Price$1.00 – $178.00
Buy on TCGplayerRed Elemental Blast
Instant
LegalRemovalCounterspellRank #426
Choose one —
• Counter target blue spell.
• Destroy target blue permanent.
Why is this card good?
Red Elemental Blast is one of the most efficient hate cards in red's arsenal — a one-mana instant that either counters a blue spell or blows up a blue permanent. That flexibility is its strength: it's a Counterspell when you're on the draw and a removal spell when you're not.
In high-power and cEDH metagames, blue is everywhere — Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, counterspells, blue commanders, fast mana enablers. REB punches above its weight by answering all of it for a single red pip. It's a staple in red-heavy cEDH decks (think Najeela, Kraum, Tymna pairings) and Pyroblast is its functional twin if you need more copies.
The obvious downside: it's a dead card against non-blue opponents. In casual or battlecruiser pods with little blue, it's a do-nothing. Only run it when you expect blue to be a meaningful part of your metagame — otherwise play broader, color-agnostic interaction like Abrade or Chaos Warp.
Related cards
Pyroblast
Functionally identical red counterspell/removal targeting blue.
Blue Elemental Blast
Mirror-image card targeting red spells/permanents.
Hydroblast
Blue counterpart, counters or destroys red.
Flusterstorm
Cheap instant to counter spells in cEDH.
Dispel
One-mana counter for instants, similar narrow utility.
Abrade
Flexible red removal that destroys artifacts/creatures.
Veil of Summer
Color-hate protection often used in same metas against blue/black.
Mystical Tutor
Often fetched alongside; but red color-hate card—consider Cabal Therapy-style targeted disruption.