Alpha Brawl from Dark Ascension - A Magic the Gathering Card Review

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

Oh, to bask in the fragrance of newly opened cardboard as you unwrap a fresh, mint pack of Dark Ascension. As you flip through the cards, however, to your dismay, the card that happens to be your rare is an eight-mana bulk rare called Alpha Brawl. If your pack is also home to a common double-sided card, three lousy uncommons, and a checklist, you're going to be pretty disgusted.

Let's be honest, though: Alpha Brawl actually has a pretty awesome effect. It's essentially a board-wipe, albeit expensive, for Red. Yes, Red has Blasphemous Act already, which is actually far cheaper in the long run than this. Eight mana is just too much, really.

However, there is a way to break this card in EDH and make that creature end up severely hurting your opponent directly, as well. There is an enchantment from Mirage, Binding Agony, that would help accomplish this. You could alternatively play this card on your own board with Stuffy Doll as the target, and redirect all the damage to an opponent, but this obviously leaves you wide open (unless, of course, you have a way to return all creatures destroyed that turn back to the board). The problem is, you just make yourself a target playing this card, since at best you'll take out one player. But there are far more awkward combos.

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There are probably some other cards that this combos well with, but yeah, it's a jank rare that has some interesting interactions with some enchantments and Stuffy Doll. It's worth saving a copy for that EDH player who likes to use burn spells like these.

Like me ;)

~ Phoenix <3