Blue Elemental Blast (Repaint)

Blue Elemental Blast (“BEB”) is a one-mana blue instant, first printed in Alpha (1993). It’s a classic example of a sideboard card that embodies blue’s control identity. It’s the mirror card to Red Elemental Blast, and serves as one of Magic’s first color-hate cards. You can choose to either counter target red spell or destroy target red permanent in play. This card is perfectly designed to answer red’s strengths, mainly speed and direct damage. For just one mana, you can deal with one of the opponent’s threats at instant speed, which makes it a very effective and precise
card. Blue Elemental Blast is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Old School and Commander (EDH). In Legacy, it’s a sideboard staple in various control, tempo, and combo decks used to counter red-heavy strategies (e.g. Burn, Mono-Red Prison, UR Delver, Painter). In Vintage, Blue Elemental Blast also functions as a sideboard answer to Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast wars and other problematic red spells, although it doesn’t see that much play here. In Pauper, where Burn and Red Deck Wins are major players, Blue Elemental Blast is a sideboard all-star. It’s also a core sideboard card for most blue decks in Old School (93/94), to defend against aggressive Mono-Red Burn and aggro decks (e.g. Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Ball Lightning). Blue Elemental Blast is not on the Reserved List, it has been reprinted several times.