Firebreathing

Firebreathing is any mechanic that pays homage to the original <c>Firebreathing</c> card; that is, ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn". This mechanic was featured on the card <c>Shivan Dragon</c> in Alpha and, in general, is a trademark of most dragons. It's most often seen on red creatures. Over time there have been variants, tied with a consistent factor of an unbound activated ability that pumps their power.
==Designs==
===Color cost variations===
*<c>Moltensteel Dragon</c> and <c>Immolating Souleater</c> have a Phyrexian version that costs -per.
*<c>Soldevi Simulacrum</c> and <c>Snow Fortress</c> have generic costed firebreathing. <c>Lavaclaw Reaches</c> has an cost variant (relevant for cost reducers), though it requires to animate initially. <c>Steel Hellkite</c>, <c>Narstad Scrapper</c>, <c>Dragon Engine</c> , and <c>Incited Rabble</c> have a generic version of it that costs each. The last of which is a red creature that transforms from a white creature. is a red-green creature that has a scaling version that costs .
*<c>Blistering Dieflyn</c>, <c>Henchfiend of Ukor</c>, and <c>Duergar Cave-Guard</c> can activate firebreathing with half-red hybrid mana in the cost; each for the former two and each for the latter. All three creatures are monocolored red.
** is a green creature with ": This creature gets +3/+0 until end of turn", which is parity rate but three mana at a time.
**<c>Scourge of the Nobilis</c> grants firebreathing to its target, if it is red; this is the only one of the four which can be used to grant 1-to-1 firebreathing with entirely nonred mana.
**<c>Vaevictis Asmadi</c> has the unique cost of triple-hybrid firebreathing, for , , or .
*<c>Sea Spirit</c>, <c>Viscerid Deepwalker</c>, and <c>Wall of Water</c> hold "waterbreathing", functionally identical to firebreathing in blue. With a party, <c>Seafloor Stalker</c> can reduce its ability to a single . <c>Dirtwater Wraith</c> has another version in black.
* is the progenitor of various cost Knights that got +1/+0, alongside an activated keyword ability and a passive keyword ability. Each version has a mirror in black, culminating in a mixed version in .
** and have versions. has the version. is the only green creature with green-based firebreathing at a rate of .
*<c>Kozilek's Shrieker</c> has colorless-based firebreathing, in addition with menace. <c>Icehide Troll</c> and <c>Grim Draugr</c> have snow-breathing.
===Creature colors===
*<c>Stone Kavu</c> and <c>Steam Spitter</c> are the only mono-green creatures with parity firebreathing. <c>Cavern Thoctar</c> has a variant.
* and have for +2/+0, with the additional cost of a damage each activation.
*<c>Firescreamer</c> is the only mono-black creature with firebreathing. 
*<c>Angelfire Crusader</c> is the only mono-white creature with parity firebreathing, with several others that have weaker versions.
===Granting===
*<c>Dragonrage</c> is the only instant that can grant firebreathing.
*<c>Brood Keeper</c> and <c>Dragon Egg</c> both make Dragon creature tokens with firebreathing.
*<c>Ghitu War Cry</c>, <c>Captive Flame</c>, and the flip card <c>Homura's Essence</c> are the only non-Aura Enchantments that grant firebreathing.
*Several Auras grant the enchanted creature firebreathing, including <c>Dragon Mantle</c>, <c>Crown of Flames</c>, and <c>Ghitu Firebreathing</c>.
* gives the -per variant, and is equipment that gives a very weird -per version that is on rate with three activations (6 mana) and gets better after that.
* is a equipment that grants .
===Other===
*Modern design has moved away from the literal : +1/+0 ability due to its monocolor restriction; <c>Hellkite Punisher</c> was the first in four years since <c>Skyship Stalker</c>. Most designs now use as a basis, using worse ratios on better bodies (<c>Incendiary Oracle</c>, <c>Rakdos Trumpeter</c>), or one-to-one on worse bodies (<c>Igneous Cur</c>, <c>Weaselback Redcap</c>). This is to support decks being two-colored, as expected for decks of newer players and drafters.
*"Butt-breathing" is the far rarer (due to encouraging static gameplay) variation where the creature gets +0/+1 or some multiple of it. Most of these require , with two with and one with activation costs.
==References==
Category:Magic slang
Category:Miscellaneous mechanics