Makeshift Munitions (CMM)

Makeshift Munitions
Casting Cost: {1}{R}
Card Type: Enchantment

Card Text:
{1}, Sacrifice an artifact or creature: Makeshift Munitions deals 1 damage to any target.

Flavour Text:
"Grease up a firecannon good and proper with dinosaur-liver oil, and it'll shoot just about anything."

Artist: Filip Burburan

Makeshift Munitions paints a picture of impromptu and rough-around-the-edges warfare. It brings to mind a battlefield where resources are limited, and combatants must get creative in order to survive or get an edge. This is exemplified in its ability, which allows players to sacrifice an artifact or creature to deal damage to any target, representing the desperate measures taken in battle.

The card's mechanics promote flexibility and a form of controlled chaos. By allowing the player to sacrifice either a creature or an artifact, it showcases the theme of "making do with what you have." This makes the card particularly valuable in decks that generate a lot of expendable artifacts or creatures, turning them into potential ammunition.

The flavour text, referencing the use of "dinosaur-liver oil" to power a "firecannon," places this card firmly within the Ixalan storyline of Magic: The Gathering. Ixalan is a plane filled with pirates, dinosaurs, and ancient treasures. The mention of dinosaur-liver oil is a nod to the plane's prehistoric inhabitants and hints at the resourcefulness of its people.

Filip Burburan's art likely captures the raw and chaotic energy of a battlefield where such munitions are in use. One might imagine a rough, hastily-assembled cannon in the foreground, with crew members in the background scurrying to gather artifacts and even potentially injured or incapacitated creatures to use as ammunition. There would be an urgency in the scene, with perhaps a hint of desperation, capturing the feeling of a last-resort weapon.

In gameplay, Makeshift Munitions can serve as a versatile removal tool or even a finisher, turning excess or unneeded resources into direct damage. Players can also combine this with other cards that benefit from creatures or artifacts being sacrificed, creating synergy within the deck.