Hell's Thunder MTG Card


Hell’s Thunder provides versatile aggression in red decks, making it a key card for swift offensive strategies. Its instant speed unearth ability allows players to use it at critical moments, increasing its strategic value. The card’s demanding mana cost and discard requirement may limit its use in diverse or recurring strategies.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Flying,Haste,Unearth
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Flying, haste At end of turn, sacrifice Hell's Thunder. Unearth (: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)


Cards like Hell's Thunder

Hell’s Thunder finds its niche in the expansive world of red creatures in Magic: The Gathering, with striking similarities to other high-impact cards. It echoes the sentiments of Ball Lightning, a classic that offers a comparable burst of power with trample and haste, albeit without the recurrence ability. Hell’s Thunder adds a layer of strategy by allowing a second wave of attack from the graveyard, further pressuring opponents.

Further comparing, we observe that Spark Trooper shares a semblance of this ‘hit-and-run’ philosophy, delivering lifelink on top of trample and haste. Still, it lacks the return mechanic that can catch an opponent off-guard with Hell’s Thunder. Finally, we see a similar temporary threat in Lightning Serpent, which lets you invest mana to increment its power, creating a potentially larger, but still ephemeral, threat. Unlike Hell’s Thunder, the serpent doesn’t offer a second chance to assault.

Each card has its place, but Hell’s Thunder remains a unique blend of power and surprise, making it a formidable choice for players who enjoy aggressive, red-based strategies within Magic: The Gathering.

Ball Lightning - MTG Card versions
Spark Trooper - MTG Card versions
Lightning Serpent - MTG Card versions
Ball Lightning - MTG Card versions
Spark Trooper - MTG Card versions
Lightning Serpent - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Hell's Thunder by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
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Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions
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Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions
Basalt Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Orcish Artillery - MTG Card versions
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - MTG Card versions
Blind-Spot Giant - MTG Card versions
Mudbutton Torchrunner - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
Wall of Lava - MTG Card versions
Brassclaw Orcs - MTG Card versions
Imperial Recruiter - MTG Card versions
Uthden Troll - MTG Card versions
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions
Goblin Rabblemaster - MTG Card versions
Nosy Goblin - MTG Card versions
Goblin Sky Raider - MTG Card versions
Cosmic Larva - MTG Card versions
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions
Ghost-Lit Raider - MTG Card versions
Goblin Chariot - MTG Card versions
Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions
Basalt Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Orcish Artillery - MTG Card versions
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - MTG Card versions
Blind-Spot Giant - MTG Card versions
Mudbutton Torchrunner - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Hell's Thunder. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Mono-Red MidrangeMono-Red Midrange ModernMono-Red MidrangeModern Preliminary 2024-01-15

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hell’s Thunder doesn’t directly offer card advantage, but its unearth ability allows you to use it twice, essentially giving you two uses from a single card, which can be an unexpected boon in a tight situation.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing resource acceleration, the 4/4 flying trample can be a fast clock, forcing your opponent to deal with it rapidly and possibly diverting resources they would otherwise use to develop their board or hinder yours.

Instant Speed: The unearth ability can be activated at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to bring Hell’s Thunder back during an opponent’s end step, keeping your mana open for other spells and surprises during your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hell’s Thunder demands that you discard it after use, as it has the Unearth ability. This requirement can be a hindrance, especially if your strategy depends on recurring creatures or maximizing every card in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature’s casting cost is triple red mana, making it less flexible for multi-colored decks and potentially challenging to cast on curve if your mana base isn’t perfectly tuned to produce enough red mana when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three red, Hell’s Thunder is quite costly for an aggressive creature. Given that it only remains on the battlefield temporarily due to its Unearth mechanic, you might find other creatures or spells that offer more permanent solutions or greater impact for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Hell’s Thunder in Your Collection

Versatility: Hell’s Thunder adapts well to numerous aggressive strategies. Its flying ability allows it to evade many ground-based defenses. Moreover, its haste lets it impact the game immediately, which can be game-changing in fast-paced matches or when catching opponents off-guard is critical.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in decks that work on recurring creatures from the graveyard. With its unearth ability, Hell’s Thunder can return for a last impactful play, making it an excellent component for surprise attacks or as a sacrificial element to enable larger combos.

Meta-Relevance: Despite the ever-evolving meta, cards with haste and temporary board presence like Hell’s Thunder maintain relevance, particularly as part of strategies looking to close out games quickly or those working to temporarily disrupt opponent’s plans without committing resources long-term.


How to beat

Hell’s Thunder is a dynamic force on the battlefield, known for its fleeting yet impactful presence in Magic: The Gathering matches. This red creature card brings an explosive entrance with its haste ability, allowing it to deal damage swiftly before vanishing at the end turn due to its unearth mechanic. To effectively counter this card, strategic removal is essential. Cards with instant-speed removal such as Path to Exile or Lightning Bolt can be particularly effective, as they can be played in response to Hell’s Thunder’s attack, mitigating the damage it can deal. Utilizing graveyard disruption is another tactical approach, with cards like Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void making it impossible for your opponent to bring back Hell’s Thunder with its unearth ability.

Another angle is to simply outpace it. Playing creatures with higher toughness can absorb the impact of Hell’s Thunder, or you might opt for lifegain strategies to offset the life loss. Finally, remember that patience can be key; weather the initial storm, and without additional support, Hell’s Thunder will exile itself naturally, allowing you to reclaim control of the game. By anticipating this fiery threat and having a plan in place, you can ensure that Hell’s Thunder’s roar is met with silence.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hell's Thunder MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Hell's Thunder and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hell's Thunder Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2014-09-05. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 1032003NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
22014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 102015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
32020-09-26The ListPLST ALA-1032003NormalBlackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hell's Thunder has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Hell's Thunder card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2008-10-01 Activating a creature card’s unearth ability isn’t the same as casting the creature card. The unearth ability is put on the stack, but the creature card is not. Spells and abilities that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle) will interact with unearth, but spells and abilities that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul) will not.
2008-10-01 At the beginning of the end step, a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth is exiled. This is a delayed triggered ability, and it can be countered by effects such as Stifle or Voidslime that counter triggered abilities. If the ability is countered, the creature will stay on the battlefield and the delayed trigger won’t trigger again. However, the replacement effect will still exile the creature when it eventually leaves the battlefield.
2008-10-01 If a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth would leave the battlefield for any reason, it’s exiled instead — unless the spell or ability that’s causing the creature to leave the battlefield is actually trying to exile it! In that case, it succeeds at exiling it. If it later returns the creature card to the battlefield (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to the battlefield as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.
2008-10-01 If you activate a card’s unearth ability but that card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that unearth ability will resolve and do nothing.
2008-10-01 Unearth grants haste to the creature that’s returned to the battlefield. However, neither of the “exile” abilities is granted to that creature. If that creature loses all its abilities, it will still be exiled at the beginning of the end step, and if it would leave the battlefield, it is still exiled instead.