Firebreathing

Firebreathing
Mechanic
Introduced	Alpha
Last used	March of the Machine
Reminder Text	[mana cost]: This creature gets +N/+0 until end of turn.
Statistics	209 Firebreathing cards 1.9% 4.8% 4.3% 8.6% 61.2% 1.9% 1.9% 1.4% 0.5% 1% 0.5% 1.9% 1.4% 8.1% 0.5% 38 "Buttbreathing" cards 52.6% 5.3% 13.2% 13.2% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 5.3%

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. Over time there have been variants, tied with a consistent factor of an unbound activated ability that pumps their power.

Designs

Color cost variations

• Moltensteel Dragon and Immolating Souleater have a Phyrexian version that costs -per.
• 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, Dragon Engine , and Incited Rabble have a generic version of it that costs each. The last of which is a red creature that transforms from a white creature. Feral Animist is a red-green creature that has a scaling version that costs .
• Blistering Dieflyn, Henchfiend of Ukor, and Duergar Cave-Guard can activate firebreathing with half-red hybrid mana in the cost; each for the former two and each for the latter. All three creatures are monocolored red.
  • Foxfire Oak is a green creature with ": This creature gets +3/+0 until end of turn", which is parity rate but three mana at a time.
  • 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. With a party, Seafloor Stalker can reduce its ability to a single . Dirtwater Wraith has another version in black.
• Order of Leitbur is the progenitor of various cost Knights that got +1/+0, alongside an activated keyword ability and a passive keyword ability. Each version has a mirror in black, culminating in a mixed version in Stillmoon Cavalier.
  • Capashen Knight and Soltari Crusader have versions. Dauthi Mercenary has the version. Folk of the Pines is the only green creature with green-based firebreathing at a rate of .
• Kozilek's Shrieker has colorless-based firebreathing, in addition with menace. Icehide Troll and Grim Draugr have snow-breathing.

Creature colors

• Stone Kavu and Steam Spitter are the only mono-green creatures with parity firebreathing. Cavern Thoctar has a variant.
• Stormcloud Djinn and Electric Eel have for +2/+0, with the additional cost of a damage each activation.
• Firescreamer is the only mono-black creature with firebreathing.
• Angelfire Crusader is the only mono-white creature with parity firebreathing, with several others that have weaker versions.

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.
• Several Auras grant the enchanted creature firebreathing, including Dragon Mantle, Crown of Flames, and Ghitu Firebreathing.
• Sacred Armory gives the -per variant, and Bronze Cudgels is equipment that gives a very weird -per version that is on rate with three activations (6 mana) and gets better after that.
• Demonspine Whip is a equipment that grants .

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.
• "Butt-breathing" is the far rarer (due to encouraging static gameplay) variation where the creature gets +0/+1 or some multiple of it. Most of these require , with two with and one with activation costs.