@beowulf22 :: They've made at least 1 good Phoenix last I checked. Just because none of them are 5/5s, and first strike, haste or trample for 4CC mana doesn't mean they are not good. In a game gravitating to dropping 5/5s on turn 2 in every format, the Phoenix continues to not conform to the greedy demands of players, thankfully.
Posted By:
Guest1162619373
(8/7/2010 12:46:43 PM)
Great limited card... red as a whole is probably the weakest colour, given that all their decent fliers are rare (meaning that you have to have some really high quality cards to support a heavy investment into the colour), but this is one card which can help justify going red. It's a stronger, repeatable Pyroclasm, as well as a 3/3 flier. It won't win the game on its own, but it'll certainly help.
Posted By:
JaxsonBateman
(8/29/2010 10:14:24 PM)
it's not worse than shard phoenix because you can only pay shard phoenix's return cost during YOUR upkeep, which means that's 3 less red mana for your entire turn. You can pay magma phoenix's return cost at the end of the opponent's turn who goes right before you and bam, on your turn you have all your mana and the phoenix back in your hand. It makes your chandra very happy.
Posted By:
chocolate_lightning
(2/28/2011 10:13:27 AM)
@lorendorky
Chandra Ablaze's ability has you discard a card from your hand. Magma Phoenix's ability reads "put into a graveyard from the battlefield," therefore the synergy is slightly broken. Yes, you'd still be dealing 4 damage with Chandra Ablaze, but it would cost you 5 mana to return this card to your hand, and this card's ability would not trigger (to deal the 3 damage) unless you played it (at which point, you couldn't discard it). For cheaper synergy with Chandra Ablaze, I'd recommend Shard Phoenix, which only costs 3 mana to return to hand from graveyard.
Posted By:
igniteice
(3/13/2011 5:17:35 PM)
@ beowulf:
Not a good enough phoenix? It's power and toughness are not bad. It's meant to be fodder for Lighntning Bolt! Destroys weenies, punishes counterspell users, and has excellent synergy with Destructive Force :). My favorite thing is that it's more valuable to you dead than alive. If someone tries to exile it, you can bolt it in response, fizzle their spell, and potentially wipe the board. Also, Fling. Also, if you run them in pairs, or 4 of them, you can guarantee 6-12 damage to everything should one of them die. The best thing about this card is that the death of one sets of the death of others. Doom Blade it, I dare ya. Lol Sylvok Lifestaff XD.
Also, rules question: I had a Rockslide Elemental out with one +1/+1 counter on it, an untapped Cunning Sparkmage, and had just cast Magma Phoenix and gone to combat with the elemental. I... (see all)
Posted By:
DacenOctavio
(4/10/2011 3:00:09 AM)
i really like this guy. i use it in a red green ramp deck. not only is it a flyer that keeps comin back for more, i also ditched three pyrclasms for him cause. well. you should know why. between this guy and slagstrom, i damage someone and their planeswalkers. and did i mention he kills all the titans? as long as no ones buffen em up of course.
Posted By:
krauser-gogetthegirl
(4/26/2011 12:42:54 AM)
I really enjoy this card.
It is not the most insane rare creature ever, but it has so many nice combo and deck ideas going for it.
For laughs I'd like to cast a Slagstorm in some multiplayer game with a few of these on the board and see what happens.
For actual competetive play I'm including a few of these in a red and white defender control deck. Only kills Cathedral Membrane which I'm not running too many copies of anyway. It's a great deterent when it's damage from dying will really only hurt my opponent because all of my walls and defenders will have in excess of 4 toughness. I'm hoping it will prove an excellent finisher for this kind of strategy. Ideally you will be able to swing for three every turn because the opponent can't afford to kill it off.
Besides all of this phoenix cards always seem to have a nice flavor going for them and Swanland's art only adds tons of sugar on top. Great artist to choose for a phoenix like this one.
Posted By:
Philip-BANG
(6/26/2011 5:15:26 AM)
shard pheonix cant hit flyers and can only be returned during your upkeep
Posted By:
BlackAlbino
(7/7/2011 10:55:46 AM)
I run a Burn deck with these in it. Its just plain fun to have 2 on the field, Attack with both, 6 damage, Fling one at an opponent for another 3, its abillity triggers to cause everyone and everything another 3, killing off my other one, causing another 3. thats 15 Damage in a turn for the price of a Fling in a burn deck.
Posted By:
Nayban
(7/16/2011 4:10:43 PM)
Expensive, but lets face it, no one wants it to die, and no one wants it to live. It really puts your opponents into a tight spot.
Posted By:
DoragonShinzui
(10/4/2012 10:02:00 PM)