Demolish MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 19 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Demolish can disrupt opponents by destroying critical land or artifacts, affecting their resource management.
  2. This card’s specific mana requirements and slot in your deck necessitate strategic deck construction.
  3. Versatility makes Demolish valuable against certain metagames, and it can serve as a functional removal tool.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact or land.

"Pound the steel until it fits. Doesn't work? Bash to bits." —Dwarven forging song


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The strategic use of Demolish can be pivotal in delaying your opponent’s game plan, depriving them of valuable land or an artifact they rely on. This can indirectly contribute to card advantage by setting your opponent back and keeping you ahead in resources.

Resource Acceleration: While this card doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, by debilitating your opponent’s land base or removing key artifacts, you effectively hamper their ability to generate mana or benefit from artifact effects, giving you a relative increase in resource pace.

Instant Speed: Demolish, as a sorcery, requires careful planning to maximize its effect. Although it cannot be cast at instant speed, its ability to impact the board state is significant when timed appropriately, such as destroying a land before an opponent can tap it for crucial mana or eliminating an artifact that’s about to be activated for a game-changing ability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although not requiring a card to be discarded to play, the Demolish card occupies a valuable slot in your deck that might be better served by cards offering immediate interaction with the game state.

Specific Mana Cost: Demolish requires both red mana and generic mana, which makes it exclusive to decks that can afford this specific mana combination, potentially limiting its flexibility across different deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Demanding a total of four mana for destruction of a single artifact or land, Demolish is often outclassed by other cards that could provide more strategic advantages or that cost less for similar effects.


Reasons to Include Demolish in Your Collection

Versatility: Demolish is a multifaceted card that can be a crucial part of any destruction-based strategy. It can target both lands and artifacts, allowing you to adapt to various threats on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Within a deck built around land destruction or artifact removal, Demolish can work in tandem with other cards to efficiently dismantle your opponent’s game plan, disrupting their mana base or key artifacts.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where artifact-based decks or land-dependent strategies are prevalent, including Demolish in your deck can give you a significant advantage by hindering your opponents’ crucial plays.


How to beat

Demolish occupies a niche space within the realm of land destruction in Magic: The Gathering. As a card that can both shatter artifacts and raze lands to the ground, Demolish presents a dual threat, especially in formats where mana-fixing artifacts are common. The key to countering the potential devastation of Demolish lies in preemptive strikes and resource diversification.

Diversifying your land base and ensuring that you don’t overly rely on specific nonbasic lands can mitigate the impact of Demolish. Additionally, you could employ instant-speed land protection spells or effects that can regenerate lands, which are less common but can still nullify Demolish’s effect. Counterspells, particularly those that target noncreature spells, can also provide a straightforward solution to Demolish. Creating a swift and resilient board presence will often pressure opponents to deal with your threats instead of targeting your resources, reducing the chances of Demolish altering the course of the game.

Ultimately, Demolish has its place in MTG as a tool for disruption. Understanding your meta and preparing your deck with adequate protection and responses will not only help you weather the destruction but potentially use your opponent’s strategy to your advantage.


Cards like Demolish

Demolish has been a staple in the realm of land and artifact destruction within Magic: The Gathering. A common juxtaposition can be made with Stone Rain, which specifically targets lands. Demolish offers more flexibility, as it can destroy an artifact in addition to lands, giving players an added layer of versatility against a broader range of opponents’ strategies.

Another card that parallels Demolish in its destructive capacity is Shatter, aimed solely at artifacts. While Shatter is more mana-efficient, costing two mana as opposed to Demolish’s four, its limitation to artifacts gives Demolish an edge when the field of play calls for land removal. Molten Rain is a competitor that not only destroys lands but also deals damage to the land’s controller, presenting an aggressive strategy that Demolish lacks. Despite the higher cost, the damage output could be decisive.

Comparing these options, Demolish falls into a unique position. It might not be as cast-efficient as Shatter or as damaging as Molten Rain, but its broad scope for destruction ensures it remains a consideration in decks seeking versatile removal tools.

Stone Rain - MTG Card versions
Shatter - MTG Card versions
Molten Rain - MTG Card versions
Stone Rain - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Shatter - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Molten Rain - Mirrodin (MRD)

Cards similar to Demolish by color, type and mana cost

Shatterstorm - MTG Card versions
Flashfires - MTG Card versions
Anarchy - MTG Card versions
Phoenix Heart - MTG Card versions
Reign of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Deadshot - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Flood - MTG Card versions
Relentless Assault - MTG Card versions
Flameshot - MTG Card versions
Bend or Break - MTG Card versions
Scorching Missile - MTG Card versions
Reckless Crew - MTG Card versions
Draconic Intervention - MTG Card versions
Granulate - MTG Card versions
Touch and Go - MTG Card versions
Sunder from Within - MTG Card versions
Thoughts of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Inner Fire - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Slide - MTG Card versions
Rivals' Duel - MTG Card versions
Shatterstorm - Antiquities (ATQ)
Flashfires - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Anarchy - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Phoenix Heart - Celebration Cards (PCEL)
Reign of Chaos - Mirage (MIR)
Deadshot - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Flood - Exodus (EXO)
Relentless Assault - Commander Legends (CMR)
Flameshot - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Bend or Break - Invasion (INV)
Scorching Missile - Odyssey (ODY)
Reckless Crew - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Draconic Intervention - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Granulate - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Touch and Go - Unhinged (UNH)
Sunder from Within - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Thoughts of Ruin - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Inner Fire - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Flowstone Slide - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Rivals' Duel - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Demolish MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Eighth Edition, 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 Demolish and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Demolish Magic the Gathering card was released in 17 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 7 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1831997normalblackGary Ruddell
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1832003normalwhiteGary Ruddell
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 183★2003normalblackGary Ruddell
42003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 pk183sb2003normalgoldGary Ruddell
52005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 179★2003normalblackGary Ruddell
62005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1792003normalwhiteGary Ruddell
72007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1962003normalblackGary Ruddell
82009-10-02ZendikarZEN 1212003normalblackJohn Avon
92010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1322003normalblackJohn Avon
102012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 1322003normalblackRaymond Swanland
112013-07-19Magic 2014M14 1362003normalblackJohn Avon
122013-09-27TherosTHS 1182003normalblackVolkan Baǵa
132015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 1392015normalblackJohn Avon
142016-09-30KaladeshKLD 1132015normalblackSteven Belledin
152017-09-29IxalanXLN 1392015normalblackJesper Ejsing
162019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 1232015normalblackAdam Paquette
172019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 9012015normalblackJesper Ejsing
182020-09-26The ListPLST XLN-1392015normalblackJesper Ejsing
192024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 1062015normalblackAdam Paquette

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Demolish has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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