I hate this 'yu gi oh' like mechanics. If you have a common, then there is an uncommon that is strictly better, if it's an uncommon then there's a rare that's strictly better.
That's more of because Banefire is newer, as a card game progresses as far as mage, it's a sure thing that cards will become out-dated. Oh and look at Demonfire
Gaussgoat
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Good, solid, straight burn spell. Yeah, there are other cards that are similar, but any red player is never going to feel bad about pulling this guy out mid-game.
I love this card! It's great for getting rid of annoying creatures, or otherwise you can keep it till you've saved up a ton of mana (with Lotus Blossom or Mercadian Bazaar or something simular) and burn your opponent into losersville.
You people miss the point of newbie cards like this. This card is has awesome art and is very elegant. I love it! I sometimes take these out, dust them off, and throw them in an oldschool burn deck with Lava Axe! Ahh so much fun.
Kindulas
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is just fine exept there are 5 cards strictly better...
PhyrexianFryCook
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Turns mana into pain as simply and elegantly as possible.
RowanKeltizar
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I like it! In EDH when you can only have one of anything, the more X burn the better. I have all of the X burn cards in my deck including this one.
badmofo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this is just about the dumbest flavor text...
Gabriel422
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Blaze is the better-designed card by far while Fireball has the better name, again by far. I can almost taste Wizards' regret.
Edit: Reprint with "X+1 damage" please. I think it will be balanced today.
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Gaussgoat: Actually, a red player would feel bad on drawing this, because it'd be a reminder of how stupidly they constructed their deck.
It's not even a matter of rarity. Disintegrate and Fireball are both common or uncommon, depending on the set. Kaervek's Torch was a common. Lava Burst, uncommon. Even if you don't have any rares at all, 16 cards strictly better than this is enough for any deck.
omni8000
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ dberry: when i want to use old school pumpable burn cards I use older and better ones, you know like fireball and disintegrate
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The baseline of X Burn.
Doesn't mean it's good, it means it's the baseline, which is fine. It's like Grizzly Bears: Sure, it's not a great card, especially not nowadays, but without it, so many things could not be.
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Functional reprint
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
The "stronger" bonfire of the damned. Verse my creatureless deck, its a situational blaze. And it still wrecks face.
BlaiseCarlisle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Heh, it's nice to see they even have a card named after me ( www.blazemagic.com.au :)
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There are like five or six cards strictly better than this. Cards better than this existed for years before it was created, and they continued to print cards strictly better than this immediately after it, too. Why did they make this card? It's boring and pointlessly weak.
0.5/5 for being a card that should never have existed.
graey24601
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I could be mistaken but I think this came out in Portal, which had sort of simplified or dumbed down mechanics and cards. Hence the simplified nature of it which results in a weaker version of classic red burn. Long ago it would've been welcomed in burn decks simply for 4 more draws with X in them but it came to the game too late, offering too little.
ale86
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The card that should have never been...
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I know it would be a very significant jump in Power Creep, but I think the world is ready to see this exact card at Instant Speed. As in, same exact mana cost. I think we've just about used up the Interesting Design space of the old power level.
oh. there's ALWAYS --infinite-- Design Space at every power level. I emphasize INTERESTING though. We've seen enough of what creatures should be dying to Blaze and Fireball. I want to see what creatures evolve to in response to Fire Fastball. :)
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Someone out there, somewhere... has blazed for 420 damage.
Comments (24)
Banefire
3.5/5
Edit: Reprint with "X+1 damage" please. I think it will be balanced today.
It's not even a matter of rarity. Disintegrate and Fireball are both common or uncommon, depending on the set. Kaervek's Torch was a common. Lava Burst, uncommon. Even if you don't have any rares at all, 16 cards strictly better than this is enough for any deck.
Doesn't mean it's good, it means it's the baseline, which is fine. It's like Grizzly Bears: Sure, it's not a great card, especially not nowadays, but without it, so many things could not be.
0.5/5 for being a card that should never have existed.
oh. there's ALWAYS --infinite-- Design Space at every power level. I emphasize INTERESTING though. We've seen enough of what creatures should be dying to Blaze and Fireball. I want to see what creatures evolve to in response to Fire Fastball. :)