Pyroclasm

Common Rules Importance

As a Pauper player, I think it's really important that you don't stray too far from common rules when making or downshifting cards. If you just started downshifting cards like Pyroclasm and Dismember it would just start to feel like Legacy. That said, Pauper has a lot of decks that press an early creature+card advantage (Delver of Secrets, white weenies), and comeback options are just "1 damage" or "5+ mana". It'd be awesome if there were more, common-appropriate ways to come back against that.

The problem is sweeper cards aren’t a common thing.

Creatures Dismember Legacy Mana Pauper Pyroclasm Rules White

Green's Board Wipe

White and black get wrath of god and damnation effects. Red gets pyroclasm effects, dealing damage to all creature. Blue can return everything to their owner's hands. Does green get any similar board wipe in its part of the color pie?

No.EDIT: Okay, Polukranos is acceptable.

Black Blue Color Pie Colors Creatures God Green Pyroclasm Red White Wrath of God

Pyroclasm's Power Level

Is Pyroclasm too strong for standard?

Not a developer but I believe yes.

Not a developer Power Level Pyroclasm Standard

Flash versus Instant

Wouldn't it be better if the key word was flash instead of instant? "I cast Bar the Door in response to Pyroclasm." "You can't do that now!" "Flash!" "Whoa!" "So it'll save everyone of them." "It'll save everyone of them?"

How many Question Marks get the reference in this question? I do as I’m a fan of the thing being referenced, but I’m curious.

Bar the Door Cast Flash Instants Pyroclasm Question Marks

Pyroclasm Power Level

is Pyroclasm too strong for standard?

Not a developer, but I believe the current thought is yes, at least as a default. It might be possible to craft an environment where Pyroclasm is possible.

Craft Not a developer Power Level Pyroclasm Standard

Mana Sweepers

Is Black allowed to have a 2 mana sweeper that's on par with Pyroclasm?

Red isn’t any longer so I doubt Black is.

Black Mana Pyroclasm Red

Combat Damage Rules

Why the rule that attackers have to assign lethal before moving to another creature? This leads to really unfun situations where my big guy could spread damage around evenly and allow a later pyroclasm to finish the job. (clearly not fun for my opponent, but it's not like it's something that's hard to understand.)

Because making blocking rules even more complicated for something that could happen a tiny percentage of the time is not worth the trade off.

Blocking Creatures Pyroclasm Rules

True-Name Nemesis Clarification

"All permanents can affect [True-Name Nemesis]. It’s not strictly better than protection from color(s)." :( No, the reminder text says 'anything controlled by that player'. And it's unfortunate Tabak says 'your own Earthquake kills it'. (1) 'Pyroclasm effects + pro-red' hasn't been viable for years in Legacy (2) That kind of hairsplitting is not applied equally to all cards (Reverberate v Fork much?). Look, it's not *broken*, it just tops White's protection in the most important ways.

As always, I should not answer rules questions. I made assumptions rather than reading the card.

Colors Legacy Matt Tabak Nemesis Permanents Power Level Protection Pyroclasm Red Reverberate Rules True-Name Nemesis White

Pyroclasm Rarity Reason

Is Pyroclasm too complex for common, or are it and similar cards held at uncommon due to complexity?

It’s too powerful for limited at common. It’s not a complexity issue.

Limited Pyroclasm Uncommons

Combat Choices

Would you rather fight 5 1/1 goblins or 1 5/5 beast?

It depends whether I have a Pyroclasm or a Murder. : )

Beast Fight / Bite Goblin Pyroclasm

Pestilence Mechanic

Why is Pestilence a black effect? Pyroclasm and similar cards are red.

Black and red are very similar so we’ve carefully divvied up the space between them to help keep them separate. We liked the flavor of pestilence so we’ve left that little nugget in black.

Black Flavor Pyroclasm Red

Pyroclasm at Common

Why do all the common Pyroclasm variants (Seismic Shudder, Hurly-Burly, Electrickery and so on) only deal 1 damage?

Because that’s all we allow at common. The Pyroclasm effects (2 damage to all creatures) is too much of a reset button for common.

Creatures Electrickery Hurly-Burly Pyroclasm Seismic Shudder

White's Weaknesses

Colours are defined by their weaknesses. What are White's weaknesses? They have fantastic small creatures (Thalia), midrange (Mirran Crusader, Restoration Angel), and fatties (Elesh Norn). They tend to have multiple board-control spells at a time (Terminus, DoJ, Planar Cleansing), and they can stop any kind of permanent (O-Ring's most common answer? Another O-Ring). They have Flying, First Strike, and Lifelink. They can play a slow control game or fast aggro equally well. Isn't W too versatile?

White’s reliance on the group while its strength is also its weakness. A single Pyroclasm can wipe out white’s entire army. Also, as I’ve explained, white’s reluctance to kill leaves it open to having the same threats return. White’s game is also very battlefield centric not allowing it to have tools that other colors get.

Angel Army Colors Creatures First Strike Flying Lifelink Mirran Crusader Planar Cleansing Pyroclasm Restoration Angel Spells White

Red's Card Advantage

Some of your remarks about red have implied that the color generally just can't get card advantage. You've said red looting cards won't generate CA, for example. Isn't it kind of bonkers to make such a fundamentally crucial aspect of the game off-limits to one of the colors, while also leaving the best tempo effects (e.g. bounce, aggressive beaters) in other colors? I mean, if I know that red won't allow me to have an advantage in resources OR an advantage in speed, why should I play it?

Red gets card advantage. Pyroclasm nets you card advantage. I’m just saying the red gets its card advantage in a red way and not another color’s way.

Colors Pyroclasm Red