Firebreathing

Firebreathing
Mechanic
Introduced	Alpha
Last used	Core Set 2020
Reminder Text	[mana cost]: This creature gets +N/+0 until end of turn.
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Firebreathing is any mechanic that pays homage to the original Firebreathing card; that is, ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn". This mechanic was featured on the card Shivan Dragon in Alpha and, in general, is a trademark of most dragons. It's most often seen on red creatures. White tends to get one-time upgrades of usually +1/+0. Green gets +N/+0 when it's not intended for it to survive the fight.

Designs

Color cost variations

• Moltensteel Dragon and Immolating Souleater have a phyrexian version of it ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn"
• Soldevi Simulacrum and Snow Fortress have generic costed firebreathing. Lavaclaw Reaches has an cost variant (relevant for cost reducers), though it requires to animate initially. Steel Hellkite, Narstad Scrapper and Dragon Engine have a generic version of it ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn". Incited Rabble has also, and starts as a white creature.
• Moonveil Dragon does have a similar ability ": Each creature you control gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
• Blistering Dieflyn, Henchfiend of Ukor, and Duergar Cave-Guard can activate firebreathing with half-red hybrid mana in the cost; ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn" for the former pair and ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn" for the latter. All three creatures are monocolored red.
  • Scourge of the Nobilis grants firebreathing to its target, if it is red; this is the only one of the four which can be used to grant 1-to-1 firebreathing with entirely nonred mana.
  • Vaevictis Asmadi has the unique cost of triple-hybrid firebreathing, for , , or .
• Sea Spirit, Viscerid Deepwalker and Wall of Water hold "waterbreathing", functionally identical to firebreathing in Blue. Dirtwater Wraith has another version in Black.
• Kozilek's Shrieker has colorless-based firebreathing, in addition with menace.

Creature colors

• Stone Kavu and Steam Spitter are the only mono-green creatures with firebreathing. Cavern Thoctar has a weaker variant.
• Firescreamer is the only mono-black creature with firebreathing.
• Angelfire Crusader is the only mono-white creature with firebreathing.

Granting

• Dragonrage is the only instant that can grant firebreathing.
• Brood Keeper and Dragon Egg both make Dragon creature tokens with firebreathing.
• Ghitu War Cry, Captive Flame, and the flip card Homura's Essence are the only non-Aura Enchantments that grant firebreathing.
• A number of Auras grant the enchanted creature firebreathing, including Dragon Mantle, Crown of Flames, and Ghitu Firebreathing.

Other

• Modern design has moved away from the literal : +1/+0 ability due to its monocolor restriction; Hellkite Punisher was the first in four years since Skyship Stalker. Most designs now use as a basis, using worse ratios on better bodies (Incendiary Oracle, Rakdos Trumpeter), or one-to-one on worse bodies (Igneous Cur, Weaselback Redcap). This is to support decks being two-colored, as expected for decks of newer players and drafters.