Or rather: T1: Forest, Lotus Petal, Llanowar Elves T2: Forest, Channel, pay 19 life, crack the Petal, Banefire with X=20. Good game.
Plus, the new art is amazing! Rebecca Guay just can't disappoint.
Randomluck
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(10 votes)
love the art. That is all.
Callipsa
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(12 votes)
Going First: Opening Hand: Black Lotus, Mountain, Channel, Blaze + 3 more random cards. 1) Drop Mountain 2) Drop Lotus 3) Crack Lotus for 3 Green Mana 4) Tap Mountain 5) Pray they have no force of will 6) Cast Channel, channel 19 health to 1 mana. 1 Green, 19 colorless and 1 red mana floating 7) Cast Blaze for 20 damage 8) Turn on, (nearly) unstoppable autowin
Turn 1: Put 1 Mountain; Tap Mountain (Total Mana on Pool 1R); Put Black Lotus; sacrifice Black Lotus: Add 3G to mana pool (Total Mana 1R, 3G); Use 2G to play Channel (Total 1R, 1G); Use 19 Life Points to add 19G to mana pool (1R, 20G); Use 1R to play Fireball and 20G to cause 20 Damage to the opponent; Hope he doesn't use Force of Will; Win on the first turn.
EnV
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(5 votes)
The Banefire combo will only work assuming your opponent does not a have a Lightning Bolt or Shock.
Selez
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
Heh heh. Turn two Eldrazi FTW
ScissorsLizard
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(5 votes)
Beautiful art; It could be a Chimney Imp and I'd give it a 5/5. Good work, Rebecca Guay.
Bozo_x
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
after eldrazi comes out this card is so banned in edh. turn 2 channel gets there. XD
of cource, any annihilator dude would pretty much secure your victory, but this is a guarantee, for 5 cards (3 of which have plenty of viable subtites).
At any rate, it's a whole lot better than mana souceses+banefire combo.
Use Kaervek's Torch as a cheaper alternative to Banefire, since it can't be Force of Willed so early in the game either. However, most players will frown upon any turn 1 kill combos, so don't be surprised if that turn 1 kill is the last turn you get to play that day.
Jin15
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Possibly one of the most awesome cards ever designed. The only way it could be better was if it was red instead of green!
high_tide_niv
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
anyone ever play channel stream of life mirror universe with sorrow's path back when life wasnt decided until everything resolved
I have actually had legitimate subconsious dreeams about channeling a fireball for 20 points of damage, its my ambitions as a future magic player.
TheSuperbloop
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Um, what? Seriously? Who green-lighted this at uncommon?!
achilleselbow
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
While everyone knows Force of Will can disrupt these turn 1 kills, few people realize that the otherwise medicore Scars of the Veteran is one of the only cards that can do the same.
i remember the tinder wall + channel + fireball when there was still type 1....
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
If you're using mox's, I'd say Lotus, Ruby, Emerald, Play a Plains
Lotus for 3 green 2 Green on channel 1 green, 1 white, 13 life on Dawnglow infusion (7 life remaining means they can't double bolt you) --the above gains you a net 13 life spend 26 life on banefire
Eternal_Blue
★☆☆☆☆ (1.1/5.0)(7 votes)
why would i ever wanna pay life just to get colorless mana? no wonder they stopped printing this card.
Overly complicated 1st turn win: 1.) Swamp, tap for 2.) Black Lotus, crack for 3.) Dark Ritual for 4.) Initiates of the Ebon Hand for 5.) Channel 19 Life for , pump through Initiates for total of 21 x 6.) Drain Life for , pump 19 x plus last through initates = 20 x 7.) Drain 20 life, Opponent = dead, You = 21 life
dragonking987
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
the first turn win combos with this seem a lot easyer to pull of then the first turn win combos with Yawgmoth's Will
Angry_Puppy
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(22 votes)
if your first turn win involves a black lotus, don't even bother posting it.
scumbling1
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(12 votes)
"Since when does green pay life?"
Channel was first printed in Alpha, alongside Fastbond. It seems the original designers thought that exchanging life for access to mana was something that green should be able to do. Obviously, paying life has become black's sort of thing, but it hasn't always remained exclusive to that color.
fanofmagic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Doc_han, nice combo, but if someone would cancelexsanguinate you'd feel pretty screwed... ;)
PhyrexianFryCook
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Every time I read this cards name I immediately tag "Fireball" onto the end.
JFM2796
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm glad they realized it would be broken at but putting it at makes it perfectly balanced. (Sarcasm)
Today I learned that this card used to be banned (not restricted, banned) in Type 1. The more you know. It and Mind Twist were unbanned (i.e. restricted) at the same time, in October 2000. I guess this implies they were used together?
Alsebra
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
The way I see this (and Fastbond) is that you temporarily strengthen your tie to the land, but the added drain of pulling the mana from it is a little too powerful for your frame.
WarioMan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why does this site say it's legal in EDH and the WotC site says it's banned?
jam_marie
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Updated oracle text makes this way better than the printed version I have, which seems to say it's a one-shot effect rather than something you can do until EOT.
A) awesome art B) Totally broken. Magic is like the Imperium from Warhammer 40k: "Life is the cheapest commodity"
GrimjawxRULES
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is so pretty in its physical form. The art is amazing and the foiling really enhance the colors and make them come alive. Wasn't much of a Rebecca Guay fan before, but this art is definitely some of the best I've seen on a Magic card.
Comments (54)
T1: Forest, Lotus Petal, Llanowar Elves
T2: Forest, Channel, pay 19 life, crack the Petal, Banefire with X=20. Good game.
Plus, the new art is amazing! Rebecca Guay just can't disappoint.
Opening Hand: Black Lotus, Mountain, Channel, Blaze + 3 more random cards.
1) Drop Mountain
2) Drop Lotus
3) Crack Lotus for 3 Green Mana
4) Tap Mountain
5) Pray they have no force of will
6) Cast Channel, channel 19 health to 1 mana. 1 Green, 19 colorless and 1 red mana floating
7) Cast Blaze for 20 damage
8) Turn on, (nearly) unstoppable autowin
Turn 1:
Put 1 Mountain;
Tap Mountain (Total Mana on Pool 1R);
Put Black Lotus;
sacrifice Black Lotus: Add 3G to mana pool (Total Mana 1R, 3G);
Use 2G to play Channel (Total 1R, 1G);
Use 19 Life Points to add 19G to mana pool (1R, 20G);
Use 1R to play Fireball and 20G to cause 20 Damage to the opponent;
Hope he doesn't use Force of Will;
Win on the first turn.
of cource, any annihilator dude would pretty much secure your victory, but this is a guarantee, for 5 cards (3 of which have plenty of viable subtites).
At any rate, it's a whole lot better than mana souceses+banefire combo.
Playing against this card, use Simian Spirit Guide + Lightning Bolt as soon as they hit 3 life.
go ahead, play something, i dare you. :)
Lotus for 3 green
2 Green on channel
1 green, 1 white, 13 life on Dawnglow infusion (7 life remaining means they can't double bolt you)
--the above gains you a net 13 life
spend 26 life on banefire
1.) Swamp, tap for
2.) Black Lotus, crack for
3.) Dark Ritual for
4.) Initiates of the Ebon Hand for
5.) Channel 19 Life for
6.) Drain Life for
7.) Drain 20 life, Opponent = dead, You = 21 life
Channel was first printed in Alpha, alongside Fastbond. It seems the original designers thought that exchanging life for access to mana was something that green should be able to do. Obviously, paying life has become black's sort of thing, but it hasn't always remained exclusive to that color.
Turn 1: Forest, Helix Pinnacle
Turn 2: Forest, Channel, Mycosynth Lattice, Dawnglow Infusionx4.
Dawnglow will basically double your life each use. 13x2x2x2x2= around 200. Enjoy double charging your Helix Pinnacle.
Technically turn 3 'cause Helix activates during your upkeep, but still. With an excess of 100 life or so, it's a pretty fun and green way to win.
Can be accelerated by Elvish Spirit Guide, but I figured that'd be a given.
Player 2: ...Gut Shot to your face; I win?
BECAUSE YOU CAN.
B) Totally broken. Magic is like the Imperium from Warhammer 40k: "Life is the cheapest commodity"
I can't imagine why this ever caused a problem...