Flash MTG Card


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

Key Takeaways

  1. Flash cards disrupt opponent strategies by offering surprise moves, leading to potential card advantage gains.
  2. They maximize mana efficiency, allowing plays on opponent turns for quicker board presence escalation.
  3. Acting at instant speed with Flash grants flexibility and adaptability in complex MTG game states.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Choose a creature card from your hand and put that creature into play as though it were just played. Pay the creature's casting cost reduced by up to . If you cannot, bury the creature.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flash cards offer the unique chance to surprise your opponent and potentially disrupt their strategy. This unexpected play can often lead to a two-for-one situation, netting you significant card advantage over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: Incorporating flash cards in your deck may allow for a more efficient use of resources. By deploying spells on your opponent’s turn, you’re able to maximize mana usage during each rotation of the game, which can lead to a quicker escalation in your board presence and potential for victory.

Instant Speed: The power of acting at instant speed cannot be overstated. It affords the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions, keep them guessing, and maintain the upper hand in the battle of wits. This adaptability is a hallmark of high-level play and is integral to navigating complex board states successfully.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Often demands discarding another card which can put you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re holding key pieces to your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Flash requires blue mana, restricting its integration to blue-centric or multi-colored decks, potentially narrowing your deckbuilding choices.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Flash can be potent, its higher mana cost compared to other instant-speed options can be a drawback in fast-paced games where efficiency is crucial.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Flash is a powerful mechanic that allows you to cast a spell at times when your opponents least expect it. This can be particularly useful for surprise blockers or ambushing an opponent’s creature, making it a versatile addition to control and tempo decks.

Combo Potential: Given its ability to interject at virtually any time, a Flash card can be integral to initiating combos or responding to an opponent’s actions. It economically utilizes your mana and can set up devastating turns where you play multiple spells in a single cycle.

Meta-Relevance: In a constantly shifting MTG metagame, maintaining the element of surprise can give you an edge. Cards with Flash can adapt to various meta scenarios, effectively countering opponent strategies and keeping your tactical options open.


How to beat

Dealing with a Flash MTG card presents a strategic challenge, given its ability to enter the battlefield at virtually any time – a factor that can surprise opponents and disrupt well-laid plans. To successfully navigate this obstacle, one must consider timing and foresight. A method to counteract Flash’s unpredictability is keeping up mana for instant-speed removal or counter spells when you suspect an opponent might play a Flash card. This can swing the momentum back to your favor by either directly removing the threat upon its appearance or denying its entry to the battlefield entirely.

Moreover, it becomes imperative to manage your resources wisely, restraining the urge to tap out and instead reserve capabilities for reactionary plays. Anticipating the window when your opponent may attempt to leverage their Flash card can guide you in retaining just enough mana and holding the right cards to answer effectively. Understanding the pace of the game and deducing when a Flash card might make its appearance is crucial. By mastering the art of anticipation and judicious resource management, one can mitigate the advantage that a Flash MTG card brings to the table.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic element Flash brings to MTG cannot be understated. It can surprise an opponent, efficiently use resources, and is crucial for adaptability during gameplay. However, its requirements and limitations also demand a skilled hand to wield effectively. Whether Flash aligns with your strategic inclinations or challenges them, its influence on the game is significant. Discovering how to leverage its instant-speed advantage, or outplay it, can define your path to victory. Eager to understand the full spectrum of possibilities or counterplays Flash presents? Dive deeper with us for insights that could refine your deck and sharpen your competitive edge.


Cards like Flash

The allure of instant-speed interactions makes Flash a card worthy of attention among players of Magic: The Gathering. It offers the element of surprise, allowing the casting of creatures as though they had flash, thereby ambushing an opponent at a moment’s notice. This card draws parallel to the likes of Vedalken Orrery, which confers the same once-uncommon ability to almost all spells in a player’s hand, not just creatures.

Another card that echoes the principle of Flash is Alchemist’s Refuge. This land gives your spells flash at the cost of mana and tapping the land itself. It’s a flexible option, albeit less immediate due to the land’s need to be untapped. Next in line is Winding Canyons, a land with a similar function, allowing you to cast creatures at a time your adversaries least expect it. However, the advantage of Flash lies in its lower cost and the way it seamlessly slips into a wider range of decks without compromising mana consistency.

Evaluating the unique tactical advantages provided by these cards, Flash stands out for its ease of integration and low cost, making it a powerful tool for sneaking creatures onto the battlefield at just the right moment.

Vedalken Orrery - MTG Card versions
Alchemist's Refuge - MTG Card versions
Winding Canyons - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Orrery - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Alchemist's Refuge - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Winding Canyons - Weatherlight (WTH)

Cards similar to Flash by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Vision Skeins - MTG Card versions
Telekinesis - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)
Vision Skeins - Commander 2013 (C13)
Telekinesis - Masters Edition (ME1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flash MTG card by a specific set like Mirage and Classic Sixth Edition, 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 Flash and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Flash Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1996-10-08 and 2018-03-16. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11996-10-08MirageMIR 661997normalblackDavid Ho
21999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 671997normalwhiteDavid Ho
32018-03-16Masters 25A25 572015normalblackNaomi Baker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flash has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderBanned
LegacyBanned
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernBanned
VintageRestricted
DuelLegal
PredhBanned

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-03-16 If the creature has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2018-03-16 If you choose not to pay, the creature is sacrificed immediately. No player will get priority in between the creature entering the battlefield and being sacrificed. Sacrificing the creature this way will trigger any abilities that trigger when it leaves the battlefield, and those abilities will be put onto the stack at the same time as those that triggered when it entered the battlefield.
2018-03-16 Only the generic mana in that creature’s mana cost is reduced. For example, if that creature’s mana cost is , you’ll have to pay to keep it.
2018-03-16 The creature enters the battlefield, so it will trigger enters-the-battlefield abilities even if you choose not to pay.

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