Five-Alarm Fire MTG Card
2013-02-01 - Number 91
2020-09-26 - Number GTC-91
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Five-Alarm Fire offers resourceful damage output from frequent creature combat, proving lethal over time.
- Instant speed usage provides tactical advantages, enabling surprises and strategic creature removal.
- Requires a creature-heavy approach and can be less mana-efficient than other options, guiding deck design.
Text of card
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage, put a blaze counter on Five-Alarm Fire. Remove five blaze counters from Five-Alarm Fire: Five-Alarm Fire deals 5 damage to target creature or player.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Five-Alarm Fire can accumulate blaze counters quickly in creature-heavy decks, effectively becoming a stockpile of damage for you to unleash on opponents’ creatures or directly at them. Though it doesn’t directly draw cards, it gives you repeated value from your creatures entering the battlefield or attacking, which can be just as valuable.
Resource Acceleration: Rather than offering traditional mana acceleration, Five-Alarm Fire provides a unique form of resource acceleration by converting combat steps into a reusable and often unexpected source of damage. Each creature that attacks brings you closer to a resource you can expend at the most opportune moment.
Instant Speed: The ability to use Five-Alarm Fire at instant speed provides strategic flexibility, allowing you to surprise an opponent with sudden damage during their turn. This can shift the tide of a game, especially in response to combat tricks or at the end of an opponent’s turn to maintain the element of surprise.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Five-Alarm Fire can be a powerful tool for red aggro decks, one limitation is its potential card disadvantage. Without a discard requirement, it’s crucial to build up enough charge counters, which means committing to a strategy of continually applying pressure with creatures to make the most out of the card’s ability.
Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a red mana cost, Five-Alarm Fire fits primarily into mono-red or red-centric decks. This mana specificity can restrict deck-building options, as including it in multicolor decks could lead to mana inconsistencies, especially under pressure to fulfill other color commitments in a timely manner.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Mana efficiency is key in quicker-paced games, and with a cost of three red mana for its functionality, Five-Alarm Fire can be less expedient compared to other burn spells or aggressive creatures available at similar or lower cost tiers. This sometimes results in the need for players to evaluate whether its inclusion outweighs the benefit of adding more immediate threats or responses to their deck.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Five-Alarm Fire provides a flexible damage source that can be incorporated into a range of red-based decks. Its ability to accumulate blaze counters from multiple sources makes it a universal threat on the board.
Combo Potential: This enchantment excels in creature-heavy strategies, synergizing with cards that allow for multiple creature attacks in a turn. Unleashing a burst of damage once a significant number of blaze counters are collected can change the course of the game.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta with creature-centric decks, Five-Alarm Fire gains value for its ability to act as a removal or a direct player damage source. The card can adapt to the changing battlefield, making it a persistent menace to opponents.
How to Beat
The Five-Alarm Fire card provides players with a potent ability to accumulate blaze counters and unleash damage onto creatures or opponents. This formidable enchantment card accumulates a blaze counter whenever creatures under your control deal combat damage to a player. It can turn the tide of a game by allowing you to remove five counters to deal 5 damage to any target.
To counter this threat, consider preventing combat damage that fuels the Five-Alarm Fire’s blaze counters. Cards that create a pacifying effect on the opponent’s creatures or force them to tap without attacking are useful tools to keep the counters at bay. Also, utilizing instant-speed removal spells to disrupt creatures before they can inflict combat damage can stifle the power of Five-Alarm Fire. Additionally, enchantment removal cards are essential in any deck when facing enchantments with such high impact potential. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize offer a direct solution to remove Five-Alarm Fire from the battlefield before it causes irreparable damage.
While this card might appear daunting, smart play choices and a well-constructed deck filled with answers will keep its fire from getting out of hand. Understanding how to mitigate its effect is an essential strategy in triumphing over opponents who rely on this powerful card.
Cards like Five-Alarm Fire
Five-Alarm Fire is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, celebrated for its ability to amass blaze counters and ultimately unleash a devastating amount of damage. Its nearest kin on the battlefield could be considered cards like Pyromancer’s Assault and Quest for Pure Flame. Similar to Five-Alarm Fire, Pyromancer’s Assault requires a player to cast multiple spells to unlock its damage potential, offering the reward of dealing damage to any target. Quest for Pure Flame, albeit a different mechanic, also thrives on red’s penchant for rapid spell casting, doubling damage once its requirement is met.
Another card that embodies the quintessential red strategy is Runaway Steam-Kin. Although it doesn’t deal damage directly like Five-Alarm Fire, it works on a similar counter accumulation principle. As you play red spells, Steam-Kin grows, later transforming those counters into valuable red mana to fuel large plays or activate costly abilities. Repercussion is worth mentioning as well, despite being an older card, it turns any damage to creatures into a threat to the creature’s controller, much like the cumulative power of Five-Alarm Fire’s ability to deal damage to any target.
In summation, while there are several cards that mimic the punishing nature of Five-Alarm Fire, it stands distinct with its scalable direct damage ability. This makes it a potent card in Magic: The Gathering, especially in matches where the tide can turn with a single, fiery burst.
Cards similar to Five-Alarm Fire by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Five-Alarm Fire MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash and The List, 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 Five-Alarm Fire and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Five-Alarm Fire Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2013-02-01. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Five-Alarm Fire has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Five-Alarm Fire card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-01-24 | Five-Alarm Fire’s first ability triggers once for each time a creature you control deals combat damage, even if it deals combat damage to more than one creature, planeswalker, or player. For example, an attacking creature with trample that deals combat damage to a blocking creature and the defending player will cause Five-Alarm Fire’s ability to trigger once. A creature with double strike, however, may cause Five-Alarm Fire’s ability to trigger twice during a single combat. |
