Scorch Rider is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Kicker(You may pay an additional
Complete guide
Scorch Rider is a versatile Human Warrior that brings explosive speed to the red mage's arsenal. By paying a little extra mana during its arrival, you can turn this steady combatant into an immediate threat on the battlefield.
What It Does
Scorch Rider features the Kicker keyword, which is an optional additional cost you can pay as you cast the spell. While its base cost is four mana, paying the Kicker cost of {1}{R} (for a total of {5}{R}) unlocks a triggered ability upon entry. If the Kicker cost was paid, Scorch Rider gains the haste keyword until the end of the turn, allowing it to attack or tap the same turn it enters.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, as you cast Scorch Rider, you announce whether you are paying the Kicker cost. If you do, the spell becomes 'kicked' on the stack. When the spell resolves and the creature enters the battlefield, its triggered ability checks if it was kicked. If the condition is met, the ability goes on the stack. Once that ability resolves, Scorch Rider gains haste. Note that if the creature is put directly onto the battlefield without being cast, you never had the chance to pay the Kicker cost, so it cannot be kicked.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion is the mana value; Scorch Rider's mana value is always 4, even if you pay the extra {1}{R}. Additionally, remember that Kicker is a one-time choice during casting; you cannot pay it more than once. If a card enters as a copy of a Scorch Rider that was already on the battlefield, the new copy is not considered 'kicked' because the copy itself wasn't cast with the Kicker cost paid.
When to Play It
Cast Scorch Rider for its base cost when you need to establish board presence and can afford to wait a turn to attack. Save it for later in the game when you have six mana available if your opponent is low on health or has no blockers, as the surprise haste can end the game unexpectedly.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou play Solemn Simulacrum on turn four to search for a basic Mountain and put it onto the battlefield. This extra land provides the sixth mana needed on turn five to cast Scorch Rider with its Kicker cost paid, ensuring it gains haste immediately.
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Human,' you cast Scorch Rider and pay the Kicker cost. When Scorch Rider enters, its ability triggers. Roaming Throne sees a triggered ability from a Human and causes it to trigger a second time. While Scorch Rider only needs haste once to be effective, this confirms how triggered Kicker rewards interact with ability multipliers.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Scorch Rider
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can't kick it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked. If the copied spell is a permanent spell, the token the copy of that spell becomes when it enters is also kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent, the new permanent isn't kicked, even if the original was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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