Underworld Fires MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Number	162
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bayard Wu

Key Takeaways

Offers card advantage by potentially removing multiple threats with a single spell.
Its board clearing sets up for powerful plays unimpeded by lesser creatures.
Red mana requirement and higher cost may limit usage in diverse strategies.

Text of card

Underworld Fires deals 1 damage to each creature and each planeswalker. If a permanent dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

The Underworld is anything but a resting place.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Underworld Fires provides a unique form of card advantage by potentially dealing with multiple creatures at once. This can equate to a one-card solution to several of your opponent’s threats, consolidating your resources efficiently.

Resource Acceleration: While Underworld Fires does not directly generate mana or ramp, the card’s ability to clear the board of numerous small creatures can indirectly accelerate your game plan by allowing your more impactful spells to dominate the board without being stalled by smaller units.

Instant Speed: Underworld Fires is a sorcery, and while it doesn’t have the flexibility of an instant, its sweeping effect compensates by effectively resetting the board state and giving you a fresh start on your turn to deploy threats or hold up mana for actual instant speed interaction.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Underworld Fires necessitates a particular board state to maximize its potential. Without a sufficient number of low-toughness creatures on the battlefield, its effectiveness is significantly reduced.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Underworld Fires is split between red and generic mana, which may not align with all deck strategies, particularly those not based around red mana production.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Some players argue that Underworld Fires’ cost is on the higher side for its splash damage effect. This can be problematic in fast-paced games where mana efficiency is critical.

Reasons to Include Underworld Fires in Your Collection

Versatility: Underworld Fires is a flexible card that can be included in different deck archetypes. As a spell that can deal damage to each creature, it serves both as a deterrent to aggro decks and as a means to control the board in more tempo-oriented play.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in decks that thrive on casting noncreature spells or those that benefit from graveyard interactions. As creatures get killed by Underworld Fires, cards that feed off spell casting or graveyard population synergize well with it.

Meta-Relevance: If creatures with low toughness are dominating the playing field, Underworld Fires becomes a highly relevant tool. It can clear multiple threats with one card, making it an efficient response to swarm strategies that rely on flooding the board with creatures.

How to beat

Underworld Fires is a unique card that presents itself as both a challenge and an opportunity in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. At its core, this card deals one damage to each creature and each planeswalker. Understanding the strengths and limitations of Underworld Fires can be key to triumphing over it. Primarily, creatures with toughness greater than one can easily withstand its effect. Similarly, indestructible creatures are impervious to its wrath, allowing you to maintain a board presence.

Strategies that incorporate hexproof or protection from red can also negate the damage dealt by Underworld Fires, as it does not target individual creatures or planeswalkers. Additionally, playing around this card by not overextending on the board with low-toughness creatures can mitigate its impact on your side of the battlefield. Consider deploying creatures post-Underworld Fires to take advantage of the cleared board state. Lastly, spells and abilities that counter noncreature spells can prevent Underworld Fires from resolving, ensuring your board remains untouched and ready for strategic play.

While Underworld Fires can be a formidable card, smart play choices and deck construction can effectively circumvent its potential damage, preserving your creatures and planeswalkers, and helping you maintain dominance on the battlefield.

Cards like Underworld Fires

Underworld Fires makes a notable entrance into the realm of board control spells within Magic: The Gathering. Its closest peers are cards like Anger of the Gods and Sweltering Suns, which also specialize in clearing multiple creatures off the battlefield. Underworld Fires distinguishes itself with the unique trait of dealing damage to each nonenchantment creature, which can be a deciding factor in games filled with creatures that can’t typically be targeted by other damage-based removal spells. In contrast, Anger of the Gods fully removes creatures by dealing 3 damage and exiling those it kills, offering a more definitive answer to creature threats.

Another card to consider is Pyroclasm, whose impact lies in its speed and lower cost. While Underworld Fires requires three mana, Pyroclasm can sweep the board for only two. That being said, the damage output from Underworld Fires is not limited by a creature’s toughness as it deals 1 damage repeatedly until a nonland card is exiled. This could potentially outperform the flat two damage Pyroclasm provides against creatures with higher toughness or indestructible creatures that are often in play.

Through this analysis, Underworld Fires proves to be an adaptable tool in a player’s arsenal, shaped by metagame choices and the specific targets an MTG player expects to face.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Underworld Fires MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Underworld Fires and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underworld Fires 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 Underworld Fires card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2020-01-24	Creatures and planeswalkers don’t necessarily have to be dealt lethal damage by Underworld Fires to be exiled. After being dealt damage, if they would die for any reason that turn, they’ll be exiled instead.