Red Mana Battery MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides mana stockpiling for bigger threats or multiple spells, thus enhancing your strategic options.
  2. Enables spontaneous big plays, adapting to in-game dynamics for maximum mana efficiency.
  3. Demands careful deck construction and playstyle adjustments to mitigate its potential drawbacks.

Text of card

oc T: Put one counter on Red Mana Battery. oc T: Add o R to your mana pool. Remove as many counters as you wish. For each counter removed add o R to your mana pool. This ability is played as an interrupt.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Red Mana Battery offers a chance to stockpile mana, which can contribute positively to your hand by allowing you to deploy bigger threats or multiple spells without depleting your resources in hand.

Resource Acceleration: This card shines in its ability to store red mana over time, potentially providing a significant boost in your available resources when you need it the most, enabling explosive turns or buffering against resource disruption from your opponents.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the Red Mana Battery can be tapped and utilized at instant speed. This flexibility allows for strategic plays during either player’s turn, adapting to the fluid situation of the game and maximizing the impact of your mana stores.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Red Mana Battery requires a card to be discarded to activate its ability. This can put a strain on your hand, particularly if your strategy relies on having a full grip of cards to maintain momentum on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The Red Mana Battery demands a commitment to red mana to be used optimally. This specificity can sometimes be restrictive, especially in multicolored decks that require a more flexible mana base to cast a diverse range of spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Additionally, the initial investment to get the Red Mana Battery onto the field is relatively steep. Considering its somewhat niche effect, the card could compete with other four-mana spells in your deck that may provide immediate impact or more significant advantages over the course of a game.


Reasons to Include Red Mana Battery in Your Collection

Versatility: Red Mana Battery serves as a flexible tool in various deck builds. Its ability to store and release mana at crucial moments makes it adaptable for different phases of the game. Whether you’re looking to execute a powerful spell earlier or ensure you have the resources for a game-winning move, this card can accommodate.

Combo Potential: This card offers combo synergy with cards that benefit from the untap mechanic or with strategies that exploit mana accumulators. By enabling you to unveil unexpected plays, it can enhance the dynamism of your deck.

Meta-Relevance: The utility of Red Mana Battery extends to its adaptation to the shifting tides of the meta. In environments where mana efficiency is paramount, having an extra reserve can be the edge you need to outpace and outplay opponents.


How to Beat Red Mana Battery

The Red Mana Battery poses a unique challenge on the battlefield, given its ability to accumulate and store mana for an explosive turn in MTG. This artifact card is particularly potent in decks that feed on large amounts of mana for game-changing plays. Overcoming this card requires strategy and timing to ensure the stored mana doesn’t lead to a devastating outcome.

One effective approach is to prioritize artifact removal. Cards like Shatter or Abrade are key as they can directly target and eliminate the Red Mana Battery before the mana reserves become a threat. Another tactic is to use instant-speed removal during the opponent’s upkeep before they have the chance to use the accumulated mana, thereby minimizing the advantage the battery could provide.

Additionally, control strategies that limit the opponent’s ability to play the Red Mana Battery or restrict its usage with counter spells such as Negate can be extremely effective. If the battery is already in play, consider ways to force your opponent to use the mana inefficiently or at less than ideal times through clever gameplay and disruption.

Ultimately, understanding the pace of the game and disrupting your opponent’s mana economy are key to coming out on top when facing off against the Red Mana Battery in MTG.


Cards like Red Mana Battery

In the realm of resource management within Magic: The Gathering, Red Mana Battery offers a unique approach to storing up mana for future turns. It shares similarities with other mana-storing artifacts such as Blue Mana Battery and the entire series of Mana Batteries, each tailored to their respective colors. Just like its counterparts, Red Mana Battery allows players to save excess mana and utilize it when most needed, ensuring they aren’t left at a disadvantage during crucial moments in the game.

Another card worth mentioning in this space is the well-known artifact, Gilded Lotus. Although Gilded Lotus doesn’t store mana per se, it provides a recurring boon of three mana of any one color whenever tapped. Contrastingly, the Red Mana Battery requires an initial investment and then gradually becomes a larger reserve of red mana. A closer relative in terms of functionality might be Ice Cauldron, which lets players exile a card from their hand and store mana that can be used later to cast that very card.

While Red Mana Battery might not offer immediate gratification, strategy and patience can turn it into a powerful asset, underscoring its unique position among MTG mana-acceleration artifacts. It’s a card that caters to a long-game plan, distinct in its way of banking resources for the right moment.

Blue Mana Battery - MTG Card versions
Gilded Lotus - MTG Card versions
Ice Cauldron - MTG Card versions
Blue Mana Battery - Legends (LEG)
Gilded Lotus - Mirrodin (MRD)
Ice Cauldron - Ice Age (ICE)

Cards similar to Red Mana Battery by color, type and mana cost

Gauntlet of Might - MTG Card versions
Hoard Hauler - MTG Card versions
Hematite Golem - MTG Card versions
Lavabrink Floodgates - MTG Card versions
Arcbound Whelp - MTG Card versions
Scrapyard Steelbreaker - MTG Card versions
Twinshot Sniper - MTG Card versions
Wand of Wonder - MTG Card versions
Ticking Mime Bomb - MTG Card versions
Vulshok Splitter - MTG Card versions
Urabrask's Anointer - MTG Card versions
RMS Titanic - MTG Card versions
Dinotomaton - MTG Card versions
Krenko's Buzzcrusher - MTG Card versions
Rose, Cutthroat Raider - MTG Card versions
Gauntlet of Might - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Hoard Hauler - Streets of New Capenna Promos (PSNC)
Hematite Golem - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lavabrink Floodgates - Commander 2020 (C20)
Arcbound Whelp - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Scrapyard Steelbreaker - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Twinshot Sniper - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Wand of Wonder - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Ticking Mime Bomb - Unfinity (UNF)
Vulshok Splitter - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Urabrask's Anointer - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
RMS Titanic - Doctor Who (WHO)
Dinotomaton - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (LCI)
Krenko's Buzzcrusher - Murders at Karlov Manor Promos (PMKM)
Rose, Cutthroat Raider - Fallout (PIP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Red Mana Battery MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border, 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 Red Mana Battery and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Red Mana Battery Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 1995-08-01. Illustrated by Mark Tedin.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 2911993normalblackMark Tedin
21995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 3431993normalblackMark Tedin
31995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 3431993normalwhiteMark Tedin
41995-08-01RenaissanceREN 1551993normalblackMark Tedin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Red Mana Battery has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 Can be tapped even if it has no counters.

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