First turn Pokemon Trainer -> Charizard is comparable to first turn Lotus, Ornithopter, Tinker. In both cases, your opponent wets his pants, though in the first case, it's because he's still in diapers.
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Meh. Charizard took lots of energy cards to attack and resulted in insane card disadvantage.
strictly better than blue elemental blast (i'm not kidding. there's a difference. check 'em)
Pontiac
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The ultimate red hate for 1 mana card.
Maraxas-of-Keld
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Electabuzz was always the best Pokemon card.
Well, besides Professor Oak and Bill :3
krauser-gogetthegirl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Idk. Chansey was really good. i never lost when that overweight wanna-be pokecenter nurse hit the table.
Sleazebag
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
@greg2367 Oracle wording of Hydroblast has it set to common, while Blue Elemental Blast is uncommon. Hydroblast is legal in pauper and thus strictly better.
Amirite?
occamsrazorwit
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Sleazebag:
I think Greg is referring to the fact that Blue Elemental Blast can only target blue cards while this card can target any card and fizzle. Both have the same functionality, but Hydroblast can be wasted on purpose. Might help stave off spells that deal damage based on the number of cards in your hand, pump Tarmogoyf, enable Threshold or Hellbent, etc though if you're running blue in those type of decks, you're doing it wrong.
Technically this is very slightly strictly better. This can target any permanent, it only destroys them if they are red. Thus, it is legal to target creatures like Phantasmal Dragon. An extremely specific distinction, to be sure, but it's a difference.
This is actually better than the BEB, in a very tangible way- with this, you can target a Kozilek, then change the color word with Glamerdye to have him blow up. Since he's not already red, you can't even target him with Blue Elemental Blast to begin with.
Jannissary
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Destroying Red permanents seems so un-blue these days, but back then, the whole "colors hate each other thing" was STRONG. You could hose entire colors with a single card from your deck. Like this one.
Tamerlein
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Man, Wizards sure doesn't pull any punches with their hate cards.
5/5
MacBizzle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I feel like nobody really reads the comprehensive rules. We need more Melvins.
This *is* strictly better than Blue Elemental Blast because the color is not a targeting restriction. However, you cannot Glammerdye this after it targets a Kozilek because "colorless" is neither a color nor a color word. You want to target Kozilek? Change *his* color.
As far as this card, it's pretty great. It hoses red as sideboard fodder and if you build a color change deck, it is a solid piece of maindeck removal for a single drop of water. And yeah, illusions.
Red gets a point for utility, a point for a counter (or bounce), a point for color specific enchantment destruction and a point for color specific creature destruction (make it half a point since red can burn anyways). Blue gets a point for color specific artifact destruction, a point for color specific enchantment destruction, a point for color specific creature destruction, a point for color specific land destruction (Chaoslace or any of the reusable cards that come to the same effect) and a point for being the color-change color. Because of that last one, Blue can maindeck these without fear. Red was given an "I HATE BLUE" Counterspell + Demystify and Blue still came out ahead.
Comments (18)
(i'm not kidding. there's a difference. check 'em)
Well, besides Professor Oak and Bill :3
Oracle wording of Hydroblast has it set to common, while Blue Elemental Blast is uncommon.
Hydroblast is legal in pauper and thus strictly better.
Amirite?
I think Greg is referring to the fact that Blue Elemental Blast can only target blue cards while this card can target any card and fizzle. Both have the same functionality, but Hydroblast can be wasted on purpose. Might help stave off spells that deal damage based on the number of cards in your hand, pump Tarmogoyf, enable Threshold or Hellbent, etc though if you're running blue in those type of decks, you're doing it wrong.
This can target any permanent, it only destroys them if they are red.
Thus, it is legal to target creatures like Phantasmal Dragon.
An extremely specific distinction, to be sure, but it's a difference.
5/5
This *is* strictly better than Blue Elemental Blast because the color is not a targeting restriction. However, you cannot Glammerdye this after it targets a Kozilek because "colorless" is neither a color nor a color word. You want to target Kozilek? Change *his* color.
As far as this card, it's pretty great. It hoses red as sideboard fodder and if you build a color change deck, it is a solid piece of maindeck removal for a single drop of water. And yeah, illusions.
Comparing the Red and Blue variants of this:
Blue Elemental Blast
Flash Flood
Hydroblast
Vs.
Red Elemental Blast
Active Volcano
Pyroblast
Red gets a point for utility, a point for a counter (or bounce), a point for color specific enchantment destruction and a point for color specific creature destruction (make it half a point since red can burn anyways). Blue gets a point for color specific artifact destruction, a point for color specific enchantment destruction, a point for color specific creature destruction, a point for color specific land destruction (Chaoslace or any of the reusable cards that come to the same effect) and a point for being the color-change color. Because of that last one, Blue can maindeck these without fear. Red was given an "I HATE BLUE" Counterspell + Demystify and Blue still came out ahead.