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.
Posted By:
Quazirockstar
(12/5/2009 5:30:17 AM)
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.
Posted By:
klauth
(1/4/2010 3:55:19 AM)
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.
Posted By:
RyanLacoste
(3/6/2010 7:39:45 PM)
This is such a cool card. Unfortunately it's a bit costly. I just love how it can be a repeatable mini-Inferno.
Posted By:
SleetFox
(3/20/2010 10:19:43 AM)
This card equipped with basilisk collar is ownage when it's killed . . .
Posted By:
Arsonist343
(4/21/2010 10:15:22 PM)
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.
Posted By:
2blu4u
(5/2/2010 4:01:10 PM)
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.
Posted By:
RowanKeltizar
(6/1/2010 7:46:05 PM)
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.
Posted By:
Cyberium
(7/17/2010 10:43:02 PM)
Run with Recurring Nightmare. Watch the world burn once or twice a turn.
Posted By:
WhiteyMcFly
(9/5/2010 8:52:51 AM)
@ Grimn777:
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 :)
Posted By:
DacenOctavio
(9/24/2010 11:13:25 PM)