Sundering Stroke MTG Card

Sundering Stroke - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)

Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
2019-10-04 - Number 144

Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
2019-10-04 - Number 366

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Sorcery

Key Takeaways

Provides massive board impact, potentially clearing multiple threats with one cast.
Requires seven red mana, limiting versatility but promising a huge game swing.
Best suited for red-focused or big spell decks with its substantial mana cost.

Text of card

Sundering Stroke deals 7 damage divided as you choose among one, two, or three targets. If at least seven red mana was spent to cast this spell, instead Sundering Stroke deals 7 damage to each of those permanents and/or players.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sundering Stroke deals seven damage to a target, which can potentially clear out multiple threats on the board in one fell swoop, ensuring you stay ahead in resources compared to your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing acceleration, the hefty damage output of Sundering Stroke can rapidly shift the game’s balance, acting as a catalyst to a winning game state, especially if utilized during a pivotal moment.

Instant Speed: Although Sundering Stroke is a sorcery, its high impact compensates for its lack of speed. The ability to distribute damage as needed provides tactical flexibility crucial for late-game situations. This card makes up for the absence of instant speed with its overwhelming board presence when played.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sundering Stroke doesn’t explicitly mandate discarding cards, but, leveraging its full seven-damage potential often requires a substantial hand size. Therefore, it can be indirectly taxing on the player’s card resources, especially in strategies that don’t replenish the hand quickly.

Specific Mana Cost: Sundering Stroke necessitates an exacting mana cost of seven red mana. This sharply constrains its inclusion to decks with a heavy red focus or those capable of producing ample amounts of red mana, often excluding it from multicolored strategies that can’t reliably meet the demand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a seven-mana threshold, Sundering Stroke comes with a weighty mana investment. When considering efficiency, there are alternative spells that deliver similar levels of board impact or damage output without the hefty mana cost, providing players with more nimble responses to the evolving gameplay.

Reasons to Include Sundering Stroke in Your Collection

Versatility: Sundering Stroke is a flexible addition to red-based decks, capable of dealing a significant blow to multiple targets. Whether it’s clearing the board of creatures or directing damage at an opponent, its utility shines in various scenarios.

Combo Potential: In decks that emphasize big spells, Sundering Stroke can work wonders. It pairs particularly well with cards that copy spells or with effects that reduce the cost of casting big spells, thus maximizing its impact on the game.

Meta-Relevance: Given that many players often group together creatures or planeswalkers, this card can shift the tide by dealing 7 damage divided as you choose among one, two, or three targets. This can be a game-changer in the current meta that features creature-heavy or planeswalker-centric decks.

How to beat

Sundering Stroke is a powerful finisher in MTG, easily tipping the scales in Red’s favor with its potential to deal seven damage to up to three targets. To effectively counter this card, understanding its limitations is key. Sundering Stroke requires a substantial mana investment of seven, and it’s played at sorcery speed, which makes it predictable and allows the opponent room to prepare.

One strategy is to have counter magic ready. Spells like Negate, Dovin’s Veto, or Disallow can nullify Sundering Stroke’s effects completely for a much lower mana cost. Alternatively, protecting your valuable assets with cards like Heroic Intervention or self-replenishing creatures ensure that the impact of Sundening Stroke is minimized. Adequate board control and removal also limit the targets available to your opponent, thus reducing the effectiveness of this devastating spell. Lastly, keeping your life total healthy with lifegain strategies can help you outlast the damage and recover in subsequent turns.

Taking these approaches into account can make a significant difference, allowing you to maneuver around the sheer power of Sundering Stroke and maintain your edge in the game.

Cards like Sundering Stroke

Sundering Stroke stands out in the arsenal of high-impact red spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its hefty damage potential allows you to deal a massive seven damage to a target, or to divide it among multiple targets. When compared to other red finishers like Banefire, which also offers the ability to deal unpreventable damage, Sundering Stroke shines in multiplayer formats with its ability to spread damage across several players or creatures. However, where Banefire has the flexibility of a scalable mana cost for any stage of the game, Sundering Stroke comes with a fixed, substantial mana cost.

When assessing similar cards, we can look at Comet Storm as another comparison point. Comet Storm’s versatility lies in its multikicker ability, which lets you pay additional mana to replicate the spell’s effect. While Sundering Stroke is limited to a one-time seven damage spread, Comet Storm can potentially exceed that damage output if enough mana is invested. Yet, this potentially higher damage ceiling comes with a trade-off of needing more resources funneled into a single spell.

Overall, Sundering Stroke earns its place as a powerful MTG card, especially suited for those moments when you need to deliver a decisive blow to multiple targets with a single, spellbinding strike.

Cards similar to Sundering Stroke by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sundering Stroke MTG card by a specific set like Throne of Eldraine and Throne of Eldraine, 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 Sundering Stroke and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sundering Stroke Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2019-10-04 and 2019-10-04. Illustrated by Stanton Feng.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-10-04	Throne of Eldraine	ELD		144	2015	Normal	Black	Stanton Feng
2	2019-10-04	Throne of Eldraine	ELD		366	2015	Normal	Black	Stanton Feng

Legalities

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

Date	Text
2019-10-04	Each chosen target must receive at least 1 damage.
2019-10-04	If an effect allows you to cast Sundering Stroke without paying its mana cost, you can't choose to cast it and pay its cost unless another rule or effect allows you to cast it for a cost.
2019-10-04	If some of the targets become illegal for Sundering Stroke, the original division of damage still applies, but the damage that would have been dealt to illegal targets isn't dealt at all.
2019-10-04	Sundering Stroke checks what mana was actually spent to cast it. If an effect allows you to spend mana “as though it were mana” of any color or type, that will allow you to spend mana you couldn't otherwise spend, but it won't change what mana you spent to cast the spell.
2019-10-04	You must divide the damage as you announce Sundering Stroke, even if you intend to pay seven red mana to cast it. If you copy Sundering Stroke, no mana was spent to cast the copy at all, so the copy will deal the damage as divided.