Puncturing Blow MTG Card

Puncturing Blow trades well with heavy hitters, often resulting in favorable one-for-one exchanges. Mana cost specificity and higher investment might constrain deck-building versatility and pace. It excels against reanimation strategies, ensuring exiled creatures can’t return to the field.

Puncturing Blow - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Hour of Devastation (HOU)
2017-07-14 - Number 106

Puncturing Blow - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)

Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
2020-08-13 - Number 171

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery

Text of card

Puncturing Blow deals 5 damage to target creature. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.

"Neither the false God-Pharaoh nor his bugs will decide our fate." —Samut, former Tah-crop initiate

Cards like Puncturing Blow

Puncturing Blow is a solid removal option within the MTG realm. In this role, it finds itself in the company of other robust removal cards such as Lava Axe, but Puncturing Blow stands out due to its ability to handle problematic creatures. Where Lava Axe targets a player directly, Puncturing Blow deals with creatures specifically, and it ensures those creatures cannot return from the graveyard. This is a key distinction and a significant tactical advantage against decks that rely on creature recurrence.

Another companion in the removal suite is Flame Lash. While Flame Lash offers the flexibility of targeting both creatures and players and deals damage at instant speed, it doesn’t present the same finality that Puncturing Blow offers by preventing creature reanimation—a nuanced but crucial detail for controlling the battlefield. Incendiary Flow is a spell that also exiles creatures if they perish from its damage, coming in at a lower cost while dealing less damage. However, Puncturing Blow’s higher damage ceiling ensures the extermination of more formidable threats.

Evaluating Puncturing Blow alongside its counterparts, it is evident that while some spells offer more flexibility in targets or speed, Puncturing Blow provides a unique safeguard against strategies that would otherwise frustrate removal efforts, positioning it as a valuable card in MTG for players with a strategy centered on definitive creature control.

Cards similar to Puncturing Blow by color, type and mana cost

Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Puncturing Blow might not directly let you draw cards, it efficiently removes critical threats from the game, often trading one-for-one with your opponent’s heavyweight creatures, potentially disrupting their strategies and tipping the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Puncturing Blow doesn’t inherently accelerate your resources, but its cost-effectiveness in dealing with high-cost creatures can save you mana in the long run. It enables you to deal with expensive threats without having to invest in similarly costly removal spells or multiple cards to deal with a single threat.

Instant Speed: Though Puncturing Blow operates at sorcery speed, its definitive removal ensures that the battlefield is clear on your turn, paving the way for your assaults without immediate retaliation. It solidifies your position, giving you the tactical advantage of starting your turn with one less opposing threat to worry about.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One notable drawback is the absence of a discard requirement which could synergize with graveyard strategies or enablers for reanimation tactics in your deck. Puncturing Blow doesn’t offer this extra layer of strategy, which can be a missed opportunity for complex play.

Specific Mana Cost: With Puncturing Blow, you’re looking at a non-negotiable red mana cost. This can restrict deck-building options, as it necessitates a red mana base. For players who don’t run a red or at least a partly red deck, it’s simply not a feasible choice.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a cost of four mana, including two red, Puncturing Blow can feel quite expensive, especially when other removal options may do the job for less. This can hinder the card’s inclusion in fast-paced or mana-efficient decks, where optimizing every spell’s impact per mana spent is crucial.

Reasons to Include Puncturing Blow in Your Collection

Versatility: Puncturing Blow is a powerful option for red decks that seek to remove big threats from the battlefield. Its ability to deal 6 damage to a creature ensures that even the most formidable of foes can be taken down, making it a versatile addition to any collection.

Combo Potential: Beyond single-handedly dealing with sizable creatures, Puncturing Blow works well in strategies focused on damage amplification or spell synergies. Its substantial damage output can be pivotal for combos that benefit from spells that deal hefty damage to creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where big creatures dominate, Puncturing Blow is an excellent meta choice. It targets and eliminates key creatures that could otherwise overwhelm you, playing an essential role in maintaining board control in such meta scenarios.

How to beat Puncturing Blow

Puncturing Blow is a red sorcery that offers a straightforward yet potent removal option for MTG players. It deals a significant amount of damage, enough to eliminate many threats in the game. Its distinctive ability to exile a creature it destroys ensures problematic creatures don’t return from the graveyard, setting it apart from other removal spells.

However, Puncturing Blow does have its weaknesses. Its casting cost limits its usage to the mid-to-late game, so early pressure is a powerful strategy against decks relying on this card. Aggressive, low-cost creatures can establish a board presence before Puncturing Blow comes online. Moreover, utilizing instant-speed removal or counterspells offers an edge, as Puncturing Blow operates at sorcery speed, allowing for preemptive action and disruption of the opponent’s plans before they can cast it.

Finally, hexproof and indestructible creatures are out of reach for Puncturing Blow, presenting a solid line of defense. Adequate protection for key creatures through spells like Blossoming Defense can also ensure their survival. Adapting your strategy by either going under or over this potent removal can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Puncturing Blow MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Amonkhet Remastered, 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 Puncturing Blow and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Puncturing Blow Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Eric Deschamps.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2017-07-14	Hour of Devastation	HOU		106	2015	Normal	Black	Eric Deschamps
2	2020-08-13	Amonkhet Remastered	AKR		171	2015	Normal	Black	Eric Deschamps

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Puncturing Blow has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-07-14	Puncturing Blow’s replacement effect will exile the target creature if it would die this turn for any reason, not just due to lethal damage. It applies to the target creature even if Puncturing Blow deals no damage to it (due to a prevention effect) or Puncturing Blow deals damage to a different creature (due to a redirection effect).