Firebreathing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 21 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Firebreathing allows on-demand power boosts, making creatures formidable adversaries during combat phases.
  2. It offers strategic depth, enabling players to surprise opponents and dictate combat outcomes.
  3. Despite potential drawbacks, its flexibility makes it a valuable inclusion in red-focused decks.

Text of card

oo R +1/+0

"And topples round the dreary west A looming bastion fringed with fire." —Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "In Memoriam"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The firebreathing ability in MTG enables clever hand management by discouraging opponents from blocking or attacking, effectively dictating the pace of card plays and protecting your assets on the board.

Resource Acceleration: This ability often comes at a low initial investment, allowing for efficient allocation of mana throughout the game. The increased potential damage can put an opponent on a faster clock, compelling them to respond and often providing you with the upper hand in resource management.

Instant Speed: Firebreathing’s power boost can be activated at instant speed, granting the flexibility to enhance a creature’s strength in response to combat or certain spells. This adaptability can result in favorable and unexpected combat outcomes, making it a tactical asset during crucial gameplay moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Often, activating the firebreathing ability necessitates discarding a card which might deplete your hand, particularly detrimental when you’re strategizing for a combo or need to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: The ability typically requires red mana, restricting its applicability to decks extensively running mountains or having a mana base tailored to generate red mana, potentially limiting its flexibility in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Continuously pumping mana into firebreathing can total a substantial amount, and since the effect ends at turn’s conclusion, it may represent a sizable investment with temporary benefit, causing it to be inefficient compared to other mana sinks or permanent buffs.


Reasons to Include Firebreathing Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Firebreathing is a classic ability that allows creatures to get stronger for each mana spent. This mechanic fits well in a wide array of red-based decks that focus on aggressive strategies or that require flexible power boosts during combat.

Combo Potential: Cards with Firebreathing can synergize with effects that untap creatures, granting multiple uses of the ability in a single turn. Additionally, it interacts well with strategies that increase mana availability, enabling you to pump a creature to formidable sizes rapidly.

Meta-Relevance: The simplicity and effectiveness of Firebreathing ensure that it stays relevant in various metagames, particularly in environments where combat trades determine the winner. The ability to increase threat levels on the fly can tip the scales in your favor, especially in formats that value tempo and surprise tactics.


How to Beat

The concept of Firebreathing in Magic: The Gathering offers players a dynamic mechanism for enhancing creatures’ power. Cards with Firebreathing allow the player to pump up a creature’s attack capabilities by paying mana, often red. This can make creatures unpredictable and potentially very powerful during the combat phase. However, there are strategies to effectively counter these cards and minimize their impact on the game.

One effective method is using instant speed removal spells to dispatch the creature before the Firebreathing ability becomes too problematic. Another is to play cards that restrict mana availability, thereby limiting the player’s ability to invest in the power-boosting ability. Enchantment removals can also dismantle the Firebreathing capability if it’s not inherently built into the creature. In games where life totals are a buffer, sometimes the best strategy is simply to absorb the hit and retaliate with a stronger board presence.

Timing is key when facing creatures with Firebreathing abilities. By keeping up the necessary mana to cast removal or control spells, a player can maneuver around the threat posed by these creatures, making them less effective and more manageable within the match.


Cards like Firebreathing

Firebreathing is an intriguing mechanic in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, granting a formidable boost to a creature’s attack prowess. Comparable in function to cards like Dragon Mantle, which also bestows creatures with the power pump for every red mana spent. Firebreathing, however, is often purer in its form, solely focusing on attack enhancement without the card draw element Dragon Mantle provides.

Cards such as Bravado and Sure Strike echo Firebreathing’s ethos of empowering creatures, with Bravado offering a persistent bonus based on the number of red symbols in your mana pool and Sure Strike furnishing a significant temporary power spike. While they don’t offer the same incremental control over power that Firebreathing does, these cards deliver a substantial burst of power, sometimes without the need for additional mana investment during combat.

In evaluating the practicality and tactical applications, Firebreathing often emerges as a versatile tool for players who value precise control over their offensive strategy, making it a card that can favorably shift the balance of power on the battlefield within the flame-infused lore of Magic: The Gathering.

Dragon Mantle - MTG Card versions
Bravado - MTG Card versions
Sure Strike - MTG Card versions
Dragon Mantle - Theros (THS)
Bravado - Urza's Saga (USG)
Sure Strike - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Cards similar to Firebreathing by color, type and mana cost

Earthbind - MTG Card versions
Burrowing - MTG Card versions
Storm World - MTG Card versions
Eternal Warrior - MTG Card versions
Immolation - MTG Card versions
Imposing Visage - MTG Card versions
Ironclaw Curse - MTG Card versions
Veteran's Voice - MTG Card versions
Mob Mentality - MTG Card versions
Crown of Flames - MTG Card versions
Tahngarth's Rage - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Blade - MTG Card versions
Reflexes - MTG Card versions
Mark of Fury - MTG Card versions
Seal of Fire - MTG Card versions
Laccolith Rig - MTG Card versions
Brutal Suppression - MTG Card versions
Need for Speed - MTG Card versions
Crackling Club - MTG Card versions
Genju of the Spires - MTG Card versions
Earthbind - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Burrowing - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Storm World - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Eternal Warrior - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Immolation - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Imposing Visage - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ironclaw Curse - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Veteran's Voice - Alliances (ALL)
Mob Mentality - Visions (VIS)
Crown of Flames - Invasion (INV)
Tahngarth's Rage - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Blade - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Reflexes - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Mark of Fury - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seal of Fire - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Laccolith Rig - Nemesis (NEM)
Brutal Suppression - Prophecy (PCY)
Need for Speed - Odyssey (ODY)
Crackling Club - Torment (TOR)
Genju of the Spires - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Firebreathing MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Firebreathing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Firebreathing Magic the Gathering card was released in 18 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 1501993normalblackDan Frazier
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 1511993normalblackDan Frazier
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 1511993normalwhiteDan Frazier
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 1511993normalblackDan Frazier
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 1511993normalblackDan Frazier
61994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 1511993normalblackDan Frazier
71994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 1511993normalwhiteDan Frazier
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 1511993normalwhiteDan Frazier
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 1931993normalwhiteDan Frazier
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 1931993normalblackDan Frazier
111996-10-08MirageMIR 1741997normalblackMike Kerr
121997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 2281997normalwhiteDan Frazier
131999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 1771997normalwhiteMike Kerr
142005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1812003normalwhiteMike Kerr
152005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 181★2003normalblackMike Kerr
162007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 200★2003normalblackAleksi Briclot
172007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 2002003normalblackAleksi Briclot
182009-07-17Magic 2010M10 1372003normalblackAleksi Briclot
192011-07-15Magic 2012M12 1322003normalblackAleksi Briclot
202022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 1462015normalblackDan Frazier
212022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 4431997normalblackDan Frazier

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Firebreathing has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2009-10-01 The ability affects whichever creature is enchanted by Firebreathing at the time the ability resolves. The bonus remains even if Firebreathing stops enchanting that creature.
2009-10-01 This ability can be activated by Firebreathing’s controller, not the enchanted creature’s controller (in case they’re different players).

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