Ha, this card wishes it was shard phoenix. Still good though.. really good.
God_of_Destruction
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(5 votes)
Great artwork, Raymond Swanland is really one of the best MTG artwork creators...and its ability is really a phoenix...
Orim-s_Thunder
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I opened this at the M10 Prerelease. It was pretty nice blowing up the board every other turn or so.
Genetic9
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This in combination with Safe Pasage could bring the hurt over and over...
Grimn777
★☆☆☆☆ (1.9/5.0)(4 votes)
don't quite get how this is so solid. 3/3 flier for 5, double red, that's not great, but decent. If you are using it to wipe their board, you need a kill mechanic... which is card disadvantage to you. If you have a nice board position and this gets a doom blade, you just negatively affected your strategy. I guess if it is used as the lowest drop permanent creature (not hellspark or ball lightning) in a mono red burn deck, any removal that comes its way hurts the enemy. However, path to exile, pacifism, plenty of other removal destroys this too easily for it to be effective. Sideboard material for mono red.
ong312
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I very much enjoy Magma Phoenix in conjunction with cards like Caldera Hellion. You can devour it and effectively do an Inferno for five mana. Beyond that, it's recurring so it can be pitched to Chandra Ablaze... another plus for it. Also, unlike Shard Phoenix, you can leave your mana open and recur at the end of your opponent's turn. This helps the counter-burn player immensely.
The honest downside, is that you can't kill the creature on command in most instances.
It's existence is still a problem that must be dealt with by your opponent. How do you block it consistently, but not kill it? They have to answer that, not you...
As for Pacifism, it's not used by tournament players and Path is indeed an issue. Try to force those out early, before you play you phoenix, or if you are playing counter-burn you have to watch for it.
darkfury
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you compare the artwork of Magma Phoenix to the Obsidian Fireheart, they seem to actually be fighting, or like the fireheart is spwaning the pheonix
Quazirockstar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I play a heavy burn deck and this guy is great. I put two in there and nothing better than blocking a Baneslayer with it and then hitting that angel with a Magma Spray to remove it from the game.
Also I really like him again weenie decks because if you start to get overrun then just bolt your own phoenix for a board clearer and if the occassion calls for it drop a Fallout too just to take everything out.
Another fun one that takes out alot of creatures is to sac a "Quest for Pure Flame" and kill the phoenix for a 6 damage wave. Yes it does 6 damage to you but if the deck is burn the only life you care about is the last one.
klauth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't get why people don't think this is a great card. I mean seriously, since obviously you're gonna run this in a deck with red (most of the time) you're gonna have to have a Lightning Bolt handy, and this thing transforms that Lightning Bolt into a board clearer (it isn't a waste since Magma Phoenix would deal damage to the other player too). You can use it to keep attacking and Lightning Bolt it (plus Volcanic Fallout if necessary) once your enemy's creatures get out of hand.
RyanLacoste
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like it... honestly i'd love to throw some haste onto it, though I don't run that many burst of speeds, but now that I think of it I should... anywhom, it's good, not because it acts as a conducter rod for your lightning bolts, but because they can choose to either keep taking direct 3 from its flying or delay it another two turns(you have to get it back from the graveyard, then wait a turn to cast it, then wait another before you can swing with it.... once again the burst of speeds come to mind..) by killing it and potentially wiping their own board. it honestly depends on what the opponent is running, but still. in a mono-red burn deck, the dmg to you isn't too much of a sweat considering you had BETTER have other ways to deal dmg straight to them.
Donovann
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Seems like the perfect answer to Anowan, the Ruin-Sage
SleetFox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is such a cool card. Unfortunately it's a bit costly. I just love how it can be a repeatable mini-Inferno.
Arsonist343
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card equipped with basilisk collar is ownage when it's killed . . .
2blu4u
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In combination with Basilisk Collar this is indeed major ownage: In a 6-player multiplayer game I gained 38 life with an equipped phoenix and a Lightning Bolt in a single turn.
In combination with a Caldera Hellion you can deal 6, 9, 12 etc damage to all creatures (and all players!) in one turn, depending on how many Magma Phoenixes you have on the battlefield.
And that it has an unending unearth ability is just gravy.
However, for creatures you can likely do even more just playing Chain Reaction.
RowanKeltizar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ditto on the Basilisk Collar combo. It equals crazy lifegain and cancels the damage done to you. However it also instantly kills whatever creatures you have out too.
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Shard Phoenix could be sacrificed at will, this one cannot. However, Magma does more damage and to all creatures, not just land ones. It's also a bigger flyer and could be recurred at the end of opponent's turn. Personally, I think this Phoenix is better for Counter-Phoenix variants.
I have the perfect killing mechanic that forgoes all card advantage: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle! Also, Fling. Also, Destructive Force (for the win). I've even resorted to killing my own phoenix with Searing Blazes to save it from a Celestial Purge. It was worth it, as I had an untapped Cunning Sparkmage, and a Rockslide Elemental that had a counter on it. All in all, the phoenix and the sparkmage bit the dust but I ended up with 4/4 first striker when the dust cleared. Oh, and the other guy's CP fizzled :)
Aun
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Okay, thats it, I´ll make a Vengevine-Bloodghast-Phoenix Deck, just for the flavour.
Qoid
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
My favorite phoenix, Raymond Swanland needs to illustrate some lands!
Paladin85
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing art on a good card. I can only foresee this can backfire if you are on 3 life and the opponent uses a Doom Blade or something else on it to bring your 3 life total to 0
Anathame
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not bad, but retards are too busy slurping pole to realize why this card is above average.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Its good to note that this can keep any titan besides inferno titan or frost titan at bay. And it also is a near perfect counter to Grave Titan.
Comments (24)
The honest downside, is that you can't kill the creature on command in most instances.
It's existence is still a problem that must be dealt with by your opponent. How do you block it consistently, but not kill it? They have to answer that, not you...
As for Pacifism, it's not used by tournament players and Path is indeed an issue. Try to force those out early, before you play you phoenix, or if you are playing counter-burn you have to watch for it.
Also I really like him again weenie decks because if you start to get overrun then just bolt your own phoenix for a board clearer and if the occassion calls for it drop a Fallout too just to take everything out.
Another fun one that takes out alot of creatures is to sac a "Quest for Pure Flame" and kill the phoenix for a 6 damage wave. Yes it does 6 damage to you but if the deck is burn the only life you care about is the last one.
In combination with a Caldera Hellion you can deal 6, 9, 12 etc damage to all creatures (and all players!) in one turn, depending on how many Magma Phoenixes you have on the battlefield.
And that it has an unending unearth ability is just gravy.
However, for creatures you can likely do even more just playing Chain Reaction.
I have the perfect killing mechanic that forgoes all card advantage: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle! Also, Fling. Also, Destructive Force (for the win). I've even resorted to killing my own phoenix with Searing Blazes to save it from a Celestial Purge. It was worth it, as I had an untapped Cunning Sparkmage, and a Rockslide Elemental that had a counter on it. All in all, the phoenix and the sparkmage bit the dust but I ended up with 4/4 first striker when the dust cleared. Oh, and the other guy's CP fizzled :)