I got caught in an argument about what this card means, maybe someone can help me out... "If a spell you control would deal damage to an opponent..." does that include combat damage as well? If it does, does that mean Hostility's controller would have to wait for Hostility to be destroyed before its controller could deal any damage to an opponent?
goldustwins
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
The short and simple answer is no.
Spell damage would be from an instant or sorcery. Combat damage is done by creatures which are permanents not spells.
swordoath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Creatures are permanents while they're in play; they're only "spells" when they're somewhere outside the in-play zone (battlefield).
spoonish
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
its a shame that it doesn't include abilities.. but still a good card
grayseeroly
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(7 votes)
Lightning bolt and this gye is insain! Also blightning and earthquake!
God_of_Destruction
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Golden Solid in any burn deck... just point that burn spell in ur opponent any produce many 3/1 elementals... Burn the world!
theismisacrime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(17 votes)
This card is horrible. If your playing mono red, and haven't almost killed your opponent by turn 6, it's time to scoop. Plus, those 3/1's get murdered by volcanic fallout.
MadMaxNL
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
not every card is meant for standard play. This card isn't terrible, you just need to play it in the right format. In this case, hostility makes a burn strategy in multiplayer viable, so I would say this card is far from terrible. Also, The Ferret agrees with me. See http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/tf62 for his search for the most powerful multiplayer card of lorwyn.
JesterD
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ok, i see a lot of questions here, and im gonna ask one that may or may not be a completely RIDICULOUS question.
What happens if there are more than one Hostility's in play?
I.E.;
Shapesharer + (any shapeshifter) + Hostility = 2 or more Hostilities in play
Throw a direct damage at an opponent and viola!!! does the 3/1 spawning increase due to all the damage prevention bein met in each card, placing handfulls of minions at your disposal?
Aww.Gasm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@JesterD: No, there will not be additional tokens from the presence of an additional hostility. The number of tokens that are produced are proportional to the damage prevented/done by spells, and stay constant. If you want additional tokens, try doubling season.
Donovan_Fabian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
By itself its not that impressive, paired with a balefire liege those tokens become 4/2, and paired with rakka mar you can spam tokens left and right all with haste. I wont say its a win condition but it never hurts either, you could for example have hostility in play, use a huge fireball spell or anything with an x cost, and create 10 or more 3/1 haste tokens and over run your opponent.
MadTheorist
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@theismisacrime: This card is not horrible. If you play mono-red, you shouldn't play this turn 6 anyway. And not everybody goes Pro Tour, for that matter. This owns casual, as does Red Deck Wins in general.
M2Dark4U
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of my best wins ever while testing cards for All in red came with this card on turn 2 on the Draw. My opponent Starts with Drowned Catacomb tapped. I have in my hand Mountain, Chrome mox, Seething Song, Seething song, Seething song, Dues of Calamity and Hostility, I draw Lighting Bolt. Nothing i can do with that, so I just play Mountain. He plays Island, Chrome Mox imprinting something black and plays Jace and activates the +2 ability. netting me one card a Mountain :D I draw and get incinerate. Now with 9!!! cards in hand two burn spells that later didnt make the deck. Hostility that also go cut. Mox fodder with the Dues, 3x Song !!!! and the now good mountian i proceded to play out the songs play hostility get 18 damge worth of elemental tokens a a nice turn 2, 24 damage to the dome.
AitrusX
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You have to look at this card properly. It's a 6/6 haste for 6 that tries to multiply all your burn damage by 3 and make it persistent.
Yes it sucks if you get 6 tokens only to eat a volcanic fallout. That doesn't make the card bad. Note that the tokens stick around - they do not die at end of turn.
So ask yourself what would you rather have for say 1R:
3 points of damage to the dome. 3x 3/1 haste creatures.
hm, tough choice?
Guest379324807
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Ferret in his article: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/tf62 for his search for the most powerful multiplayer card of lorwyn writes
"As far as I see it, there are three different possibilities for Hostility in a multiplayer deck. The first is in a straight-up multiplayer burn deck, the second a combo-style variant, usually centred around Pandemonium, and the third is simply running it as a one-of in any deck with Earthquake."
Is the use with Pandemonium correct? Pandemonium allow a creature (permanent) to deal damage to a player. It is not a spell on the stack.
I used Hostility with Where Ancients Tread and I got 5 tokens plus Hostility attacking for 21 overrun.
I'm afraid I have to apologize with my friends for the misuse...
We didn't have clear the definition of spell. We simpli assumed that spell is everything that go on the stack. Also effect of enchantments and so on..
Please clarify
psychokid121
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i got a question. ill drag it out and explain it the best i can.... if you have Hostility to gain the 3/1's. and then play furnace or rath to deal double damage with spells/any damage, then you use lava axe to deal 5 damage. do you deal and prevent 10, gaining 10 tokens, or just deal and prevent 5 and gain 5 tokens. and does this mean Obelisk of alara wont do 3, then prevent it and gain 3 tokens if furnace of rath is out?
Wow, absolutely none of those work with this card...
Kelrath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@JesterD: Unfortunately, no. Your opponent would choose which source prevents the damage dealt to him or her. Damage cannot be prevented multiple times.
"616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object's controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, choices are made in APNAP order (see rule 101.4)."
Shinigami2099
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
keep in mind that it doesn't say it has to be red damage being dealt... a.k.a. underworld dreams in a 4-way etc.
drexlor0296
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Here's another combo, use this with Incandescent Soulstoke, put on the battle for only 2 and Haste. When it's sac at the end of the turn, return to your library.
mrd8888
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One question: Would Pandemonium damage count as damage from a "spell you control?" If it does, you could play Lightning Bolt on your opponent, get the 3 3/1's, deal 9 pandemonium damage (which is prevented, giving you 9 tokens and 27 damage), and repeat as necessary. Once you get a couple hundred tokens, deal 6 damage to Hostility and the rest to your opponent and win. I might be missing something completely, but it seems like this would work.
This beauty is perfect for multiplayer, and can be used for 1x1 as well. Use it inside a red elemental deck, along with Brighthearth Banneret and Smokebraider you can play it on the 4th turn, put Flamekin Harbinger to make sure you can always build your strategy and then add burns and other interesting elementals. A good combination (specially for multiplayer) is Flame Rift + Hostility. It's a really interesting card, balanced and with a nice art. 5/5
Corey_bayoudragonfly
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@jsttu: nope, sorry. That doesn't work in several ways. Pandemonium itself is not a spell and does not deal damage. The creatures deal damage, and do so upon resolution, so they themselves are also not spells.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Interesting concept but I do believe there should have been a MAY in that ability of his.
There's just too many times where you just want to kill your target with that spell rather than spawn tokens with it.
Aburaishi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is good. The only thing that bothers me is comparing it to the rest of the "Elemental Incarnation" cards. Purity and Vigor both prevent something bad from happening to you, then do something good in replacement of it; Guile takes the common blue counter and makes it amazing, while still countering cards; and Dread gives you a creature with a good ability (Fear) and kills any creatures attacking you. This is the only card of the Incarnations that actually hurts you along with benefiting you; instead of "Whenever a spell you control deals damage to a player" this happens, it's "prevent that damage", then this happens. I don't know if something happened in playtesting so they restricted this or what. Even if they were just 1/1s with haste, I think I'd prefer the effect without the damage replacement. A lot.
@mrd8888; Note the text; "that creature's controller may have it deal damage". The creature deals the damage. To be honest, it wouldn't count as a spell even if the enchantment did it. A card is a spell as it's coming into play.
Still, Pandemonium would work extremely well in combination with this. You essentially just triple however much damage you would originally deal. Though Pandemonium obviously has a double-edged effect, it'd definitely work in your favor here.
igniteice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Is the damage from Pandemonium considered a spell source for the purpose of creating 3/1 token creatures, which in turn can be used for more spell damage sources to create more creatures, ultimately ending with either an infinite number of 3/1 token creatures with haste to attack with, or an infinite number of token creatures to deal damage with?
Veritus7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If I Mirrorweaved this and got like 5 of these guys from that spell, would a lightning bolt produce 15 of these?
At first I was like, "Wow this suxorz, you get to attack, prevent the damage, then you get...more attackers that don't deal damage...
Then I read it again and I was like, "Wait a moment, Lightning Bolt!"
4/5
princeblake
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best combo for this card is with hamletback goliath
kiseki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's all about the earthquake and fault line. With faultline you can burn the world on your opponent's turn and then swing in with your new army and plenty of mana to support it.
jsttu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This and pandemonium. turns 1 damage into 3 and you get creatures as well.
Edit: oops, my bad. Thanks for the correction Corey_bayoudragonfly.
divine_exodus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My brother played this, and then on the next turn played a humongous fireball.
I was not happy.
Dracon.ao
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
I agree with mistahmoo, the absolute best way to play this card is with fire servant. Lightning bolt, BAM! six 3/1 spawn.
ProbablyThatGuy
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I really wish this had been made as "whenever a spell or permanent you control would deal non-combat damage to an opponent...." I guess that is just because I play almost exclusively multiplayer, so straight out burn isn't really an option. I would really like to play with this guy, but the fact that it needs to be damage from a spell is a little too restrictive for my tastes.
That said, he is not a bad card at all. 6/6 haste for 6 is decent, and the ability can be very devastating if you work with it, since you are converting every 1 one-time damage into a possible 3 damage repeating every turn. Also gets all of the flavor points for being the elemental incarnation of hostility. I love this cycle of cards so much.
@Veritus7: Sadly no, since the effect of Hostility needs to prevent the damage, which causes the 3/1 fellows to be made. So, play Mirrorweave, then Lightning Bolt targeting an opponent. All 5 triggers go on the stack, so the first prevents the 3 damage making 3 tokens, and the other 4 would prevent no damage, making no tokens.
Cards like Earthquake, Chain Reaction, Pyroclasm, ext... DONT WORK with this card. Hostility is worded: "damage to an opponent", therefore the damage has to be dealt to the player, not the player's creatures.
NozzDogg
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Heh, In multiplayer, I used this to create surprise blockers. My friends, who'd never seen Hostility before, were like 'Wait, What?'
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You must use a Fireblast right after playing it. Specially in Chandra's deck. Extra points if you pop your Quest for Pure Flame during the same turn. Put 8 3/1 tokens on the battlefield, then swing for... 90 damage, if my maths is right.
@jilting_joker: This card does work with Earthquake. It clearly says "If a spell you control would deal damage to an opponent..." It is a spell you control, and it deals damage to your opponent.
kalel91981
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a definite 4 out of 5, but the art work sucks. Definitely some of the worst art in the game. This cards deserves art like that of obsidian fireheart. The 3/1's need something to beef up their toughness though, but definitely an awesome way to create unexpected blockers. if you could make him indestructible and have mogg maniac out and cast blashemous act you could very quickly end a game. Vigor is the best incarnation to me but this card is a lot of fun.
This thing is insane. I combo-ed it in EDH with Purphoros, God of the Forge, Fire Servant, and Burn at the Stake. Let's say, for example, you have 6 creatures. Cast Burn at the Stake, tapping them all to deal 18 damage. Fire Servant doubles it to 36, Hostility turns it into 36 tokens, and then Purphuros deals 72 damage to each opponent. Good game, bro? :D
Comments (51)
Spell damage would be from an instant or sorcery. Combat damage is done by creatures which are permanents not spells.
What happens if there are more than one Hostility's in play?
I.E.;
Shapesharer + (any shapeshifter) + Hostility = 2 or more Hostilities in play
Throw a direct damage at an opponent and viola!!! does the 3/1 spawning increase due to all the damage prevention bein met in each card, placing handfulls of minions at your disposal?
Yes it sucks if you get 6 tokens only to eat a volcanic fallout. That doesn't make the card bad. Note that the tokens stick around - they do not die at end of turn.
So ask yourself what would you rather have for say 1R:
3 points of damage to the dome.
3x 3/1 haste creatures.
hm, tough choice?
"As far as I see it, there are three different possibilities for Hostility in a multiplayer deck. The first is in a straight-up multiplayer burn deck, the second a combo-style variant, usually centred around Pandemonium, and the third is simply running it as a one-of in any deck with Earthquake."
Is the use with Pandemonium correct? Pandemonium allow a creature (permanent) to deal damage to a player. It is not a spell on the stack.
I used Hostility with Where Ancients Tread and I got 5 tokens plus Hostility attacking for 21 overrun.
I'm afraid I have to apologize with my friends for the misuse...
We didn't have clear the definition of spell. We simpli assumed that spell is everything that go on the stack. Also effect of enchantments and so on..
Please clarify
So would manabarbs or Chain Reaction
Wow, absolutely none of those work with this card...
"616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object's controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, choices are made in APNAP order (see rule 101.4)."
Breath of Malfegor.
:D
Use it inside a red elemental deck, along with Brighthearth Banneret and Smokebraider you can play it on the 4th turn, put Flamekin Harbinger to make sure you can always build your strategy and then add burns and other interesting elementals.
A good combination (specially for multiplayer) is Flame Rift + Hostility.
It's a really interesting card, balanced and with a nice art.
5/5
There's just too many times where you just want to kill your target with that spell rather than spawn tokens with it.
@mrd8888; Note the text; "that creature's controller may have it deal damage". The creature deals the damage. To be honest, it wouldn't count as a spell even if the enchantment did it. A card is a spell as it's coming into play.
Still, Pandemonium would work extremely well in combination with this. You essentially just triple however much damage you would originally deal. Though Pandemonium obviously has a double-edged effect, it'd definitely work in your favor here.
Then I read it again and I was like, "Wait a moment, Lightning Bolt!"
4/5
With faultline you can burn the world on your opponent's turn and then swing in with your new army and plenty of mana to support it.
Edit: oops, my bad. Thanks for the correction Corey_bayoudragonfly.
I was not happy.
That said, he is not a bad card at all. 6/6 haste for 6 is decent, and the ability can be very devastating if you work with it, since you are converting every 1 one-time damage into a possible 3 damage repeating every turn. Also gets all of the flavor points for being the elemental incarnation of hostility. I love this cycle of cards so much.
@Veritus7:
Sadly no, since the effect of Hostility needs to prevent the damage, which causes the 3/1 fellows to be made. So, play Mirrorweave, then Lightning Bolt targeting an opponent. All 5 triggers go on the stack, so the first prevents the 3 damage making 3 tokens, and the other 4 would prevent no damage, making no tokens.
Cards like Earthquake, Chain Reaction, Pyroclasm, ext... DONT WORK with this card. Hostility is worded: "damage to an opponent", therefore the damage has to be dealt to the player, not the player's creatures.
Extra points if you pop your Quest for Pure Flame during the same turn. Put 8 3/1 tokens on the battlefield, then swing for... 90 damage, if my maths is right.
Edit: Fixed my winning formula.
Vigor
Hostility
Dread
Purity
Guile