stage of the game when four mana becomes available.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Surging Flame offers adaptability across numerous archetypes due to its instant speed and scalable damage output. This makes it a controllable tool for both aggressive and controlling strategies, fitting seamlessly into various game plans.

Combo Potential: With the ability to copy itself under the right conditions, Surging Flame possesses a natural synergy with spellslinger decks that aim to cast multiple spells in a single turn, thereby amplifying its effect exponentially.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where small creatures or tempo plays dominate, Surging Flame comes in handy as it can remove early threats or even close out games when the damage scales up. Its relevance adjusts with the flow of the competitive scene, ensuring it remains a pertinent choice.


How to beat

Surging Flame is a potent magic card, offering a swift and formidable boost in a match. The card radiates power, allowing players to blitz their opponents with sudden strikes. But knowing how to counter this fiery spell can be just as impactful as wielding it.

One strategy to extinguish the threat is to prioritize the removal of creatures from the battlefield. Cards with high toughness can withstand the initial surge of damage, minimizing Surging Flame’s impact. Additionally, having instant-speed removal or counterspells at the ready can snuff out Surging Flame before it ignites.

Using damage prevention methods or cards that can absorb or redirect spells can also serve as a sturdy firebreak against this incendiary card. Swift intervention is key, as is maintaining a diverse set of responses within your deck to ensure you’re not left scorched in Surging Flame’s wake.


Cards like Surging Flame

Surging Flame holds its own within the pantheon of instant-speed spells in Magic: The Gathering that deal direct damage. Its kinship is closest to cards like Lightning Bolt, renowned for its efficiency in delivering three points of damage at a low cost. However, Surging Flame introduces a twist with the ability to copy the spell if you’ve cast another spell named Surging Flame this turn, potentially doubling the impact.

Comparatively, we have Forked Bolt, which allows the player to split two damage as they choose among one or two targets. Although this offers flexibility, it does not possess the potential to replicate itself like Surging Flame. Incinerate is another relative, presenting a similar damage output, but its inability to prevent regeneration of creatures is a notable difference, particularly in formats where regeneration is a common tactic.

In the realm of red damage spells, Surging Flame offers an intriguing advantage for players looking to capitalize on casting multiple spells in a single turn. While it may not be as mana-efficient as some alternatives, the surprise factor and potential for a high-damage turn make it a compelling choice in specific MTG decks.

Lightning Bolt - MTG Card versions
Forked Bolt - MTG Card versions
Incinerate - MTG Card versions
Lightning Bolt - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Forked Bolt - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Incinerate - Ice Age (ICE)

Cards similar to Surging Flame by color, type and mana cost

Shatter - MTG Card versions
Word of Blasting - MTG Card versions
Incinerate - MTG Card versions
Guerrilla Tactics - MTG Card versions
Gorilla War Cry - MTG Card versions
Aleatory - MTG Card versions
Orcish Catapult - MTG Card versions
Blood Frenzy - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Falter - MTG Card versions
Shattering Pulse - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Strike - MTG Card versions
Shrapnel Blast - MTG Card versions
Glacial Ray - MTG Card versions
Smash to Smithereens - MTG Card versions
Starstorm - MTG Card versions
First Volley - MTG Card versions
Blazing Shoal - MTG Card versions
Psychotic Fury - MTG Card versions
Sudden Shock - MTG Card versions
Shatter - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Word of Blasting - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Incinerate - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Guerrilla Tactics - Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils (FMB1)
Gorilla War Cry - Alliances (ALL)
Aleatory - Mirage (MIR)
Orcish Catapult - Astral Cards (PAST)
Blood Frenzy - Tempest (TMP)
Fling - Jumpstart (JMP)
Falter - Urza's Saga (USG)
Shattering Pulse - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Flowstone Strike - Nemesis (NEM)
Shrapnel Blast - Mirrodin (MRD)
Glacial Ray - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Smash to Smithereens - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Starstorm - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
First Volley - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Blazing Shoal - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Psychotic Fury - Dissension (DIS)
Sudden Shock - Time Spiral (TSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Surging Flame MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Arena League 2006, 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 Surging Flame and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Surging Flame Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2006-01-01 and 2006-07-21. Illustrated by Ron Spencer.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351782003normalblackRon Spencer
22006-01-01Arena League 2006PAL06 92003normalblackRon Spencer
32006-07-21ColdsnapCSP 992003normalblackRon Spencer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Surging Flame has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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