Life BurstHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it Does

Life Burst is an instant spell that targets a single player to receive life. The amount of life gained starts at a base of 4 and increases by an additional 4 for every card named Life Burst currently sitting in all players' graveyards. Because it counts cards in 'each' graveyard, you benefit from copies you have cast earlier as well as any copies an opponent might have used or discarded.

How it Resolves

When you cast Life Burst, you first choose a target player. Upon resolution, the game checks the graveyards of all players to count how many cards named Life Burst are present. The target player then gains 4 life plus 4 times that count. Note that the Life Burst currently resolving is on the stack, not in the graveyard, so it does not count itself toward the total.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is counting the Life Burst currently being cast; however, a spell only moves to the graveyard as the very last step of its resolution. Additionally, if the target player becomes an illegal target before the spell resolves (for example, by gaining hexproof), the entire spell fails to resolve and no life is gained at all, regardless of how many copies are in the graveyards.

When to Play it

Life Burst is most effective in the mid-to-late game once you have cycled through your deck. It is best used as a reactive tool at the end of an opponent's turn or in response to lethal damage. Since it is an instant, you can wait until the last possible moment to see if you need the life or if you'd rather save it for a larger burst later.

Interaction examples

Basic Life Gain

If no other copies of Life Burst are in any graveyard, you cast this targeting yourself. Upon resolution, the game sees zero copies in graveyards. You gain the base amount of 4 life. The card then moves to your graveyard, making the next Life Burst worth 8 life.

Recovering After Removal

Swords to Plowshares

Your opponent attacks with a large creature. You first cast Swords to Plowshares to exile the creature and gain life equal to its power. Afterward, you cast Life Burst. If you already had one Life Burst in the graveyard, you would gain an additional 8 life (4 base + 4 for the one in the graveyard), significantly stabilizing your total.

Synergy with Land Fetching

Path to Exile

If you use Path to Exile to remove a threat, your opponent might thin their deck by searching for a land. If they happen to be playing Life Burst as well and have discarded one, your own Life Burst becomes stronger. When you cast yours, you count the copy in their graveyard to gain a total of 8 life.