Captive Flame MTG Card

Captive Flame - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)

Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
2005-06-03 - Number 96

Captive Flame - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)

Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
2011-04-01 - Number 68

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment

Key Takeaways

Boosts damage of red spells, enhancing every subsequent cast, thus improving their overall effect.
Allows savings in resources by requiring fewer spells to reach objectives and control the game.
Converts simple instants into potent threats, surprising opponents with sudden bursts of damage.

Text of card

: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.

"Kills and cooks your food in one easy stroke."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Captive Flame is a powerful inclusion for decks that thrive on spell slinging. It offers incremental card advantage by boosting the damage output of not just one, but multiple red spells over the course of the game. Each subsequent red spell could potentially bring more value, increasing its impact on the board state significantly.

Resource Acceleration: By incrementally increasing the power of your red spells, Captive Flame can create a form of resource acceleration. It means you may need fewer spells to achieve the same objectives, effectively saving your resources for other crucial moments. Over time, this could give you a resource edge over your opponent, who may have to use more cards to cope with the heightened threat level.

Instant Speed: Although Captive Flame itself isn’t an instant, it significantly enhances the utility of your instant-speed red spells. With this enchantment on the field, you can turn even a simple instant-speed burn spell into a devastating surprise, removing key threats or closing games swiftly, all while your mana remains flexible for responses during your opponent’s turns.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One notable downside of Captive Flame is that activating its ability necessitates discarding a card. This condition could potentially deplete your hand, leaving you at a strategic disadvantage, especially if the game drags on and resources become scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s activation cost requires a specific combination of mana, including red mana, which may not always be readily available. This requirement could potentially restrict the card’s integration into multi-color decks that might not have a consistent source of red mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Captive Flame can be a considerable asset in certain strategies, its activation cost is on the higher side compared to other cards in its category, potentially making it a less attractive option for players looking to optimize mana efficiency. There are alternative cards with lower mana costs that could prove to be more synergistic in fast-paced or mana-tight game scenarios.

Reasons to Include Captive Flame in Your Collection

Versatility: Captive Flame is a flexible addition to decks that focus on red creatures or spells, offering a consistent boost to their power level whenever you need to amp up the aggression or land powerful strikes.

Combo Potential: This enchantment shines when combined with cards that capitalize on increased damage output or those that untap your creatures to use its ability multiple times in a turn, creating a formidable synergy that can swiftly turn the tide of a game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that emphasizes red’s aggro and burn strategies, the incremental power boosts from Captive Flame can make your creatures overwhelming threats, often tipping the scale in matches where every point of damage counts.

How to Beat Captive Flame

Captive Flame exemplifies a unique enchantment in the realm of Magic: The Gathering that pitches players into strategic maneuvers. This card amplifies the attack power of your creatures with each tap, turning even the faintest threats into formidable attackers. However, every card has its Achilles’ heel, and taking down Captive Flame is all about preemptive control and well-timed disruption.

Strategies to dismantle Captive Flame’s effect include direct removal spells such as Disenchant or Naturalize which straightforwardly destroy target enchantments. Counterspells, ideal for blue-aligned decks, can also nip the threat in the bud before it even takes root. Considering Captive Flame’s reliance on creatures to exploit its benefit, sweeping board clears like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the playing field, stripping Captive Flame of its power source.

Armed with the right disruption tools, players can confidently face off against Captive Flame. It demands a response lest it overwhelms you with boosted attacks, but with calculated moves and adept timing, you can extinguish this flame before it spreads.

Cards like Captive Flame

Captive Flame shines within the landscape of red mana booster enchantments in Magic the Gathering. Red aficionados might draw parallels to cards like Gauntlet of Power and Caged Sun. Both of these artifacts also amplify mana, but they can influence all players and are restricted to basic lands. Captive Flame stays exclusive to its controller and can incrementally buff creatures’ power, offering a strategic edge.

Exploring other relatives, Mana Flare comes to mind. It too amplifies red mana but lacks the creature focus, serving as a boon to all spells. Unlike Captive Flame, which offers a controlled boost, Mana Flare equally benefits opponents. Then there is Dictate of the Twin Gods, a potent force that doubles damage. While it shares the flavor of intensifying red’s aggressive nature, it doesn’t provide the same targeted control over individual creature strength or mana production.

These comparisons spotlight Captive Flame’s unique position among MTG cards. Its blend of mana boosting and targeted creature empowerment presents a specialized tool for players looking to stoke the fires of their red-themed decks.

Dictate of the Twin Gods - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Captive Flame by color, type and mana cost

Curse of Hospitality - MTG Card versions

Anax, Hardened in the Forge - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Captive Flame MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa and Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons, 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 Captive Flame and other MTG cards: