Iroas's Blessing MTG Card


Iroas's Blessing - Theros Beyond Death
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set nameTheros Beyond Death
Set codeTHB
Number142
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byVictor Adame Minguez

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers card advantage by combining creature enhancement with opponent creature removal.
  2. Requires commitment to red and white mana, which can be restrictive for some decks.
  3. Excellent in aggressive decks, providing versatility and the potential to swing games.

Text of card

Enchant creature you control When Iroas's Blessing enters the battlefield, it deals 4 damage to target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.

The blessing is not the strength itself, but the knowledge of how to use it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Iroas’s Blessing is played, it does double duty by allowing you to eliminate a threat on the board while also buffing one of your creatures. By effectively dealing with an opponent’s creature, it acts as a removal and enhancement tool, keeping your hand steady while impacting the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While Iroas’s Blessing doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the form of mana or tokens, it’s a significant tempo play. By allowing you to use your mana effectively to influence the board, it can help you maintain or increase your lead in the game without the need for additional resources.

Instant Speed: Iroas’s Blessing enchants a creature as an Aura and, despite not being at Instant speed, offers a surprise factor by instantly making one of your creatures larger and more threatening during your main phase. This can disrupt your opponent’s calculations and potentially lead to advantageous combat scenarios for you.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Iroas’s Blessing, you’re not directly discarding cards, but it’s worth noting that playing Aura cards often leaves you vulnerable to a two-for-one situation. If the enchanted creature is removed, you lose both the creature and the Aura, effectively setting you back multiple cards in the process.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment calls for both red and white mana, demanding a commitment to these colors in your deck. It’s not just the type of mana but the quantity that can be tricky. If your mana base is shaky, casting Iroas’s Blessing on curve could be a challenge.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Four mana is a significant investment, especially in formats where tempo is key. Players might find other cards at this cost that have an immediate impact on the board state or offer more versatile answers to threats.


Reasons to Include Iroas’s Blessing in Your Collection

Versatility: Iroas’s Blessing is a flexible choice for a variety of Red or Boros decks, providing both creature enhancement and removal in one package. It can turn any creature into a significant threat while dealing with an opposing creature upon its entry to the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Given that it augments a creature’s power and grants it menace, this enchantment synergizes well with strategies that aim to quickly overwhelm opponents with difficult-to-block creatures. Its ability to remove blockers or key creatures upon casting also allows for potential game-swinging combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that values tempo and board presence, Iroas’s Blessing can be a critical addition. It fits well in aggressive decks that look to maintain pressure and remove blockers or utility creatures that stand in their way.


How to beat

Iroas’s Blessing is an intriguing card that can turn the tide of battle in Magic: The Gathering. This enchantment not only pumps up one of your creatures with a power boost but also allows you to remove an opponent’s creature upon its entrance to the battlefield. Despite its clear advantages in combat, countering this card is not without its strategies.

Efficient removal spells are key against creatures enhanced with Iroas’s Blessing. Instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can disrupt this strategy before major damage is dealt. When facing enchantments, don’t neglect enchantment removal such as Disenchant or Naturalize which can also effectively dismantle this tactic. Managing your resources and knowing when to play your removal spells can turn this Blessing into a curse for the opposing player. Keep an eye on board state and be ready to act when Iroas’s Blessing is cast. By maintaining control and strategically timing your responses, this card can be kept in check.

Overall, while Iroas’s Blessing may initially seem daunting, being prepared with proper removal spells and tactical foresight can assure its impact is minimal. Playing smart and keeping removal at the ready ensures that you stay one step ahead in the game.


Cards like Iroas's Blessing

Iroas’s Blessing is an intriguing enchantment aura from the world of Magic: The Gathering that brings more than just a buff to the battlefield. It’s part of a group of cards that provide both an immediate impact on the board and a persistent effect. When looking for comparisons, Ghitu Firebreathing immediately springs to mind. Although it offers a flexible power boost with its firebreathing ability, it lacks the direct damage that is central to Iroas’s Blessing’s appeal.

Examining another relative, Madcap Skills, reveals a card that also offers a significant power increase and makes the enchanted creature harder to block. However, it carries no ability to deal damage upon entry, differing it from Iroas’s Blessing’s strategy of removing obstacles and pressing for damage. Then there’s Hammerhand, which shares the concept of granting haste and making a creature tougher to block, but still, it falls short of offering the removal element that makes Iroas’s Blessing stand out in certain decks.

In weighing the options, Iroas’s Blessing confidently holds its ground among enchantment spells that turn creatures into formidable threats, with the added advantage of swinging the board in your favor through its unique enter-the-battlefield effect.

Ghitu Firebreathing - MTG Card versions
Madcap Skills - MTG Card versions
Hammerhand - MTG Card versions
Ghitu Firebreathing - Time Spiral (TSP)
Madcap Skills - Gatecrash (GTC)
Hammerhand - Magic 2015 (M15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Iroas's Blessing MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Iroas's Blessing and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Iroas's Blessing has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 If the creature Iroas’s Blessing would enchant is an illegal target by the time the Aura spell resolves, the entire spell doesn’t resolve. It won’t enter the battlefield, so its ability won’t trigger.

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