Frolicking Familiar: Creative Combos With Blow Off Steam

In TCG ·

Frolicking Familiar // Blow Off Steam card art from Wilds of Eldraine

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Creative Combos with an Otter Wizard Adventure

Wilds of Eldraine gave us a playful, spell-slinging duo that’s equal parts math puzzle and whimsy: a creature with wings and an adventure that loves to zigzag between blue and red. Frolicking Familiar // Blow Off Steam isn’t just a cute pairing; it’s a genuine toolbox for tempo, value, and cheeky combat tricks. The creature side—a nimble Otter Wizard with Flying—starts as a 2/2 for {2}{U}. The instant on the other side, Blow Off Steam, costs a mere {R} and exiles itself after dealing 1 damage to any target. When you combine the two faces, you get a build-your-own-buff engine that scales with every instant or sorcery you cast 🧙‍♂️🔥. It’s a card that invites you to think in terms of tempo, card flow, and the joy of a well-timed spell cascade 💎⚔️.

At its heart, the combo magic comes from the creature’s trigger: “Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.” That means every spell you fling after Frolicking Familiar lands is another bump on its power and toughness, all while the same spells fuel the exile-and-recast dance Blow Off Steam enables. You’re not just throwing damage; you’re sculpting a flying threat that can grow from a modest 2/2 into a fearsome behemoth by the end of the turn, provided you’ve got the spell density to push it. The set’s household flavor—the Otter Wizard, the ever-merry court of Eldraine—lands perfectly here, turning a two-faced card into a Sunday picnic of combos and surprises 🧙‍♂️🎨.

Key mechanics that power the pull-to-combo

  • Adventure as a tool for value: Blow Off Steam is an instant that doubles as a spell you cast, then leaves you with a creature to play from exile later. You don’t just burn a shield or snipe a small blocker—you open a cascade that feeds Frolicking Familiar’s growth engine. Every instant or sorcery you cast while the Familiar’s on the battlefield contributes to its stat-line, so a well-timed spell sequence can swing tempo in a single turn 🧙‍♂️⚡.
  • Flying and tempo pressure: The Familiar’s Flying makes it exceptionally punishing to block for ground-pounding decks, especially when its power and toughness can grow to meet the count of spells cast in a turn. With a careful lineup of cheap cantrips and efficient removal or burn, you can keep pressure while protecting the Familiar from ground-based removal—because your opponent may find it difficult to answer something that keeps growing as you keep casting spells 🔥.
  • Exile-recast sequencing: The exile clause isn’t just flavor—it’s a deliberately designed tempo lever. You spend early turns shaping your mana and spell economy, then exile Blow Off Steam to bring Frolicking Familiar online later in the game. When you actually recast the Familiar, that’s another opportunity to trigger its buff from any instants or sorceries you’ve cast in between. It’s a merry-go-round of value that rewards planning and careful resource management 🎲.
  • Color-splash synergy: Blue for countermagic or card-advantage vibes pairs nicely with red burn, giving you a flexible toolkit. The two colors in the card’s identity invite creative sequencing: you can slow the game with counters or tempo spells, then surge forward with a growing flyer that’s both a threat and a spell-cascade amplifier. Eldraine’s whimsical bones show through here, reminding us that a clever two-color shell can feel borderline mischievous in how it wins games ⚔️.

Practical combo lines you can try at the table

Here are a few approachable paths that illustrate the card’s power without needing a massive mana base. These are meant to spark ideas, not to prescribe a single decklist—playstyle and local meta will shape how you lean into each approach 🎨.

  • Burst of board presence: Start with a few cheap instants (draws or flexible counters) to set up a comfortable mana base. Then cast Blow Off Steam as the adventure to deal 1 damage and exile itself. In subsequent turns, cast Frolicking Familiar from exile, and unleash a quick sequence of inexpensive instants to pump it into a 5/5 or larger by end of turn. The surprise factor is real: your opponent’s assumptions about a small 2/2 flying blocker are shattered as your non-committal trickery suddenly becomes a race to the finish 🔥⚡.
  • Double-dip Burn + Grow: Use a couple of low-cost instants to hit face or remove a blocker while Frolicking Familiar is alive. Each spell you cast after it lands makes the Familiar bigger; when you finally swing, you’re delivering a flying threat that’s been pumped by multiple castings in the same turn, turning a conservative end into a dramatic payoff 🧙‍♂️💎.
  • Exile-forward stalling: If your board is light, Blow Off Steam’s exile clause becomes a tempo trick you can lean on. Cast a handful of cantrips or draw spells, then redraw the Familiar from exile and keep the momentum rolling. You’re turning a temporary exile into a long-term board presence in a way that honors the whimsical spirit of the set ✨🎲.

Designers who craft two-faced cards like this often plant little Easter eggs in the mechanics. The “Adventure” system was built to reward players who plan multiple turns ahead, while Frolicking Familiar loves the moment you drop a cascade of instants and sorceries. And yes, the art by Brian Valeza captures that playful, cunning vibe—an Otter Wizard who knows how to party with a purpose. The card’s rarity—uncommon—feels fitting for a card that invites so many creative lines without demanding a top-tier mana base. It’s a thoughtful piece in a set that values both strategic depth and a wink to the audience 🧙‍♂️💎.

As you consider building around Frolicking Familiar // Blow Off Steam, think about how the combo aligns with your local playgroup’s pace. Do you prefer a brisk tempo that ends games before they stabilize, or a longer chain of instants that crescendos into a surprise victory? Either way, you’re guaranteed a little mischief and a lot of flavor, plus the enduring joy of pairing a flying otter with a satisfying spell-slinging moment 🎨🧭.

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