Scorchmark MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2019-01-25
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica Allegiance
Set code	RNA
Number	113
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jason Felix

Key Takeaways

Offers indirect card advantage by impeding opponent strategies and preserving your creatures for future turns.
Exiling effect serves as disruption in graveyard-play heavy metas, bolstering its strategic utility.
Demands careful deck building to optimize mana and creature toughness to weaken its removal impact.

Text of card

Scorchmark deals 2 damage to target creature. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.

"Have you seen your face? Trust me, this will be an improvement."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Scorchmark may not directly allow you to draw more cards, but its utility makes it a valuable inclusion in your deck. This spell’s ability to deal damage and effectively remove a pesky creature from the battlefield can indirectly contribute to card advantage by hindering your opponent’s strategies and preserving your own creatures for further play.

Resource Acceleration: While Scorchmark itself doesn’t generate additional resources, it’s a low-cost spell at just two mana. This efficient use of resources aids in maintaining tempo and allows you to allocate mana elsewhere, perhaps to cast multiple spells in a turn or save enough for larger threats down the line.

Instant Speed: The instant speed nature of Scorchmark gives you the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s plans on their turn. You can remove a key creature right before it can be used in combat or in response to an activation of its ability, which can significantly alter the course of the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Scorchmark may be efficient at removing creatures, but it offers no card advantage. Unlike some removal spells that replace themselves in your hand or affect the board in a broader sense, playing Scorchmark simply trades one of your cards for one of your opponent’s.

Specific Mana Cost: Scorchmark’s casting cost requires one colorless and one red mana, which might restrict its inclusion to mono-red or two-color red-based decks especially. If your manabase isn’t properly tuned, casting it on curve could be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana isn’t exorbitant for a removal spell, in the realm of competitive play, efficiency is key. Other spells at similar costs might deal more damage or offer additional flexibility with the types of targets they can address. This makes Scorchmark a potentially less attractive option when deck building.

Reasons to Include Scorchmark in Your Collection

Versatility: Scorchmark is an efficient removal spell that can swiftly deal with many early-game creatures. Its instant speed allows for flexible use, making it a decent option for multiple deck archetypes favoring quick interaction.

Combo Potential: This card isn’t just about removal; it can also be a key piece in decks that capitalize on graveyard play. Exiling the creature it destroys limits your opponents’ recursion strategies and can disrupt their plans effectively.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where small, utility creatures or token strategies are prevalent, Scorchmark can serve as an essential tool, offering an edge over decks that rely on such strategies by removing those threats and reducing the opponent’s board presence efficiently.

How to beat

Scorchmark has its special niche in Magic: The Gathering as a quick and efficient removal spell. Its ability to deal 2 damage and even exile targets if they were to die makes it particularly good against certain creature strategies. To outmaneuver Scorchmark, employing creatures with toughness greater than 2 is key as it neutralizes its threat partially. Additionally, you can take advantage of instant-speed spells that can increase your creature’s toughness or provide hexproof in response to Scorchmark, saving them from being swept away and exiled.

Utilizing cards that can regenerate or have indestructible is another strategic layer to consider. This not only renders Scorchmark ineffective but can also leave your opponent at a disadvantage, having wasted a removal spell. It’s important to recognize the speed of Scorchmark as well, a two mana instant, making it a go-to for early game targeting. Keeping this in mind, pacing the play of your weaker creatures or holding up mana for protective spells can turn the tide, offering a robust defense against such direct damage tactics.

Examining Scorchmark within the landscape of Magic: The Gathering removal spells, we can see that while it’s a card to be wary of, smart deck building and tactical play provide various pathways to weaken its impact on the game.

Cards like Scorchmark

Scorchmark stands out as an efficient removal spell in Magic: The Gathering. Matching up against other cards like Shock, Scorchmark offers a unique edge. While both spells deal 2 damage, Scorchmark takes it a step further by exiling the target if it would die. This nuance forecloses any revival antics and can dismantle graveyard strategies.

Comparing it to Lava Coil, a close relative in removal spells, Scorchmark trades damage output for a lower mana cost. Lava Coil, dealing 4 damage, hits harder yet comes at the steeper cost of two mana. What’s more, Lava Coil shares the exile feature but lacks the instant speed flexibility that Scorchmark provides, allowing players to react in the heat of battle.

Flame Sweep is another comparable card that offers a different type of utility, dealing 2 damage to each creature except for those you control with flying. Flame Sweep is ideal for clearing multiple creatures at once but doesn’t target players or planeswalkers like Scorchmark. Ultimately, Scorchmark holds its own in the realm of red burn spells, offering swift, conditional exile power at a low cost. It exemplifies the precision required for those quick gameplay adjustments and strategic creature eliminations.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Scorchmark MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance, 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 Scorchmark and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Scorchmark 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 Scorchmark card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2019-01-25	Scorchmark’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 Scorchmark deals no damage to it (perhaps due to a prevention effect).