Pointed Discussion

too expensive

only for the regular cost... the flashback cost makes this card very good.

I would use this in Hellbent, discard it for a cost on something else then play it and discard whatever else I'm holding to take out some main blockers.

For the flashback cost, do I have to discard X cards twice for the two X's in the mana cost?

the X in the flashback cost refers to the ability which says deal X damage. So you wold deal damage equal to the number of discarded cards

If you discard 5 cards, you can do 5 damage divided how ever you choose.

This + Anthem of Rakdos

It could combo with Ad Nauseam in a dedicated deck.

Hellbent

would this work with madness?

Seem to be great with a hand of 7 cards... so the sacrifice of Magus of the Jar can be a good way to conflagrate an enemy with the remaining card in your hand at end of turn...

@lyle685: Hell yea!

discard number of cards = to half of 2X, or, X.

I play this with X= 2. I pay 4 colorless mana (X times 2) and a red mana.

It deals 2 damage and kills two of your 1/1 insect tokens.

Then I play for it's flashback cost next turn, and pay two red mana and discard 2 cards (X times 1)
to deal 2 more damage and kill two more of your insect tokens.

If had Magnifying Glass, a Mythic Rare legendary artifact for which doubles the amount of damage dealt to Insect creatures, I would be hitting each insect for 2 damage, but still only killing four because it only doubles the damage, not the number of targets.

I haven't done the math, but this could conceivably be a better card than Fireball. Guaranteed better card than Fireball if you play to exploit madness synergies.

Further, I made everything about Magnifiying Glass up. That was all b.s. I am a liar. There is no such card.

this is the key card in ad nausem decks that draw their entire library and don't lose due to Angel's Grace or Phyrexian Unlife.

Each Time Spiral card was an homage to at least one previously printed card.

This card is referencing Fireball and Firestorm.

4/5

This card was designed for very specific decks. Clearly Madness and Hellbent benefit from the flashback cost but where I think it really shines is in UR - Niv-Mizzet EDH. It's my lightning bolt but much more flexible and reusable.

Also to clarify one more time... the XXR cost means that if you put 6R into this casting from hand you get 3dmg to divide as you choose between any number of targets. That means 3dmg to one target or 1 dmg to each of 3 targets.

But the flashback is where this baby really shines. It reads RR, discard X cards: Deal X damage divided as you choose.

Generally I'll pitch this into my graveyard early game (or just ping some hapless Birds of Paradise or some such) and then later use it to finish off my opponent or kill something dangerous. Generally, by this point in the game I have 10 - 40 cards in my hand.

Holy crap I want this in Burning Vengeance!

Converts cards into fuel.

How many? All of them.

Use it when someone's hit you with Forced Fruition for maximum retribution.

Okay its normal casting cost is the worst in history of magic.

3 mana for a scorching spear.
5 mana for a forked bolt.
7 mana for a flames of the firebrand.

One of the worst cards in history.

Now its flashback cost, can pitch your hand and deal some damage for only , makes it interesting.

@ Missile_Penguin
This card has nothing to do with Fireball. It's a gimped Meteor Shower with flashback.