This is the coolest art for a dragon, not even close.
I like how flexable this card could be, but the fact is if you need a big creature you could probably find a better one in a color that you play.
Volcre
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(10 votes)
Something about this card is extremely lovable... coloured artifacts are the best...
PhyrexianFailure
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
use him in mono green with berserk. get him out turn 3 with acell, win next turn with some pump spells and life payment. or in mono red, turn 4 with Geosurge. add some Double Cleave for good fun.
Wow, this is quite a flavorful card. You could play it in a non red deck, but then it would be much harder to pump. It's cool that it's an artifact creature as well.
4.5/5
.Blaze.
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(7 votes)
4/4 Flyer for 4 in any color is just great. The fact that it's a badass dragon only makes it that much more epic.
brunsbr103
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Wow. I usually do not like how they do dragons in magic (for some reason) This is the first Dragon that I am actually excited about! Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the low mana cost:power ratio, but probably it's how it feels like he has firebreathing just to make him able to get you out of that one situation, not just because he is a dragon
guitargamer79
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(7 votes)
This card should have been Mythic. The fact that he is a colorless 4/4 flyer is bonkers, and then a firebreathing pump for just life?!?! You do realize, that in a mono red deck, if he survives you casting him, you can pretty much guarantee victory on the next turn with the pump and a burn spell in your hand. Heck, if you burned them before the cast, that's going to be game, 9 times out of 10. This guy is something to watch out for, he can clearly steal the game if you're opponent has less life than you when you cast him. A broken creature all the way around folks, don't say I didn't warn you!
Vividice
★☆☆☆☆ (1.4/5.0)(5 votes)
Normally every dragon has kickass Art but are unplayable. This one is barely playable but has ugly Art. The Art is on a level with Treasure Mage which is no flattery.
SeiberTross
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
White lifegain decks just got a win condition besides Felidar Sovereign.
Yes, i'll pay 34 life (minus whatever red mana I happen to have lying around) to give my general +17/+0 and kill you. Easily usurps, or at least duplicates, Dragon Tyrant's ability to finish.
MasterOfEtherium
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
phyrexian unlife in play and this unblocked is a win. RED ARTIFACT DRAGON So Awesome
@guitargamer79 This guy isn't colorless, he's red.
Besides I don't think this card is that great anyway. Two life for one damage? Maybe if you're in a pinch but that's still not great.
2/5
THalbrook
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
With a card like Galvanic Blast, especially in red, you should have more life than your opponent.
siregar
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Is this card considered red or colorless? Regardless I think it is underrated.
EvilCartographer
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(18 votes)
It's a robot dragon.
A robot....
...dragon.
There is nothing else about this card that matters.
If you want to get into particulars, though, it's a robot dragon that can be played in any deck. Not a great card, but good enough.
Kazabet
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
A 4/4 Flyer for 4 mana and 4 Life. Sounds like Necrogen Scudder's Older brother. With Firebreathing though :P
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Very Few dragon cards actually make me want them! Its always nice to pull a dragon out of a pack. And I have never been disappointed when I have. BUT This! I actually Want this one! Its so black in flavor, but so red in execution! <3
Wanderer25
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This won me three or four games at the prerelease today. In fact, it won me every game in which it stuck to the the board without getting Dispatched or Arrested. I found that I almost always payed life to cast it for 4 or 5, but I only rarely paid life to pump it. As an artifact, it was just too much of a liability with two or three instant speed removal cards available to every color. Paying 3 or 4 red mana to have an 8/5 or 9/5 flying attacker on turn 5 was often more than enough to tip the balance.
I love this guy, but I feel like I'm getting mixed messages about suicide strategies from this set. They print all these phyrexian mana cards, but at the same time they take one of the most iconic suicide black cards and turn its balancing drawback into a ridiculous advantage. I'm talking about Phyrexian Negator /Phyrexian Obliterator of course. I don't know, I just feel like suicide play is much more flavorful in black than in other colors. Whatever.
Again, I love dragons in general, and I love this card.
SoulShatterer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Easy, on turn 4, play him, cost yourself the 4 life. Attack the following turn, wait until the enemy has declared blockers. If they have not,proceed to pay ALL red four mana and pay 14 life to buff him up to a 15/15, or a 16/16 if you played an extra mana.
Since your running red, you should have burned an oppenent for at least 5 by turn 4.
tcollins
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
"oh, what's that you're at 13, and im' still at 20?" *swing* "Unblocked Moltensteel, you say? Pay 18 life... +9/+0..." ... Opponent: "In response, i'll cast Lightning bolt, targeting you." #@$%
Point is, yes his ability is very aggressive and yes, it will win games. Just make sure when you pay an obscene amount of life that it is the right decision.
Also, Fling for essentially 1 life per damage dealt.
blindthrall
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey MOE-How can you pay life when you don't have any?
I serious wish this artwork and this flavour text was on a better card. It's not bad or anything.... far from it. Just wish it was an Eldrazi-crushing God-dragon - is that too much to ask? lol
friendtoall17
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
DEFINITELY want a playset...now it looks like any color deck can run an old school Hatred-black-suicide deck. I'm curious to see the ruling as to its color based on how you cast it. In other words, if you cast it with 4 colorless mana and pay 4 life, does that make it just a colorless creature and not a red creature? Can it then be safe from pro red?
We shall see :)
Ninjazilla
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I, personaly, enjoy the art. Looks like a dragon straight from Hell. Also, the effect is incredible. 2 Dragonspeaker Shamans and 4 like for a 4/4 with flying and firebreathing? count me in
DacenOctavio
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I want to slip Basilisk Collar on it and ride it into the sunset paying life to gain life while I make them lose life.
Khultar
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
a red artifact?????????? my life is complete
goslowandecho
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
It reminds me of a Red Eyes Black Dragon from Yu-gi-oh...
Extremely aggressive though.
4.5/5
Zerof89
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Honestly, the main reason why I love this card is that you can as easily kill yourself as you would your opponent with the abillity to pay as many life as you want to buff him up. Unblocked, and if you don't pay any red mana, you can literally trade 2 of your life points for 1 of his... which is preety epic for a red deck. You can then just cast Lightning Bolt or whatever red spell that goes your way to finish the rest of his life points. Risk and recieve. That's the very essence of Red decks right?
On top of that, I can only imagine what sort of combination this life-shaving abillity can do in YOUR favour. Near-death experience, Death's Shadow, Repay in Kind and Soul Conduit... just to name a few. Anything is possible if you're a Red Dragon Robot.
It will count as red still. The mana you spend to play the card, or the lack thereof, doesn't change the cards color. The fact that red-colored mana is in the mana cost affect that. Or rather, it did, since ghostfire and other future sight goodies mana cost equaling color has gone faint. But regardless, the card would have to have reminder text printed on it to tell people it would be colorless. Else, situations would arise like you mentioned, and people would get irritated when their opponent tries to tell them their dragon isn't red when the border clearly says it is.
I liked this card from the moment I saw it. I'm glad to have the copies of it I do and will gladly use it over and over.
mikebeingmike
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
A 4/4 flying, firebreathing dragon for 4...amazing.. Also, you can double the effects of its firebreathing by paying life when you've run out of mana, for a final blow.
bioporn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
What makes this good is how flexible it is. It CAN be a suicidal alpha strike when you need it to be. Other times, it's "just" a 4/4 pumpable flier, but is a 4, 5, or 6 drop as your deck's curve requires.
Wizard-of-the-Toast
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I just got this in a booster and put it in my mono-White deck. Why? True Conviction; whatever life I pay for his firebreathing I get back, it's like an unending hatred but nastier. You can have less life than your opponent and still beat them in one attack e.g. you're on 10 life and they have 20, you spend 8 life and the dragon does 8 damage on it's first strike, you then spend another 8 and it does 12 on it's second strike for a total of 20 and putting you up to 14 life. I like White to have an evil streak.
GhazanKhan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is my first dragon in a long, long time, and it's a doozy. If you opponent doesn't deal with this thing immediately, it will make them pay in a big way. Definitely one of my favorite finishers.
DeathDark
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With any damage doubler, you get a pure 1-to-1 damage output for him.
Mirran_Savior
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Paying with life? No problem as long as you have a Rage Extractor!
DamyntheSilver
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Excellent idea for a lifegain deck. If you can get enough life, you can just pay the life cost into his firebreathing and slap a Loxodon Warhammer on him and you gain half of it back anyway. If you give it a Fireshrieker or have Boon Reflection in play, you get it all back.
Khavrion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Combine this with Private Sanctuary. Take no damage from its ability.
magic_mama
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
someone explain something to me...
im new to magic & my boyfriend played this card against me last night & i dont see how what he did with it is legit so enighten me please?
heres what he did.. where it has the phyrexia symbol to add +1/+0 until the end of turn, by paying one red mana or 2 life..
he tapped 4 mana and added +4/+0 to the creature...
can he do that? if so how?
he swears up and down its a legal move but i dont see how it is when theres but one phyrexia symbol
NeoKoda
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Magic_Mana, he can. You can activate an ACTIVATED ability as many times as you wish, unless the card EXPLICITLY states otherwise.
Kitty_the_Kat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Now that Jace is banned this guy has more room to shine. While I wouldn't run him in a non red deck, this guy can open up as a decent enough end game beater. He is still very vunerable to removal though, but most creatures are, whereas this guy has the opportunity to end games with his phyrexian mana firebreathing.
He reminds me of Psychatog at one more mana, at the cost of life.
4/5 for being a flawed beater
GengilOrbios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this won me some games at the prerelease. @magic_mama: he can pay Phyrexian Mana with red mana OR 2 life, capisce? and since tehre's no tap symbol he may activate the ability as many times as he wishes, until he's out of mana or not willing to pay life anymore.
can pull off a surprisingly regular turn 4 win with this beauty. Geosurge this into play turn 3 with an iron myr/pyretic ritual, pump to 10/4 turn 4, strobe it and swing for 20.
puresightmerrow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This think is impossibly strong in limited. Won me half my games while using a w/b deck with no mountains in it.
TherealphatMatt
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@Magic_mama: if those mana he tapped for were red, it was legal. You can activate Moltensteel Dragon's ability as many times per turn as you want. Of course, it only lasts until the end of the turn. He could've conceivably also tossed all his life into its ability to buff it, as well.
@Khavrion: You mean Personal Sanctuary? Steel Hellkite's ability is life payment, not damage.
The Phyrexian symbol appears six times on this card! By that logic, I suppose it and Norn's Annex are the two most Phyrexian cards -- and ironically, they're red and white, the two Mirran colors.
I'm currently trying to make a RW deck using this and fateful hour. Pump him lots, swing, then use something like Faith's Shield if they try to use removal or have any blockers. Could be nice.
By the way, @Khavrion, Personal Sanctuary doesn't work with this. First of all, the card prevents all damage to you on your turn. Paying life/losing life doesn't count as damage. However, even if it stated "During your turn, you can't lose life" your combo still wouldn't work as you would be unable to pay the life as a cost for anything, including phyrexian mana.
BorderlineStupi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can you use this card with platinum angel for an infinite combo of life paying to boost moltensteel dragons +1/+0 effect.
goropeza
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ Borderlinestupi
I like that idea, unfortunately the rules simply don't allow it. This http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/newphyrexia/mechanics covers the exact mechanic you described and rigged phyrexian mana so it cannot be abused in this way. I still run a rage extractor deck anyways and it's the funnest deck I currently use.
Superllama12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The great thing about this guy is that he can play aggro or control, depending on what you need. When you need to race, you can pay four life to get it out earlier. When you are on track for a stable board position, you can wait to play it. It can also be played in any color, giving even green access to a well-costed flyer.
Also, on paper, it looks totally badass
rollinsclone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This might be my favorite card. It's not the most powerful, but a 4/4 flying firebreather that can be dropped on turn 4 without ramp is game-changing.
Kos4evr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Easily one of the best illustrations for a dragon I have ever seen. Admittedly I would have liked a lil more power for the cost but to be fair a 4/4 dragon (potentially) on turn 4 is nothing to sneeze at especially in red. Also with the versatility to be able to play this as early as turn 4 (turn 3 in green) with mana of any color or colorless is an amazing value in itself. With as much potential as this has, I've always felt like I was missing out on the best way to get the most out of this.
Pentavite625
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Give it lifelink. You're welcome.
TheWrathofShane
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Lifebreathing!
RunedServitor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you have this guy and they have no Flying defence and you have 2x-(z+6) life where they have x life and you have z red mana free, the game is yours.
Drewskithelegend
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this guy. Absolutely crazy to drop on turn 4 for and 4 life, Gorgeous artwork too.
TheLastStormCrow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can't believe no one has made the "phirebreathing" pun yet
An amusing win condition for lifegain decks. Especially if you pick {W}/{R} for access to Searing Meditation and the like.
07mak
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I just like how you can throw it in any deck and can kill your opponent off with it by itself. Phyrexian Artifact Dragon. WotC, you did it perfectly.
Jormgund
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 2: Ruby Medallion
Turn 3: THIS!!!
Callahan09
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card makes me very happy in my Artifact Dragons deck. Hoarding Dragon helps find him. I get my 4/4 flyer with the added benefit that if my opponent kills him, I get an even better dragon in hand. I also run a Semblance Anvil in that deck and Moltensteel Dragon is a great card for lowering the cost of all my other cards in the deck (artifacts & creatures get the discount). Helps me power out a Mycosynth Lattice and Hellkite Tyrant much earlier. Nothing like swinging with the tyrant and stealing your opponent's entire board :)
TCGwizard1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
great card in my dragons deck so ick just too powerful with moon veil dragon and shivan dragon
Syrtees
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Put it in a white life gain deck......
gut.gemacht
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fun to give this guy infect. Short game
TheDoomknight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lets play Xenagos, God of Revels EDH. Turn 3-5 "I play Xenagos from the command zone." Turn 4-6: "I play Moltensteel Dragon, pay 32 life and hit you for 40. "Good game."
Pongdok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not a lot of the newer dragons are worth getting excited about. This is a massive exception. Well costed, and powerful, this little guy will end games. Being an artifact makes him a bit vulnerable to additional removal options, but you should usually get a decent window of opportunity to bash someone a few times before he goes down. With phyrexian firebreathing, that might be all you need. I would like to see a cycle of coloured artifact dragons at some point. This is the only consistently useful artifact dragon so far. The others are wildly overcosted and/or pitifully weak. The vulnerability to artifact removal goes a long way to balance the colourless cost. Don't overdo the artifact tax for big creatures. Sublime art. 5/5
Comments (76)
I like how flexable this card could be, but the fact is if you need a big creature you could probably find a better one in a color that you play.
Wow, this is quite a flavorful card. You could play it in a non red deck, but then it would be much harder to pump.
It's cool that it's an artifact creature as well.
4.5/5
This is the first Dragon that I am actually excited about! Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the low mana cost:power ratio, but probably it's how it feels like he has firebreathing just to make him able to get you out of that one situation, not just because he is a dragon
This one is barely playable but has ugly Art. The Art is on a level with Treasure Mage which is no flattery.
Yes, i'll pay 34 life (minus whatever red mana I happen to have lying around) to give my general +17/+0 and kill you.
Easily usurps, or at least duplicates, Dragon Tyrant's ability to finish.
This guy isn't colorless, he's red.
Besides I don't think this card is that great anyway. Two life for one damage? Maybe if you're in a pinch but that's still not great.
2/5
A robot....
...dragon.
There is nothing else about this card that matters.
If you want to get into particulars, though, it's a robot dragon that can be played in any deck. Not a great card, but good enough.
I love this guy, but I feel like I'm getting mixed messages about suicide strategies from this set. They print all these phyrexian mana cards, but at the same time they take one of the most iconic suicide black cards and turn its balancing drawback into a ridiculous advantage. I'm talking about Phyrexian Negator /Phyrexian Obliterator of course. I don't know, I just feel like suicide play is much more flavorful in black than in other colors. Whatever.
Again, I love dragons in general, and I love this card.
Since your running red, you should have burned an oppenent for at least 5 by turn 4.
*swing*
"Unblocked Moltensteel, you say? Pay 18 life... +9/+0..."
...
Opponent: "In response, i'll cast Lightning bolt, targeting you."
#@$%
Point is, yes his ability is very aggressive and yes, it will win games. Just make sure when you pay an obscene amount of life that it is the right decision.
Also, Fling for essentially 1 life per damage dealt.
Imma be spamming boosters to get 1 of this!
We shall see :)
Extremely aggressive though.
4.5/5
On top of that, I can only imagine what sort of combination this life-shaving abillity can do in YOUR favour. Near-death experience, Death's Shadow, Repay in Kind and Soul Conduit... just to name a few.
Anything is possible if you're a Red Dragon Robot.
It will count as red still. The mana you spend to play the card, or the lack thereof, doesn't change the cards color. The fact that red-colored mana is in the mana cost affect that. Or rather, it did, since ghostfire and other future sight goodies mana cost equaling color has gone faint. But regardless, the card would have to have reminder text printed on it to tell people it would be colorless. Else, situations would arise like you mentioned, and people would get irritated when their opponent tries to tell them their dragon isn't red when the border clearly says it is.
I liked this card from the moment I saw it. I'm glad to have the copies of it I do and will gladly use it over and over.
Also, you can double the effects of its firebreathing by paying life when you've run out of mana, for a final blow.
im new to magic & my boyfriend played this card against me last night & i dont see how what he did with it is legit so enighten me please?
heres what he did.. where it has the phyrexia symbol to add +1/+0 until the end of turn, by paying one red mana or 2 life..
he tapped 4 mana and added +4/+0 to the creature...
can he do that? if so how?
he swears up and down its a legal move but i dont see how it is when theres but one phyrexia symbol
He reminds me of Psychatog at one more mana, at the cost of life.
4/5 for being a flawed beater
@magic_mama: he can pay Phyrexian Mana with red mana OR 2 life, capisce? and since tehre's no tap symbol he may activate the ability as many times as he wishes, until he's out of mana or not willing to pay life anymore.
can pull off a surprisingly regular turn 4 win with this beauty.
Geosurge this into play turn 3 with an iron myr/pyretic ritual, pump to 10/4 turn 4, strobe it and swing for 20.
@Khavrion: You mean Personal Sanctuary? Steel Hellkite's ability is life payment, not damage.
By the way, @Khavrion, Personal Sanctuary doesn't work with this. First of all, the card prevents all damage to you on your turn. Paying life/losing life doesn't count as damage. However, even if it stated "During your turn, you can't lose life" your combo still wouldn't work as you would be unable to pay the life as a cost for anything, including phyrexian mana.
I like that idea, unfortunately the rules simply don't allow it. This http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/newphyrexia/mechanics covers the exact mechanic you described and rigged phyrexian mana so it cannot be abused in this way. I still run a rage extractor deck anyways and it's the funnest deck I currently use.
Also, on paper, it looks totally badass
You're welcome.
Turn 3: THIS!!!