Flowstone Embrace MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2007-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Future Sight
Set code	FUT
Number	113
Frame	future
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Vance Kovacs

Key Takeaways

Flowstone Embrace enhances gameplay with dynamic power adjustment, giving players strategic combat control.
While offering instant speed playability, the discard requirement for activation may deter some strategists.
Despite mana cost concerns, its inclusion can be justified for decks that manipulate creature size.

Text of card

Enchant creature : Enchanted creature gets +2/-2 until end of turn.

"The seventh symbol, the Mark of Stone, stores the power of ancient Rath." —*Tome of Elemental Mastery*

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flowstone Embrace offers dynamic interactions on the battlefield, potentially turning each creature you control into a threat that must be dealt with. By attaching it to different creatures throughout the course of the game, you can maintain card advantage by effectively utilizing a single card for multiple, flexible purposes.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, Flowstone Embrace can accelerate your game plan by removing smaller threats your opponent controls. This allows you to clear the way for your more vital creatures to attack and can change the pace of the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: The ability of Flowstone Embrace to pump or shrink creatures at instant speed gives you significant leverage during combat. It can be used to surprise an opponent during their turn, either by boosting your creature’s power to take down an attacker or by reducing an enemy creature’s power to mitigate incoming damage while preserving your life total.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Flowstone Embrace necessitates discarding a card when you want to activate its ability. For players who rely on maintaining card advantage, this requirement can be a considerable drawback, as it may deplete their hand and options.

Specific Mana Cost: Flowstone Embrace’s mana cost includes both generic and red mana, making it less versatile than colorless or hybrid mana cost cards. This restricts its integration into multi-color decks, where the consistency of red mana may not always be guaranteed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The activation cost of Flowstone Embrace is relatively high when compared to other enchant creature cards or spells that enhance creatures’ power. Players might be inclined to choose alternatives that provide a more cost-effective solution for creature control or combat tricks.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Flowstone Embrace is a flexible addition to decks that focus on creature control or require enchantments that can be cycled or moved around to different targets. Its ability to add or subtract power makes it useful in a variety of game scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies that benefit from tapping or untapping creatures, and it can potentiate damage-dealing effects or those that trigger upon a creature becoming larger or smaller.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where creature size manipulation is pivotal, Flowstone Embrace becomes a tool for creating advantageous trades on the battlefield, or even for pulling off unexpected wins by tweaking combat math in your favor.

How to beat

Understanding your opponents’ strategies is crucial in MTG, and knowing how to counteract cards like Flowstone Embrace is part of that. This particular Aura card gives its wielder the ability to increase a creature’s power at the cost of its toughness, potentially turning any creature into a significant threat. To effectively neutralize the advantage it provides, removal spells are the most straightforward method. Your deck can employ instant-speed removal such as Naturalize or Disenchant to destroy Flowstone Embrace directly, thus saving your creatures from an untimely demise.

Alternatively, countering it before it hits the battlefield is another efficient approach. Cards like Negate or Counterspell can interrupt your opponent’s plans while conserving the balance on the board. If Flowstone Embrace has already settled on a creature, using a bounce spell like Unsummon can return the affected creature to its owner’s hand, simultaneously removing the Aura. Always keep an eye on your mana reserves and try to anticipate when your opponent might attempt to leverage Flowstone Embrace so you can respond appropriately and retain control of the game flow.

In essence, the key to overcoming Flowstone Embrace lies in a proper assessment of the situation, smart timing, and having the right countermeasures in your deck to deal with such threats.

Cards like Flowstone Embrace

Flowstone Embrace tiptoes into MTG as a curious piece of the Flowstone saga depicting the volatile magic of Rath. It echoes in function to the likes of Uncontrollable Anger or Madcap Skills, both bestowing creatures with augmented strength. Yet, Flowstone Embrace holds a unique stance with its ability to alter creature power repeatedly, thanks to its activation cost rather than a static buff.

Comparable enchantments such as Dragon Mantle also offer the flexibility of buffing a creature multiple times; however, it veers towards red mana synergies, coupling with a one-time card draw. The recurring power adjustment provided by Flowstone Embrace is rare and can be pivotal in combat calculations, something Dragon Mantle doesn’t directly influence. Furthermore, we find other relations in Ongoing Investigation, which, although not adjusting power or toughness, incentivizes combat with the draw mechanic attached to the investigation process.

Assessing the landscape of creature enhancement in MTG, Flowstone Embrace securely carves its niche. While other enchantments might offer more power, card draw, or alternative effects, the flexibility in power adjustment at will makes it a tactical option for players looking to exploit combat phases to their advantage.

Uncontrollable Anger - MTG Card versions

Ongoing Investigation - MTG Card versions

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

Emblem of the Warmind - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Flowstone Embrace has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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