Dies to Removal

Why is this a rare?!

Because red x-spells that can damage creatures and players with a significant bonus are always rare.

It's still boring as a rare.

Devil's Play, Banefire, Red Sun's Zenith, Urza's Rage, Comet Storm, do I need to go on?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will also work with Copy Spell effects where X would be zero otherwise.

Devil's Play, Banefire, Red Sun's Zenith, Urza's Rage, Comet Storm, do I need to go on?

No. All of those I can somewhat understand being rare, but this gives a conditional additional 2 damage. Doesn't feel enough to warrant a rare slot. But they don't want it ruining Limited, so rare it is.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will also work with Copy Spell effects where X would be zero otherwise.

You're correct. X becomes zero for a copy, so the copy still does 0+2.

Yeah, it's pretty bad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will also work with Copy Spell effects where X would be zero otherwise.

You're correct. X becomes zero for a copy, so the copy still does 0+2.

That's not exactly right. X is still the same value if you copy the spell. It's only if you cast the spell without paying its mana cost that X is zero. Sometimes this is worded as "Copy the spell and cast it without paying its mana cost", but Twincast still works with X spells.

I actually like this card a lot even though it's bad.

I like it just so I can have another finisher in decks that like to ramp. I won a lot of games on the back of Fireball/Disintegrate/RSZ that way.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will also work with Copy Spell effects where X would be zero otherwise.

You're correct. X becomes zero for a copy, so the copy still does 0+2.

That's not exactly right. X is still the same value if you copy the spell. It's only if you cast the spell without paying its mana cost that X is zero. Sometimes this is worded as "Copy the spell and cast it without paying its
mana cost", but Twincast still works with X spells.

I actually like this card a lot even though it's bad.

You're right, I went full derp and thought that WS was thinking of the Epic Experiment sort of copy.

Don't get me wrong. I like the card as such, but just not in the rare slot.

It's Heat Ray at sorcery speed that can hit players.

That's... one way to look at it

So it works with Chandra's ultimate if necessary as well as copy effects like Howl of the Horde. Good to know.

It works quite well with the new Sarkhan in his dragon mode as well as with Stormbreath Dragon. And it could be quite gross with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in devotion-style decks.

Mono-red control, perhaps?

Right, so it should be an uncommon. Stuff like this used to be common: Fireball, Disintegrate, Kaervek's Torch, Lava Burst, Rolling Thunder. I can understand why they moved these up to uncommon, but not rare. I whined about Demonfire being rare back in the days as well, guess my "grumpy old fart"-years are here...

Blaze is generally a really good card in Limited and just needs a bit of a push to be standard playable. It's tough to find a Limited game where you don't cast at least one 4 power creature, so at uncommon I'd grab this pretty quick for sure. It is a pretty bad rare from a Constructed perspective, but so are a lot of these spoiled cards. They're obviously pushing down the power level of this set.

Sometimes I wonder if the marketing guys are just testing us, trying to determine what exactly sells a set. The long awaited Wedge block vs. power level would be the two variables here in their design of experiments. Just need another 6 blocks to complete the sample size and start the statistical analysis to control us completely! [/tinfoilhat]

This is a plant for GRx decks. Between Boon Satyr, Fanatic of Xenagos, Polukranos, Nissa, and Xenagod, that archetype will have no shortage of 4+ power creatures. I could see an aggressive ramp deck like that have some success early in the season. You wouldn't even need Courser!

These cards are always fringe playable

I'm a fan.

Can't see the image at work. Text please?

It's Blaze except it does two more damage if you have a creature with power 4 or greater.

That isn't helpful.

Blaze

Oh that card is bad.

I just assumed Blaze was a universally known card.

It isn't particularly memorable.

I would have called it Fireball or Disintegrate but Blaze works. It isn't some god card but it is a serviceable finisher for a ramp strategy.

Well it's not strictly Disentigrate since it doesn't address regeneration, and Fireball allows you to split damage. But yes that is more recognizable.

Tested this card.

It's the nut. In rug, you always have a 4 power guy and I've used it as a one mana shock many a time. It's a very versatile removal spell and an excellent finisher.

That was my impression as well. With 20+ four power creatures in RG and RUG shells it seems like a pretty solid two-of.