Volcanic Salvo MTG Card

Core Set 2021 (M21)
2020-07-03 - Number 371

Core Set 2021 (M21)
2020-07-03 - Number 172

Volcanic Salvo - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Magic Online Promos (PRM)
2002-06-24 - Number 81972

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	12
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Can remove several creatures at once, offering a significant card advantage and altering the game state.
With the right board state, its mana cost decreases, allowing you to cast the spell sooner and with great impact.
Acts at instant speed with a 4-power creature, providing unexpected plays that can disrupt your opponent’s strategy.

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast, where X is the total power of creatures you control. Volcanic Salvo deals 6 damage to each of up to two target creatures and/or planeswalkers.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Volcanic Salvo can potentially deal with multiple threats at once, removing several creatures from the board. This efficient removal can lead to a significant card advantage, as you may eliminate more than one of your opponent’s cards while only using one of your own.

Resource Acceleration: While Volcanic Salvo itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it can become less costly with a board full of high-powered creatures. This synergy allows players to cast a heavy-hitting spell for potentially far less mana than usual, effectively accelerating your ability to play impactful cards sooner in the game.

Instant Speed: Volcanic Salvo’s ability to be cast as though it had flash when you control a creature with power 4 or greater means you can surprise your opponent by dealing 6 damage to each of up to two target creatures and/or planeswalkers they control at instant speed. This can disrupt their strategies, especially during combat or at the end of their turn, to maintain the tempo in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Volcanic Salvo doesn’t have a discard requirement, it’s important to recognize this could be a potential drawback for other high-cost cards. Discarding can deplete your hand and reduce your ability to respond to opponents’ threats.

Specific Mana Cost: Volcanic Salvo’s specific mana cost of 10RR can be challenging to meet, especially in multi-color decks. It can restrict the card’s inclusion to primarily red decks or those with ample mana fixing capabilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its cost-reduction ability, based on the total power of creatures you control, Volcanic Salvo’s initial 12 mana cost is still significant. There are other removal options that could be more mana-efficient, allowing you to maintain tempo and allocate resources to other spells and creatures throughout the game.

Reasons to Include Volcanic Salvo in Your Collection

Versatility: Volcanic Salvo can be an explosive addition to any red-focused deck. Capable of dealing massive damage, it can turn the tide of the game regardless of your opponent’s creature defense, making it highly adaptable in various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that rapidly deploy numerous creatures or generate significant amounts of mana. It synergizes particularly well with strategies that reduce its casting cost, creating opportunities for game-changing plays at a fraction of the cost.

Meta-Relevance: Given its power to potentially clear out multiple threats in one go, Volcanic Salvo can be very relevant in metas dominated by creature-heavy decks. It acts as a potent stabilizer that can dismantle opponent boards and pave the way for a swift victory.

How to beat

Volcanic Salvo is a powerhouse in the Magic: The Gathering realm, recognized for its potential to deal a devastating twelve damage to up to two creatures and/or planeswalkers. However, despite its strength, there are strategies to overcome this red sorcery. Understanding the card’s cost-reduction mechanic, which calculates the total power of creatures you control is vital. Keeping creature power on the board low can make Volcanic Salvo less accessible to your opponent.

Counterspells are a direct means to neutralize Volcanic Salvo before it wreaks havoc. It’s important to have mana available specifically for a potential Volcanic Salvo play, especially during the mid to late game when your opponent is likely to cast it. Additionally, prioritizing the removal of your opponent’s creatures can prevent them from reaching the critical mass needed to reduce Volcanic Salvo’s cost significantly.

In essence, while Volcanic Salvo may seem intimidating, maintaining control of the board, employing counterspells effectively, and disrupting your opponent’s creature base can greatly diminish the impact of this explosive spell in your MTG battles.

Cards like Volcanic Salvo

Volcanic Salvo stands out with its potential for overwhelming damage, echoing other powerful spells such as Star of Extinction and Banefire in the Magic: The Gathering arena. Like Volcanic Salvo, Star of Extinction delivers a catastrophic blow with its ability to deal 20 damage to each creature and each planeswalker. However, Star of Extinction doesn’t offer the cost reduction benefit based on the total power of creatures you control, a feature that makes Volcanic Salvo uniquely advantageous in decks with numerous high-power creatures.

Another formidable spell in this category is Banefire, which shares the uncounterable quality with Volcanic Salvo when cast for a high enough mana cost. It allows for precise damage targeting – whether it’s a creature, player, or planeswalker. While Banefire lacks the area effect damage, its flexibility in cost makes it usable in various stages of the game.

Each card carries distinctive strengths, yet Volcanic Salvo has a unique niche due to its cost-reduction mechanic, making it a deadly late-game play in creature-heavy decks. This feature often leads to a pivotal shift in board presence and generates a significant advantage for players adept at fielding large creatures, placing Volcanic Salvo favorably among high-damage spells in MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Volcanic Salvo MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Core Set 2021, 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 Salvo and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Volcanic Salvo Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-07-03 and 2020-07-03. Illustrated by Torstein Nordstrand.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	~~2002-06-24~~	Magic Online Promos	PRM	81972	2015	Normal	Black	Torstein Nordstrand
2	2020-07-03	Core Set 2021	M21	371	2015	Normal	Black	Torstein Nordstrand
3	2020-07-03	Core Set 2021	M21	172	2015	Normal	Black	Torstein Nordstrand

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Volcanic Salvo has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-06-23	If a creature's power is somehow less than 0, it subtracts from the total power of your other creatures. If the total power of your creatures is 0 or less, the cost remains .
2020-06-23	Once you begin to cast Volcanic Salvo, players can't take other actions until you've finished casting it. Notably, they can't try to change the total power of your creatures.
2020-06-23	The cost reduction applies only to generic mana in the cost of Volcanic Salvo. It can't reduce the requirement.
2020-06-23	The total cost to cast Volcanic Salvo is locked in before you pay that cost. For example, if you control three 2/2 creatures, including one you can sacrifice to add to your mana pool, the total cost is . Then you can sacrifice the creature when you activate mana abilities just before paying the cost.
2020-06-23	To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Volcanic Salvo). The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
2020-06-23	You can't target the same creature or planeswalker twice with Volcanic Salvo to deal 12 damage to it.