Infinite Obliteration MTG Card


Infinite Obliteration - Magic Origins
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released2015-07-17
Set symbol
Set nameMagic Origins
Set codeORI
Number103
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byYeong-Hao Han

Key Takeaways

  1. Decimates opponent’s strategies by preemptively eliminating their key creatures from deck, hand, and graveyard.
  2. Efficiently clears potential resource accelerators, offering a strategic advantage in resource management.
  3. Though not an instant, its long-term strategic impact can substantially dictate the game’s outcome.

Text of card

Name a creature card. Search target opponent's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them. Then that player shuffles his or her library.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Infinite Obliteration excels at stripping your opponent’s deck of key creatures, potentially eliminating threats before they can even be played. By removing all copies of a named creature, it disrupts their game plan and can give you a significant psychological edge as your opponent knows their win-conditions are severely compromised.

Resource Acceleration: Although Infinite Obliteration itself doesn’t provide traditional mana acceleration, it contributes to resource acceleration by efficiently dealing with creatures that, once on the battlefield, could provide your opponent with resource advantages. By preemptively removing these threats, you can better allocate your mana towards advancing your board instead of dealing with problematic creatures.

Instant Speed: While Infinite Obliteration is a sorcery, its effect is akin to preemptive, permanent removal. It may not have the flexibility of instant speed, but the benefits of surgically targeting your opponent’s strategy have a long-lasting impact that can dictate the pace of the game, oftentimes putting you in control from the outset.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Infinite Obliteration calls for the removal of a creature card from the opponent’s deck, hand, and graveyard, which necessitates precise knowledge of the opponent’s deck to be effective. Without this insight, its potential impact diminishes.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost is specifically set at one black and two generic mana, making it more challenging to fit into non-black or multicolored mana base decks while also aligning with the demands of a three-mana curve spot.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Infinite Obliteration competes with other impactful three-mana spells across MTG’s vast card pool. Considering its non-immediate board effect, it may not always be the optimum turn-three play in many game scenarios.


Reasons to Include Infinite Obliteration in Your Collection

Versatility: Infinite Obliteration stands out due to its precise creature removal, allowing players to address specific threats pervasive in various deck types across formats. Its ability to surgically extract creatures from a game reaches beyond the battlefield, impacting hands and libraries alike.

Combo Potential: This card excels in disrupting opponent strategies, particularly those reliant on creature-based combos. By preemptively eliminating key components, Infinite Obliteration can significantly reduce the potency of combos, providing a tactical advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments dominated by creature-oriented decks or those that rely on singular, high-impact creatures, Infinite Obliteration’s role becomes crucial. It aids in tilting the field in your favor, ensuring decks that depend heavily on certain creatures are less threatening.


How to beat

Infinite Obliteration stands out in MTG as a dedicated anti-combo card that targets and exiles all copies of a creature from an opponent’s deck. When facing this disruptive spell, a diverse creature base can be your safeguard. Unlike spells that target creatures on the battlefield, Infinite Obliteration bypasses traditional defenses, rendering countermeasures that protect creatures in play, such as hexproof or indestructibility, ineffective.

Adaptability is key to overcoming the effects of this potent card. Utilize a varied lineup of threats to ensure that the loss of any single creature type doesn’t cripple your strategy. Additionally, cards with graveyard recursion can prove invaluable as they can bring back creatures that were not directly exiled by Infinite Obliteration, maintaining your onslaught despite your opponent’s best efforts to undermine it.

Ultimately, while Infinite Obliteration aims to surgically remove an integral part of your game plan, maintaining a flexible and resilient deck build can mitigate its impact. By not putting all your eggs in one basket with a single creature strategy and incorporating ways to retrieve creatures from the graveyard, you can emerge victorious even in the face of this intimidating spell.


Cards like Infinite Obliteration

Infinite Obliteration stands as a unique choice for players looking to counter specific threats in their opponent’s library. This spell echoes the intentions of cards like Unmoored Ego, which also exile cards from the game. While Unmoored Ego can target any card, Infinite Obliteration focuses exclusively on creatures, offering surgical precision against creature-heavy decks.

Another parallel can be drawn with Cranial Extraction, which shares the creature-specific exile effect. Nonetheless, Infinite Obliteration distinguishes itself with a lower mana cost, fostering an early game advantage. On the flip side, Lost Legacy expands upon this concept, allowing the exile of non-artifact, non-land cards, granting it a wider scope of targets at the same mana cost.

Ultimately, while other cards may offer broader target options or additional benefits, Infinite Obliteration remains a specialized tool for players who anticipate a creature-centric threat and wish to preemptively neutralize it. Its cohesive focus and lower mana requirement make it a staple choice for strategic deck-building within the game.

Unmoored Ego - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Lost Legacy - MTG Card versions
Unmoored Ego - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Cranial Extraction - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Lost Legacy - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)

Cards similar to Infinite Obliteration by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Crippling Fatigue - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Portal (POR)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 1999 (S99)
Grim Tutor - Starter 1999 (S99)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Crippling Fatigue - Hachette UK (PHUK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Infinite Obliteration MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins, 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 Infinite Obliteration and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Infinite Obliteration has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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