Barrage Tyrant MTG Card


Barrage Tyrant allows for damage redirection, maximizing creature potential outside of combat phases. Demands mindful resource management, since its ability requires sacrificing other assets on the board. Its uniqueness lies in empowering specific deck themes with repeatable, direct-damage capabilities.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Eldrazi
Abilities Devoid
Power 5
Toughness 3

Text of card

Devoid (This card has no color.) , Sacrifice another colorless creature: Barrage Tyrant deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature's power to any target.

Terrible fury. Excellent aim.


Cards like Barrage Tyrant

Barrage Tyrant presents itself as a unique figure in the landscape of red creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It shares common ground with cards like Brion Stoutarm, enabling the flinging of other creatures at opponents to deal damage. The distinction lies in Barrage Tyrant’s specificity for colorless creatures and the synergy with decks that capitalize on artifact creatures or Eldrazi.

Another creature worth mentioning is Fling, an instant that allows you to sacrifice a creature to deal damage equal to its power to any target. While Fling costs less mana, it doesn’t provide a recurring effect like Barrage Tyrant, which can leverage repeated creature launches over several turns. There’s also Bloodshot Cyclops, which echoes the sacrifice-and-throw ability, though it is less flexible due to its limitation to targeting creatures only rather than any target like Barrage Tyrant.

Navigating these options, Barrage Tyrant holds a distinct niche due to its continuous threat and the added advantage of fitting into artifact or Eldrazi-centric strategies, giving players a repeated use engine for their creature-based assaults in the world of Magic: The Gathering.

Brion Stoutarm - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Bloodshot Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Brion Stoutarm - MTG Card versions
Fling - MTG Card versions
Bloodshot Cyclops - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Barrage Tyrant by color, type and mana cost

Fire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Earth Elemental - MTG Card versions
Eron the Relentless - MTG Card versions
Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions
Hivis of the Scale - MTG Card versions
Hulking Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Flame Spirit - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions
Covetous Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thundering Giant - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions
Tephraderm - MTG Card versions
Avarax - MTG Card versions
Bonethorn Valesk - MTG Card versions
Frost Ogre - MTG Card versions
Heartless Hidetsugu - MTG Card versions
Shard Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Soul of Magma - MTG Card versions
Fire Elemental - MTG Card versions
Earth Elemental - MTG Card versions
Eron the Relentless - MTG Card versions
Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions
Hivis of the Scale - MTG Card versions
Hulking Cyclops - MTG Card versions
Flame Spirit - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions
Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions
Covetous Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thundering Giant - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions
Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions
Tephraderm - MTG Card versions
Avarax - MTG Card versions
Bonethorn Valesk - MTG Card versions
Frost Ogre - MTG Card versions
Heartless Hidetsugu - MTG Card versions
Shard Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Soul of Magma - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Barrage Tyrant provides a unique form of card advantage by turning your creatures, especially expendable Eldrazi Scions, into direct damage against opponents or their planeswalkers. This transforms your board presence into potential damage without the need to commit to an attack phase.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Barrage Tyrant itself doesn’t produce mana or tokens, it pairs exceptionally well with decks that generate Eldrazi Scions or spawn other creatures for resource acceleration. Using these tokens, you can accelerate your damage output and apply pressure on your opponent.

Instant Speed: While the Barrage Tyrant’s ability isn’t at instant speed, it can be activated at the end of your opponent’s turn, after they’ve declared attackers, or in response to removal, making it a versatile tool in your strategy. This allows you to optimize the timing of sacrificing creatures for maximum impact, even when it’s not your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To activate Barrage Tyrant’s ability, you need to sacrifice another creature or artifact which might deplete your board presence or resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature requires both red mana and a total of five mana, making it a card that fits primarily into red-based or multicolored decks, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Barrage Tyrant competes with other substantial plays at this curve spot, which may offer more immediate board impact or versatile utility.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Barrage Tyrant offers a unique capability in redirecting damage to your opponent or their creatures, making it a flexible addition to decks that manipulate the battlefield or require direct damage strategies.

Combo Potential: This card excels in synergy with decks focusing on artifact creatures or those that produce numerous token creatures, offering a novel way to utilize excess creatures as ammunition for its ability.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board states can be cluttered with creatures, Barrage Tyrant provides a method to bypass traditional defenses, making it a potent choice for adapting to varied competitive environments.


How to Beat Barrage Tyrant

Barrage Tyrant presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield. This creature card distinguishes itself with the ability to hurl other colorless creatures at your opponents, dealing direct damage equal to the thrown creature’s power. However, there are tactics to undermine this fearsome adversary. To counteract Barrage Tyrant’s offensive strategy, it’s crucial to limit its ammunition. Deploying exile or removal spells on colorless creatures before they become weapons is a reliable method. Consider employing instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Fatal Push to disrupt the synergy and maintain control.

Maintaining a robust defense is another valuable strategy. Since Barrage Tyrant requires a hefty investment of five mana and an additional sacrifice of a colorless creature, setting up creatures with high toughness or those with abilities that negate damage can stifle the Tyrant’s impact. Ensnaring Bridge or creatures with protection from colorless like Apostle of Purifying Light add a layer of fortification against its assault. By keeping these protective measures in mind and managing the board state with prudent spellcasting, you can navigate the threat of Barrage Tyrant and maintain an advantage over your opponent.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Barrage Tyrant MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Battle for Zendikar Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Barrage Tyrant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Barrage Tyrant Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 582492015NormalBlackSlawomir Maniak
22015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 1272015NormalBlackSlawomir Maniak
32015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 1272015NormalBlackChris Rallis
42015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 127s2015NormalBlackChris Rallis

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Barrage Tyrant has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Barrage Tyrant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2015-08-25 A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost.
2015-08-25 Barrage Tyrant deals the damage, not the sacrificed creature. For example, if the sacrificed creature had lifelink, you won’t gain life.
2015-08-25 Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play.
2015-08-25 Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield.
2015-08-25 If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid.
2015-08-25 Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless.