Scorching Spear
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Freeform Legal
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper Duel Commander Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Scorching Spear

Sorcery

Scorching Spear deals 1 damage to target creature or player.

legendofa on Is Anyone Else Concerned with …

2 weeks ago

Card quality isn't just about raw output. It's the ratio of input to output.

If Jumbo Cactuar cost just , even if you cut its toughness way down, it would be broken. 7 mana is pretty reasonable for a modern (not necessarily Modern) creature with deathtouch, something like "If this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game," and no other abilities. Compare Vorpal Sword, Summon: Primal Odin, Phage the Untouchable, etc. Jumbo Cactuar has a huge output, but requires special preparation and lots of mana to make it work. High input, high output--good for style points, not for tournaments.

Overkill is somewhere between Murder and something like Flay Essence. It kills indestructible creatures, but that's the main perk it has over Murder. Moderate input, moderate output--functional, but there's better.

Zacama, Primal Calamity is notable in EDH, which is generally slower and allows for more setup than Modern. It's far from useless there, offering a big body with lots of combat abilities that can clear out obstacles as soon as it comes down. and are strong ramp colors, so you can get it out quickly. Even if it dies immediately, it's taking at least one problem with it. But to wallisface's point, it's nothing special in Modern. Commander: moderate input, high output--beware of Triplesaurus. Modern: high input, low output--not worth it.

For something I would call overpowered, Ocelot Pride works as an example. The game's filled with 1-cost 1/1s. The game's not filled with 1-cost 1/1s that reinforce themselves in all areas, providing the extra life and bodies to take over a match, either stalling until something else comes out or just incrementally building up until it can alpha strike by itself. Sure, it dies to any removal down to Scorching Spear. But if you don't do that immediately, it'll take over. And it's very easy to build around, since it doesn't need much more than incidental lifegain and one turn of survival to be a threat. And the first strike can be relevant, too. There's a reason the price tag is solidly in the double digits. Lifelink -> life gain -> cats -> army of cats, and that's eithout any outside support. Not bad for one mana. Low input, high output--kill on sight.

hiddengibbons on Card creation challenge

3 years ago

Dumpster Fire

Instant

Players play a Magic sub game using their Dumpster decks. Players who lose this game take 10 damage in the game in which ~ was cast. (A Dumpster deck may only contain non-land cards name Mudhole, Dispersing Orb, Razor Boomerang, Phyrexian War Beast, Obelisk of Undoing, Great Wall, Shinka Gatekeeper, Cyclopean Snare, Juju Bubble, Alabaster Leech, Chimney Imp, Scorching Spear, Cephalid Snitch, and/or Thermal Blast).

Make another card that encourages or cares about using notoriously bad cards that never see play

sonnet666 on [List] The MTG Weapons Arsenal

8 years ago

Don't stop now. I believe in you!

TheRedGoat on Changing How Magic Plays: Part 3

8 years ago

Honestly there's no reason to sell yourself short by playing Scorching Spear. Browbeat is a much better option imo. Plus numerous amounts of spells that don't care who has what. Howling Mine, Kami of the Crescent Moon, Goblin Cadets, Vedalken Plotter, Shifting Borders, Donate.

I mean, you're not even running Harmless Offering....

And if you want "bad" just play stuff that does nothing period for them like Darksteel Relic.

Ultarian on Changing How Magic Plays: Part 3

8 years ago

Why Scorching Spear?

noblevegas on Pauper Burn

9 years ago

Mogg Fanatic is more likely to trade down, so your opponent is more likely to block it rather than constantly take 1. Sure, in the early game you may get in for a few pings first, but against some of the popular decks - decks you're likely to play against - it's nearly useless. Stompy's T1 of Nettle Sentinel turns Mogg into a Scorching Spear. Goblin's T1 of Goblin Cohort or Lavastep Raider makes it the same. White Weenies could Spiritual Visit or Raise the Alarm in response to declaring attackers depending on play or draw. This forces you to either sac for damage (giving them free attackers on their next step) or trade 1-for-1 or 1/2-for-1 with no damage.

Goblin Fireslinger is meant to sit back and ping for one on EOT, not attack in. It requires your opponent to have removal for it to rid themselves of the threat.