Decimate MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Decimate offers a four-fold removal effect, eliminating key components from an opponent’s battlefield in one fell swoop.
  2. It’s a flexible option for red-green decks requiring strategic play and setup, rewarding clever timing and resource management.
  3. Though potent, its specific mana requirements and type-dependency make thoughtful deck construction and play sequencing essential.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact, target creature, target enchantment, and target land.

"Anyone can admire creation. Only a barbarian sees the beauty in demolition." —Kamahl, pit fighter


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The effect delivered by Decimate is potent. The forced destruction of an artifact, creature, enchantment, and land in a single swoop can lead to substantial card advantage, especially in a multi-player setting.

Resource Acceleration: Decimate’s utility goes beyond simple destruction. It disrupts the opponent’s resources, slowing down their progress, and therefore, accelerating your own advantage in the game.

Instant Speed: Whilst Decimate is not instant-speed itself, a well-played Decimate can interrupt the opponent’s strategies, similar to how an instant-speed removal would. Deploying Decimate at the right time is akin to a pivotal play, disrupting higher-cost cards your opponent has heavily invested in.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other cards, Decimate doesn’t have a discard requirement. This means that there’s no obligation to discard another card when you’re planning to play it. However, this could also be perceived as a drawback. At times, the discard option acts as a strategic mechanism that could help you decide which card to let go based on your current game state.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Decimate is a robust card, it requires one red and one green mana for casting, along with an additional two of any color. This limits its playability exclusively to multi-color decks, specifically those utilizing Green and Red.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of four to execute its effects, Decimate may appear to be a high-priced card given other alternatives. This could lead to slower rounds if your deck isn’t optimized for mana ramping or doesn’t provide sufficient resources to play this card effectively and efficiently.


Reasons to Include Decimate in Your Collection

Versatility: Decimate, a multifaceted card, easily slips into various types of decks. This card shines brightly in those strategies that thrive on dealing with multiple target types – creatures, artifacts, lands, and enchantments.

Combo Potential: As a player, you can leverage Decimate’s unique potential to initiate chain reactions, lay bare strategies dependent on specific types of permanents, and overall disrupt the battlefield state to your advantage.

Meta-Relevance: The sheer disruptive power of Decimate keeps it relevant irrespective of meta shifts. It thrives in an environment where decks heavily rely on the assortment of permanents it targets. The versatility of Decimate renders it valuable irrespective of the prevailing meta-game dynamics.


How to beat

Decimate poses quite the challenge due to its potent ability to destroy an artifact, creature, and land enchantment all in one swoop. In the game of Magic: The Gathering, countering this onslaught requires precise tactics. A fundamental approach is to limit the number of different card types you keep on the battlefield at once, making Decimate less effective as it requires one of each specified type to cast.

Try employing more of Instant spells in your deck. Notably, these spells can interrupt Decimate’s powerful destruction ability mid-attack. For example, consider using Disallow and Voidslime, two solid spells known for countering activated or triggered abilities, which could negate Decimate’s destruction power.

Furthermore, cards with Hexproof or Indestructible abilities like Asceticism or Darksteel Plate can be utilized for protection. The Hexproof ability keeps your creatures safe while Indestructible will secure against any potential destruction caused by Decimate.

To outmaneuver Decimate effectively in MTG, you must deploy timely counterspells, use protective abilities wisely, and maintain a well-balanced battlefield. With these tactics in place, the formidable Decimate may be less devastating.


BurnMana Recommendations

In the dynamic realm of MTG, strategic play and deck construction are paramount. As we dissect the pros and cons of Decimate, it’s clear that its power can be a game-changer. However, its success hinges on the right conditions and adept timing. By integrating Decimate into your deck, you unlock the potential to assert dominance over multiple card types in play, shaking the foundations of your adversaries. We encourage you to continue refining your techniques and include Decimate in your arsenal for that competitive edge. Dive deeper with us, enhance your gameplay, and revel in the thrill of victory. Ready for your next conquest? Let’s journey together towards MTG mastery.


Cards like Decimate

Decimate MTG is not only a potent but also enticing card in the Magic: The Gathering universe. It shares likenesses with cards such as Casualties of War and Bramblecrush. Casualties of War offers comparable destructive potential with a flexibility of targets that include creatures, enchantments, lands, and even planeswalkers. Though far-reaching in its devastation, it comes at a higher mana cost than Decimate.

Bramblecrush, on the other hand, offers similar destruction to lands and noncreature permanents but lacks the comprehensive scope of Decimate, targeting only a single noncreature permanent. Hence Decimate shines for its ability to cause widespread destruction at a moderate cast cost.

Interchangeably we have Hull Breach, bearing resemblance to Decimate, it allows you to destroy an artifact and an enchantment for just two mana. Even though it falls short in the number of targets, its low cast cost makes it consideration-worthy.

Summing up, Decimate, rightly admired for ensuring widespread havoc, efficiently checking multiple permanent types, and its middle-of-the-road casting cost, upholds a unique position within the array of destruction spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Casualties of War - MTG Card versions
Bramblecrush - MTG Card versions
Hull Breach - MTG Card versions
Casualties of War - War of the Spark (WAR)
Bramblecrush - Innistrad (ISD)
Hull Breach - Planeshift (PLS)

Cards similar to Decimate by color, type and mana cost

Wreak Havoc - MTG Card versions
Exploding Borders - MTG Card versions
Wreak Havoc - Guildpact (GPT)
Exploding Borders - Conflux (CON)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Decimate MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Magic Online Promos, 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 Decimate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Decimate Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 2871997normalblackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 624592015normalblackZoltan Boros
32014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 1852003normalblackZoltan Boros
42016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1932015normalblackZoltan Boros
52018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1752015normalblackZoltan Boros
62019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 1402015normalborderlessIllustranesia
72022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1372015normalblackZoltan Boros
82023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 1882015normalblackKekai Kotaki
92023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 3561997normalblackKekai Kotaki
102023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 4442015normalborderlessDrew Tucker
112023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 9222015normalblackZoltan Boros
122024-02-09Murders at Karlov Manor CommanderMKC 2042015normalblackZoltan Boros

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Decimate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-12-08 You must choose a legal target for each target required by Decimate. However, if a permanent has multiple card types, it may be chosen as the target for more than one instance of the word “target.” For example, you could cast Decimate targeting an artifact creature, an enchantment, and a land.

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