Peak Eruption MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Number	132
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Adam Paquette

Key Takeaways

Peak Eruption disrupts opponents, tilts card balance in your favor, and controls the game pace.
Effective in red control decks, providing strategic advantages in land-centric matchups.
Diversifying land selection in your deck can counteract Peak Eruption’s targeted disruption.

Text of card

Destroy target Mountain. Peak Eruption deals 3 damage to that land's controller.

"Early olive buds? A good omen. Flock of crows? Not so good. Mountain exploding? Bad. Very, very bad." —Hira, street oracle

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Peak Eruption is designed to target specific land cards which can disrupt your opponent’s strategy, potentially causing them to lose a valuable resource and forcing them to draw it again. This tilts the card balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: By removing an opponent’s land, especially one that is capable of producing multiple mana, Peak Eruption can effectively slow down an opponent’s gameplay and resource acceleration. This tempo swing can be crucial for maintaining control of the game.

Instant Speed: Peak Eruption’s sorcery speed demands strategic planning about when to utilize it. Taking out a land at the right moment, perhaps when the opponent is poised to cast a game-changing spell, can be devastating and offers a significant tactical edge in a match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not applicable to Peak Eruption, discard requirements on similar cards often force players to forfeit valuable cards, diminishing their hand size and strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Peak Eruption’s specific red mana cost narrows its integration, making it less versatile in multi-colored decks that might struggle with the necessary red mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring three mana, including two red, to destroy a single Mountain and deny two mana can be substantial. There might be cases where using this card doesn’t equate to a sizable strategic advantage, especially in formats where mana acceleration is less prevalent.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Peak Eruption fits seamlessly into red-based control or land destruction decks. Its ability to destroy a Mountain offers a strategic advantage in matches where land types are pivotal.

Combo Potential: Not only does it clear the way for your offensive by removing opposing Mountains, but Peak Eruption can also set up devastating follow-up plays by providing extra mana through its land destruction.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where decks relying on Mountains or nonbasic Mountains are prevalent, incorporating Peak Eruption can disrupt your opponents’ strategies significantly, giving you a competitive edge.

How to beat

Peak Eruption positions itself as a noteworthy sideboard card in Magic: The Gathering for its potent ability to disrupt certain land-based strategies. It targets a specific land type—Mountains—making it a strong play against decks reliant on red mana. To effectively counteract Peak Eruption, it’s wise to diversify your land portfolio, incorporating nonbasic lands that don’t fall under the Mountain subtype to mitigate the disruption.

Utilizing dual lands or land cards that have the ability to produce red mana without being a Mountain can decrease the impact of Peak Eruption on your game plan. Additionally, having enchantments like Blood Moon can convert your nonbasic lands into Mountains after the potential threat of Peak Eruption has passed, ensuring a steady flow of red mana while preventing early-game setbacks. Flexibility in mana sources is key in dodging the collateral damage of this land-targeting sorcery.

In essence, strategic land selection and timing your enchantments are essential when facing players who wield Peak Eruption in their decks. By crafting your deck with these considerations in mind, you can maintain your mana curve and keep your game on track, even when Peak Eruption is at play.

Cards like Peak Eruption

Peak Eruption holds a niche position within the specialty destruction spells in Magic: The Gathering. This card is uniquely tailored to target Mountains, offering a distinct advantage particularly in matchups where lands such as Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle or nonbasic Mountains play a key role. In comparison, cards like Stone Rain offer a broader scope of land destruction, capable of targeting any land regardless of type but without the added benefit of dealing damage specifically to Mountain controllers.

Another card with a related concept is Molten Rain, which also destroys lands and deals damage to the land’s controller. However, Molten Rain has a wider application than Peak Eruption, affecting any land but delivering less targeted damage against Mountain-heavy decks. Additionally, Molten Rain has a higher mana cost, which places Peak Eruption in a favorable position in terms of efficiency and specificity in red-centric or land-destruction strategies.

In evaluating the strategic value and applications of land destruction spells, Peak Eruption presents itself as an effective tool in a metagame populated with Mountain-based strategies, offering targeted disruption alongside moderate damage output for a lower mana investment compared to its counterparts.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Peak Eruption MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Peak Eruption and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Peak Eruption has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	If the target Mountain is an illegal target when Peak Eruption tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No damage will be dealt. However, if Peak Eruption resolves and the Mountain isn't destroyed (perhaps because it has indestructible), damage will be dealt.
2013-09-15	Peak Eruption can target any land with the subtype Mountain, not just those named Mountain. It can't target a land that doesn't have that subtype, even if the land can tap for .