Flowstone Surge MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Number	85
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott Hampton

Key Takeaways

Enhances creatures, turning them into significant threats that opponents must quickly address to avoid defeat.
Offers tactical flexibility, allowing for surprise blockers or attackers during a turn with dynamic power boosts.
Fits into various red deck archetypes, synergizing especially well with untap abilities and combat-focused strategies.

Text of card

Creatures you control get +1/-1.

The army was never at a loss for weapons; Crovax was their forge.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flowstone Surge stands out in enabling card advantage by empowering your creatures. This enhancement can turn each of your creatures into immediate threats, potentially pressuring your opponent to answer or face severe consequences.

Resource Acceleration: As a four-mana enchantment, Flowstone Surge may seem costly upfront, but the long-term benefits of additional creature power provide a form of resource acceleration. By increasing the efficiency of your creatures, you effectively optimize your mana investments over the course of the game.

Instant Speed: While Flowstone Surge itself may not be cast at instant speed, its effect allows your creatures to be dynamically increased at any time during your turn. This can create surprise blockers or attackers, providing a layer of tactical flexibility akin to instant speed interactions, especially since the boost remains until end of turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Flowstone Surge commands a sacrifice in terms of card advantage. To activate its ability, the need for discarding a card can pose challenges when your hand is already dwindling or if every card in hand is vital for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation is tied to a specific red mana cost. This restriction can be cumbersome in multicolored decks where mana is already stretched across various needs, potentially causing it not to fit seamlessly into every deck archetype.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial investment for Flowstone Surge is considered high for its potential return. With a cost setup that demands four mana, players might find themselves weighing its benefits against other cards in the same mana range that could present more immediate or impactful advantages on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include Flowstone Surge in Your Collection

Versatility: Flowstone Surge offers broad flexibility in deck building. Its ability to boost creature power fits well in aggressive strategies and responds to board states on the fly, making it a solid inclusion in various red deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: This card excels in synergizing with untap abilities or cards that benefit from increased creature strength. Integrating Flowstone Surge into a combo can lead to explosive and potentially game-ending turns.

Meta-Relevance: Given that Flowstone Surge ramps creature power significantly, it finds its place in metas where combat tricks and power boosts can outmaneuver control tactics or break through defensive lines.

How to beat

Confronting Flowstone Surge in MTG poses a unique challenge. As an enchantment that grants creatures +1/-1 for each red mana you pay, it empowers aggressive strategies by bolstering attack power at the potential cost of creature longevity. Therefore, to outmaneuver opponents using Flowstone Surge, controlling the battlefield is crucial.

Utilizing enchantment removal cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can swiftly dismantle their game plan by targeting the Surge itself. Alternatively, capitalizing on the reduction of creature toughness, spells like Pyroclasm or Electrickery can efficiently clear out weakened creatures. Strategic use of counter spells when Flowstone Surge is on the stack also proves effective, preventing its impact before it begins.

Adapting to the aggressive nature of your opponent’s strategy involves assessing threats and timing your removal precisely. Being proactive with board wipes or creature targeted spells before the mana investment in Flowstone Surge pays off can tilt the scales in your favor. By dismantling the enhancement or exploiting its drawbacks, the path to victory becomes clearer against such potent red enchantments.

Cards like Flowstone Surge

Flowstone Surge is a unique enchantment in MTG, adding a layer of aggressiveness to player strategies. It shares the field with enchantments like Berserkers’ Onslaught, which also amplifies the damage dealt by attacking creatures. While Berserkers’ Onslaught doubles the power of attacking creatures with double strike, Flowstone Surge grants +1/+0 and trample, offering a distinct advantage in overwhelming blocking creatures.

Illuminating the path of similarity, we come across Aggravated Assault. This enchantment also focuses on combat enhancement, enabling creatures to untap and attack again. However, the key difference lies in the applicable cost – Flowstone Surge demands a mere two mana for the bonus it provides to each creature, while Aggravated Assault requires a significant five mana to unlock an additional combat phase.

Ultimately, Flowstone Surge holds its ground in MTG as a cost-effective option for building an offensive advantage. It adeptly balances the power boost with strategic resource management, positioning itself as a formidable enchantment among its peers.

Berserkers' Onslaught - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Flowstone Surge by color, type and mana cost

Emblem of the Warmind - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flowstone Surge MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Flowstone Surge and other MTG cards: