Decree of Annihilation MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost10
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Abilities Cycling

Key Takeaways

  1. Decree of Annihilation creates a massive shift, potentially yielding huge card advantage if timed correctly.
  2. Its flexibility through cycling allows for strategic plays at crucial moments, enhancing its impact.
  3. High mana cost and color specificity could limit playability, favoring strategic deck construction.

Text of card

Remove all artifacts, creatures, lands, graveyards, and hands from the game. Cycling When you cycle Decree of Annihilation, destroy all lands.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Decree of Annihilation completely resets the playing field by removing all lands, artifacts, and creatures, skewing the game in favor of the player who is better equipped to recover from such a reset. This can effectively translate to staggering card advantage if planned properly.

Resource Acceleration: In formats where big plays are essential, Decree of Annihilation can serve as a deliberate strategy to accelerate the game’s progress toward a win condition by stripping resources from the opponent who may be less prepared to operate with limited mana.

Instant Speed: Although not castable at instant speed itself, Decree of Annihilation provides flexibility through its cycling ability. This allows a player to trigger a smaller scale yet impactful effect at instant speed, which can be crucial in response to an opponent’s move or when setting up during an opponent’s end step.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Casting Decree of Annihilation requires cycling, which forces you to discard the card along with paying its cycling cost to achieve a reduced effect, potentially depleting your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s color requirement is solely red, necessitating a significant commitment to that color and potentially restricting its integration into multi-colored decks that may struggle to generate the required mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a full casting cost of ten mana, Decree of Annihilation is considered one of the costlier spells, which potentially hampers its playability especially in faster-paced games where a quick response is crucial.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Decree of Annihilation fills a unique role in decks that seek to fundamentally alter the game state. By wiping away lands, artifacts, and creatures, it resets the playing field, allowing strategies that can recover quickly from such sweeping effects or benefit from a clean slate.

Combo Potential: This card has powerful synergy with effects that protect your own board or with cards that capitalize on the sudden lack of resources for opponents, enabling devastating one-sided advantages that can be carefully orchestrated with the right deck construction.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where players heavily rely on meticulously curated mana bases and complex board states, Decree of Annihilation can serve as a meta-corrective tool. By disrupting established strategies, it can level the playing field against decks that are otherwise difficult to counter.


How to beat

Decree of Annihilation is a powerful card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to completely reset the game by destroying all lands, artifacts, and creatures. Facing this card in a match can be daunting, but there are strategies you can employ to come out on top. Unlike Decree of Annihilation, cards like Unravel the Aether or Krosan Grip offer answers by targeting problematic cards before they can create an overwhelming advantage. These cards let you remove or shuffle key pieces into your opponent’s library, disrupting their game plan without affecting your own board state.

Similarly, counterspells like Negate or Dispel can be crucial tools, ready to thwart this game-ending sorcery before it ever hits the battlefield. By keeping mana open for these spells, you can effectively shield yourself from a potential catastrophe. On top of that, proactive strategies such as playing instant speed card-drawing or creature-summoning effects can leave you less vulnerable, allowing you to rebuild more swiftly after a Decree of Annihilation. In essence, adaptability and foresight are your allies against such a sweeping effect, ensuring you maintain control of the game.

Ultimately, slipping past a Decree of Annihilation involves a mix of smart deck building, careful play, and timely disruption. By preparing for the worst and playing wisely, you can often navigate even the most seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your path.


BurnMana Recommendations

The MTG battlefield is an evolving landscape, where strategies and cards like Decree of Annihilation can serve as game-changers. This card offers massive potential for resetting the board, paving the way for a comeback or securing a win. Maximize its impact by including support cards that protect your assets or exploit the absence of resources post-destruction. If you’re looking to enhance your tactical approach and explore powerful synergies that hinge on game-altering spells, delve into our in-depth guides and resources. Elevate your game with BurnMana as your guide to navigating MTG’s endless strategic possibilities.


Cards like Decree of Annihilation

Decree of Annihilation is an impactful card in MTG, providing a level of board control rarely seen in other cards. By sweeping away all lands, creatures, and even creatures’ graveyards, this card resets the game state dramatically. It’s akin to cards like Jokulhaups and Obliterate, which also decimate multiple card types on the field, yet Decree of Annihilation goes the extra mile by dealing with graveyards as well.

Apocalypse is another card that offers a wholesale destruction effect, but it does not hit the graveyard like Decree of Annihilation. It’s also worth noting the unique cycling ability of Decree of Annihilation which, while not destroying lands when used, still disrupts opponents by wiping out their hand. This offers flexibility not seen in similar sweeping cards.

When evaluating Decree of Annihilation against its peers, its power and scope stand out, especially for those looking to rebuild from a clean slate. It demands a strategic mind to wield effectively, but consequently, it can swing the momentum of the game unlike any other.

Jokulhaups - MTG Card versions
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Obliterate - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Decree of Annihilation MTG card by a specific set like Scourge and The List, 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 Decree of Annihilation and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Decree of Annihilation Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2003-05-26 and 2003-05-26. Illustrated by John Avon.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12003-05-26ScourgeSCG 851997NormalBlackJohn Avon
22020-09-26The ListPLST SCG-851997NormalBlackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Decree of Annihilation has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Decree of Annihilation 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 Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not.
2008-10-01 The cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. If the triggered ability doesn’t resolve (due to being countered with Stifle, for example, or if all its targets have become illegal), the cycling ability will still resolve and you’ll draw a card.
2008-10-01 When you cycle this card, first the cycling ability goes on the stack, then the triggered ability goes on the stack on top of it. The triggered ability will resolve before you draw a card from the cycling ability.

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