Firemaw Kavu: Expanding Its Plane's Culture

In TCG ·

Firemaw Kavu bursts into play, flames curling around a ferocious Kavu

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Firemaw Kavu and the Culture of Its Plane

Red mana crackles through the story of a creature like Firemaw Kavu, a brutal reminder that in the world of Magic, culture often sprouts from the heat of battle and the glow of ritual fires. This Time Spiral Remastered reprint stars a 6-mana threat — 5 generic with a splash of red — that comes with a built-in reminder that the plane’s passion for combustion isn’t merely spectacle; it’s a way of life 🧙‍♂️🔥. Firemaw Kavu is a creature of the Kavu family, a lizard-like presence on its home turf, embodying the archetype of red aggression and tribal ferocity. Its uncommon rarity hints at a flavorful, potent punch that can swing a game in a single, well-timed moment ⚔️.

When this card enters the battlefield, it forces 2 damage to a chosen target creature, a swift reminder that the plane’s cultures prize disruptive, fiery arrivals — the kind of entrance that unsettles the opponent’s lines and redefines the tempo of the battlefield. And if you can keep Firemaw Kavu around, its echo cost becomes a drumbeat you must obey: pay the echo cost at the upkeep or sac its presence. Echo {5}{R} is a cultural debt you shoulder—germane to the red tribe’s ethos of terms, tempers, and bold commitments. If you let the echo price slide, the Kavu leaves the battlefield only to reappear as a fiery memory, dealing 4 damage on its exit. It’s a volcanic reminder that power in this cosmos has a price tag, and the plane’s storytellers love to weave debt into drama 🧨.

Artistically, Greg Hildebrandt captures the raw energy of a battle-scarred world, with flames and sinew dramatizing a moment when a creature “arrives with a bang” and departs with an encore of ruin. The artwork invites players to imagine a culture where totems are forged in flame, where tribes measure strength by the capacity to endure the echo of a roiling, dangerous promise. The card’s red identity is unmistakable, but the flavor text and mechanical echoes invite us to think beyond pure damage — to the cadence of a culture that lives for the next eruption, even as it respects the old debts that keep the fire burning 🔥💎.

In terms of strategy, Firemaw Kavu shines when you’re leaning into red’s tempo and midrange goals. It’s not just a beater; it’s a commitment. The two triggered damages on enter and exit create subtle micro-synergies with removal-heavy or combat-heavy metas, where you can force your opponent into awkward blocks or forced blockers, then capitalize as the battlefield reshuffles. In formats where the card is legal — notably Modern, Legacy, and beyond — you’ll find it slotting into archetypes that prize feral disruption, raw damage, and the occasional “blow up the board” moment. The echo mechanic adds another layer of planning: you’re drafting a plan that’s both immediate and enduring, a cultural narrative you guide turn by turn 🧭.

  • Mana cost and color identity: {5}{R}, red color identity, an emblem of late-game punch and on-board aggression.
  • Rarity and reprint: Uncommon in Time Spiral Remastered, with a foil option that tends to pop at casual price points, a nod to collectors who love retro staples.
  • Echo mechanic: A debt pattern that requires upkeep investment; paying echoes keeps the flame alive, while skipping it reduces you to a memory of what could have been.
  • Enter-the-battlefield effect: 2 damage to a target creature — a reliable way to push through blockers or weaken a foe’s lines.
  • Leave-the-battlefield effect: 4 damage to a target creature — a dramatic exhale that can swing combat in the final act of a game.

For players who savor lore, the card’s heritage—its set, its place in the Time Spiral Remastered rotation, and its evocative artwork—serves as a reminder of a time when MTG’s storylines leaned into wild jungles, volcanic ferocity, and the thrill of a red-on-red clash. The Echo cost, in particular, evokes a cultural memory: a tradition that must be paid forward, season after season, about remembering what was and letting it guide what comes next 🧙‍♂️.

And if you’re new to the plane’s culture or returning to it after a long sabbatical, Firemaw Kavu offers a compact slice of the flavor and the frame. It’s a card that invites you to lean into red’s hot-blooded storytelling while respecting the mechanical rhythm that makes Echo a signature element of its design. The synergy between art, lore, and playstyle is what keeps MTG’s multiverse vibrant, and Firemaw Kavu is a shining example of how a single creature can carry a culture across the battlefield — and into your deck’s heart 🎨🎲.

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Firemaw Kavu

Firemaw Kavu

{5}{R}
Creature — Kavu

Echo {5}{R} (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.)

When this creature enters, it deals 2 damage to target creature.

When this creature leaves the battlefield, it deals 4 damage to target creature.

ID: 2376735d-7812-4fab-baba-0d331f6e2211

Oracle ID: 7ac09735-f05c-4e28-83d6-262cddc9eeb3

Multiverse IDs: 509528

TCGPlayer ID: 233908

Cardmarket ID: 544811

Colors: R

Color Identity: R

Keywords: Echo

Rarity: Uncommon

Released: 2021-03-19

Artist: Greg Hildebrandt

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 23553

Penny Rank: 15916

Set: Time Spiral Remastered (tsr)

Collector #: 163

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.07
  • USD_FOIL: 0.20
  • EUR: 0.12
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.20
  • TIX: 0.04
Last updated: 2025-11-14