Card/Deck SCD -- Firestorm

[CML]

Y/N, Cubers and Cubettes? Not only does it have the second-best flavor text on a card with casting cost R, it also looks like a probable reprint in 2030's "From the Vault: Jason Waddell."

Discuss

 

[Jason Waddell]

I like this post because it has my name in it, and it looks like some tiger-beast is watching croissants get roasted in the background, but isn't part of the point of mass removal that it generates card advantage? Discard shenanigans aside...

 

[Dom Harvey]

Firestorm trades card advantage for brutal efficiency. I find I often have excess lands, removal spells (which otherwise I'd have to use on those creatures anyway), or cards I can't cast yet that I'm happy to cash in for damage.

 

[Aoret]

This card is a good shout CML. I'll give it a whirl in my graveyardy cube once I get it built and somewhat stable.

If you're discarding hellspark elementals and stuff to this I think it gets pretty sweet. I like that it is a fireball/pyroclasm effect that not every deck is going to want to just steal from red (which is what always seems to happen to generically good red cards)

 

[CML]

So you have to have X targets, meh

In my Cube's 'failure to thrive' infancy I considered Hex to prevent board stalls, too

 

[Dom Harvey]

Firestorming a Boros Reckoner is fun

Fire Covenanting a Boros Reckoner is also fun (h/t Carsten Kotter)

 

[xyz]

It's definitely powerful... it just depends if your group appreciates/desires the ability I think. In a similar vein, what do yall think of Pyrokinesis?

 

[Aoret]

So you have to have X targets, meh

Awww damn it. I wanted so badly to like the card that I didn't catch that nuance. Yeah, I agree. It makes the card too much work to use

 

[CML]

I think Pyrokinesis is worth a try. It's a perennial sideboard option for Legacy's finest control deck

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

I used to play firestorm in standard. It's a good card, the x target thing isn't actually bad. And with graveyard stuff getting better over the years I would certainly give it a try if you're interested.

 

[xyz]

Pyrokinesis seems great for a free spells theme too . I can't believe I hadn't included it before. Even without blue, it's nice with Young Pyromancer and Guttersnipe. Also I guess I didn't answer your question before... I much like Firestorm as a fair card. But my group didn't value it as highly except when they could abuse it (but likely because they didn't see it in action much).

 

[Dom Harvey]

3-year bump because Firestorm is GOAT

 

[genericco]

Yikes three years makes all the difference. Wonder how many pyrokeneses riptide is running now

 

[FlowerSunRain]

No clue, but I'm not dropping firestorm any time soon.

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Should this not be moved to "Single card spotlight"?

 

[vennythekid]

Should this not be moved to "Single card spotlight"?

If you check the date on the original post, it was three years ago , before the forums were as organized as they are today.

 

[xyz]

Oh hi there :eek: ...speaking of 3 years ago.... it's been about that long since I last posted. Looks like you inadvertently necro'd a user along with the thread.

I still run Pyrokinesis happily. A vast majority of the time, it at least meets one of the two min cases of (A) going even as a 2 for 2 or (B) being worth the tempo to 2 for 1 yourself. Anything more than the min cases is outstanding. It's useful in pretty much any deck (as long as opponent consistently has some small creatures) and has additional value in comboy/spellsmatter decks.

On the other hand I recently cut Firestorm because it's more niche and less popular. It doesn't go in as many decks because it can be awkward to use (you really need multiple ways to mitigate the card disadvantage/be able get value off of it AND you need to draw them). Niche reactive cards are generally much less popular and drafted much less than niche proactive cards (Birthing Pod, etc).