Annihilating Fire MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2012-10-05
Set symbol
Set name	Return to Ravnica
Set code	RTR
Number	85
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Clint Cearley

Key Takeaways

Creates card advantage by removing creatures and disrupting opponent’s board presence and tempo.
While powerful, it has specific mana requirements and a higher mana cost compared to similar spells.
Its versatility and ability to exile means it counters graveyard-based strategies effectively.

Text of card

Annihilating Fire deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If a creature dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

"The most impressive performances can be done only once." —Mote, Rakdos madcap

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Annihilating Fire doesn’t allow you to draw cards directly, its ability to eliminate opponent’s creatures creates a one-to-one removal that can disrupt their tempo and card presence on the board. This potentially leads to a card advantage as you remove a key piece of your opponent’s strategy.

Resource Acceleration: Annihilating Fire requires a precise amount of mana but can serve as an accelerant in your game plan. By efficiently handling threats, it keeps the pace in your favor, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively on subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Annihilating Fire provides flexibility, letting you decide the most strategically opportune moment to use it. Whether it’s during your turn to clear a path for attackers or on your opponent’s turn to disrupt their plays, the instant speed is a significant tactical advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Annihilating Fire doesn’t ask you to discard a card, it necessitates a definite commitment in terms of resources which ties into the next point.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell requires a combination of two red mana plus one of any color to cast. This specificity means it’s not universally adaptable across all decks, potentially limiting its use to those heavily featuring or solely based on red mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sporting a total cost of three mana, including the two red mentioned, Annihilating Fire can be seen as costly for its immediate impact. It’s a larger upfront investment compared to other burn options which may offer similar or greater damage for less mana, impacting deck efficiency and strategy.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Annihilating Fire is a flexible choice for decks that require a reliable burn spell capable of removing both creatures and planeswalkers. Its ability to deal three damage allows it to fit seamlessly into various red-based aggressive or control deck builds.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on instant and sorcery spell casting. For instance, it can contribute to powering up creatures with prowess or enabling spell-slinger synergies, thus potentially unlocking new levels of interaction and board presence for players.

Meta-Relevance: Annihilating Fire has a place in metas where graveyard strategies are prevalent. Its exile effect disrupts opponents’ plans to reanimate key creatures or rely on graveyard recursion, making it a timely inclusion in decks designed to counter these tactics.

How to beat

Annihilating Fire is a potent card known for its ability to deal three damage to any target, with the added bonus of exiling the creature if it were to perish. This makes it a formidable tool against cards that rely on graveyard mechanics or cards that can return to the battlefield. A common strategy to outplay Annihilating Fire involves using cards with indestructible, as they can withstand the damage dealt by this spell. Another approach includes playing creatures with hexproof or shroud, rendering them untargetable by such direct damage spells.

Additionally, players may also employ instant-speed spells that can counter Annihilating Fire before it resolves, such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto, which can neutralize this threat and preserve their creatures or health. Timing and insightful plays form the cornerstone of handling spells like Annihilating Fire in MTG. Recognizing when to hold back your creatures or when to engage your counterspells is pivotal to claim victory over opponents who rely on destructive red spells.

It’s crucial to carefully navigate around the destructive capability of Annihilating Fire and to consider its presence in your opponent’s deck while planning your gameplay. By doing so, your gameplay can become as tactical and efficient as the next top-tier deck in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Annihilating Fire

Annihilating Fire is a notable direct damage spell that stands out in Magic: The Gathering’s wide array of damage-dealing cards. It can be likened to other burn spells like Lightning Strike, which also deals 3 damage to any target at an equivalent mana cost. What distinguishes Annihilating Fire, however, is its ability to exile the targeted creature or player’s graveyard upon its death, preventing any form of recursion. This is a game changer in formats where graveyard strategies prevail.

Comparatively, there is Searing Spear, an option that mirrors Annihilating Fire in terms of damage and cost. While it lacks the exile effect, it is still a potent choice for its simplicity and efficiency. Another similar card is Magma Jet, which trades off one point of damage to allow the player to scry 2, offering both immediate impact and deck manipulation advantages which are absent in Annihilating Fire.

Analysing the strengths and tactical applications of these spells, Annihilating Fire offers a triad of damage, control, and graveyard disruption, making it a uniquely strategic pick for MTG players who aim to keep their opponent’s graveyard strategies in check.

Cards similar to Annihilating Fire by color, type and mana cost

Merchant of the Vale // Haggle - MTG Card versions

Path of Anger's Flame - MTG Card versions

Flames of the Blood Hand - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Annihilating Fire MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica, 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 Annihilating Fire and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Annihilating Fire has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2012-10-01	A creature dealt damage by Annihilating Fire that dies this turn will be exiled even if it wasn’t the target of Annihilating Fire (say, because the damage was redirected somehow).
2012-10-01	A creature dealt damage by Annihilating Fire will be exiled no matter why the creature would die. It could be destroyed by another spell or ability.
2012-10-01	The creature can still regenerate.