Volcanic Eruption MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Volcanic Eruption grants massive control by destroying multiple lands, hindering opponent’s game progression.
  2. Its specific blue mana cost may limit flexibility, favoring decks with substantial blue mana resources.
  3. In the right meta, the card shifts games by wiping out strategic lands and altering board states.

Text of card

Destroys X mountains of your choice, and does X damage to each player and each creature in play.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Volcanic Eruption provides a potent mechanism for board control. By destroying multiple lands, you not only impact the battlefield but also set your opponent back significantly in resources, effectively generating card advantage by dealing with multiple threats at once.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly accelerate resources for you, Volcanic Eruption can serve as a resource acceleration strategy by indirectly setting your opponent’s mana development behind, giving you a relative advantage in the amount of available mana and the ability to deploy threats quicker than your opponent.

Instant Speed: This powerful card operates at sorcery speed, which means strategic timing is essential. Although it doesn’t have the flexibility of instant speed, the impact it has on the game state can be so substantial that it compensates for this by potentially clearing the way for your win conditions unimpeded.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One key drawback of Volcanic Eruption is its potential card disadvantage. To maximize its effect and destroy more of your opponent’s lands, you may need to discard valuable cards, which could leave you with fewer options later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Volcanic Eruption is quite specific, requiring multiple blue mana. This can make it quite restrictive, as it fits primarily in decks that are heavily invested in blue mana and might be clunky or unusable in more diversified mana bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting cost that’s steep and increases with each additional land you aim to destroy, Volcanic Eruption comes with a high mana investment. In a game where timing and efficiency are crucial, you might find it challenging to cast it without falling behind on other important plays.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Volcanic Eruption brings flexibility to blue-centric control decks, offering a way to deal with multiple non-basic lands that could be enabling your opponent’s strategies. Its ability to disrupt land bases across the table makes it a useful tool in various matchups.

Combo Potential: This card can work in conjunction with land destruction strategies or serve as a potent finisher in a game where mana denial is key. Coupled with cards that allow you to return lands to the hand or play extra lands, Volcanic Eruption can significantly alter the board state to your advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where land-heavy or multi-color decks prevail, having the option to clear out a swath of non-basic lands can be a game-changer, potentially stalling your opponents’ plans and securing a win through strategic land control.


How to beat

Volcanic Eruption is a potent force in the MTG arena that requires strategic consideration to counter effectively. This blue spell has the power to destroy multiple lands in one fell swoop, especially targeting lands of the mountain type. To circumvent the significant threat this card poses, players need to diversify their mana base, reducing reliance on mountain lands that are vulnerable to Volcanic Eruption’s impact.

Moreover, incorporating countermeasures such as counterspells can neutralize the eruption before it wreaks havoc. Cards like Counterspell or Negate are perfect defensive tools, allowing players to halt Volcanic Eruption before it resolves. Additionally, employing instant-speed land regeneration abilities or spells will aid in protecting your valuable mana resources from becoming collateral damage. At instant speed, regeneration spells or abilities can be a swift response to the destruction that Volcanic Eruption aims to inflict.

In essence, playing around Volcanic Eruption demands a blend of land diversity, precise timing of counteractions, and a sharp eye on mana management. Adapting your gameplay to expect and mitigate threats like this can mean the difference between victory and seeing your lands turn to ash.


Cards like Volcanic Eruption

Examining the dynamics of destruction spells in Magic: The Gathering, Volcanic Eruption presents as an intriguing option for land control. Within this space, it invites comparisons to cards like Stone Rain and Molten Rain. Stone Rain provides a simpler approach, allowing players to target and destroy a single land at a lower cost. Volcanic Eruption, however, has the capacity to wipe out multiple lands of the same type, potentially crippling opponents using mono-colored decks.

Another related card is Icefall, which destroys lands and has the additional benefit of being recoverable from the graveyard thanks to the recover mechanic. Yet, Volcanic Eruption stands out for its ability to target multiple lands simultaneously, which can be a game-changer in late-game scenarios. Sinkhole is also a noteworhty comparison, a powerful black spell capable of land destruction at an efficient cost. Its pinpoint removal is excellent, but unlike Volcanic Eruption, it doesn’t scale with the game’s progression.

Considering the strategic impact on gameplay, the versatility of Volcanic Eruption within Magic: The Gathering shows its potential to be a force against certain deck types, offering a significant advantage in disrupting the opponent’s mana base when timed correctly.

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Molten Rain - MTG Card versions
Icefall - MTG Card versions
Sinkhole - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Molten Rain - Mirrodin (MRD)
Icefall - Coldsnap (CSP)
Sinkhole - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Volcanic Eruption by color, type and mana cost

Timetwister - MTG Card versions
Baleful Stare - MTG Card versions
Déjà Vu - MTG Card versions
Exhaustion - MTG Card versions
Time Ebb - MTG Card versions
Political Trickery - MTG Card versions
Dream Cache - MTG Card versions
Fade Away - MTG Card versions
Undo - MTG Card versions
Tinker - MTG Card versions
Sage's Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Ingenious Mastery - MTG Card versions
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - MTG Card versions
Reminisce - MTG Card versions
Fabricate - MTG Card versions
Counsel of the Soratami - MTG Card versions
Vacuumelt - MTG Card versions
Compulsive Research - MTG Card versions
Timetwister - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Baleful Stare - Portal (POR)
Déjà Vu - Portal (POR)
Exhaustion - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Time Ebb - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Political Trickery - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Dream Cache - Tempest (TMP)
Fade Away - Exodus (EXO)
Undo - Starter 1999 (S99)
Tinker - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Sage's Knowledge - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Ingenious Mastery - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Tasha's Hideous Laughter - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Reminisce - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Fabricate - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Counsel of the Soratami - Tenth Edition (10E)
Vacuumelt - Guildpact (GPT)
Compulsive Research - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Volcanic Eruption MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Volcanic Eruption and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Volcanic Eruption Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Douglas Shuler.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 881993normalblackDouglas Shuler
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 891993normalblackDouglas Shuler
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 891993normalwhiteDouglas Shuler
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 891993normalblackDouglas Shuler
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 891993normalblackDouglas Shuler
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 891993normalwhiteDouglas Shuler
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 891993normalblackDouglas Shuler
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 891993normalwhiteDouglas Shuler
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 1121993normalwhiteDouglas Shuler
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 1121993normalblackDouglas Shuler
112022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 3851997normalblackDouglas Shuler
122022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 882015normalblackDouglas Shuler

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Volcanic Eruption has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 Can be used with X equal to zero. This is useful if no Mountains are on the battlefield.

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