Pointed Discussion

Flashback makes this card about even with Pyroclasm.

Well, when it's good on turn 3 it is probably just as good as on turn 6. They will see it coming though but it's still card advantage.

I really don't like the "without flying" part. It is to red like what "nonblack creature" is to black.

That aside, double Pyroclasm is solid.

Really wish it delt damage to flying creatures, I got two of these at the pre-release and barely used them at all =\

at the pre-release i had one of these, and always was happy to use it, as there are a lot of x/2's out there, and unless it is blue or part of white most don't have flying. this routinely killed the Elite Inquisitor my monsters couldn't touch, and i was repeatedly able to get +1 or+2 card value from this. All of that was without even flashing it back too. pyroclasm is a decent spell, and although this is slightly more expensive it is decent and what is in standard at the moment.

I like how you anytime you're bored you can just search Gatherer for 'color = Red; type = Instant; type = sorcery' and then spend a good hour looking at all the pretty fire :D

At first, I completely dismissed this card. Higher CMC than Pyroclasm, lower damage than Slagstorm, and misses fliers. The Flashback usually won't make up for that. But I think it may have a bit of a niche for a couple of reasons. First, Slagstorm's {R}{R} can be difficult for a multi-colored deck to swing on turn 3, and having to sit on your sweeper because of color screw can easily lose a game. But the second, more important advantage, is that it misses fliers. Yes, you read that right; the fact that it doesn't kill fliers is a huge point in its favor, sometimes.

Why's that? If you're running sweepers, don't you want to be able to sweep everything? Well, sometimes, yes. But in tempo decks, which are usually built around cheap but punishing fliers, sweepers, and countermagic, you can effectively turn it into a one-sided board wipe. That can put the game in the bag easily, as opposed to strict draw-go control, which has to weather the onslaught, hoping to draw enough wipes and control cards to eventually resolve a late-game bomb. Consider a deck that runs tempo staples like Delver of Secrets and Chandra's Phoenix, along with a few late-game bruisers. Rolling Temblor will leave every one of your cards unscathed (as long as you've flipped Delver, which incidentally this helps flip), while likely wiping an aggro deck's board. The flashback is just icing if you haven't managed to seal the game by that time.

This is especially true just post-rotation, since Inkmoth Nexus and Glint Hawk Idol, the two fliers in the preeminent aggro deck (Tempered Steel), dodge sorcery-speed removal anyways.

I'm with Lyoncet, although I never dismissed this card or any other board sweeper. This is just as good an anti-aggro card as Nevermore is an anti-combo card. Even better given the flexible mana cost.

I think I'm going to build a deck with lots of cheap flyers and a few copies of this. Build around it, and you have a cheap one-sided board sweeper, just like Whipflare is for a deck full of artifact creatures.

Fun fact: this is the only nonland card Cliff Childs has illustrated until now.
That aside, playing early sweepers (this, Pyroclasm, Seismic Shudder, etc) along with creatures that evade them (flyers, Vulshok Refugee) could be a good idea. The only problem would be dealing with your opponent's bigger creatures.

It kills Invisible Stalker. 5/5

3.5/5
really wish it also did fliers i need a sweep for my red green deck that works on fliers cause they tend to rape me ground sweeps ok flashback is nice if this was also fliers i would use it over slagstorm in any multicolor deck because easier to cast and has flashback probably over slagstorm in even a red deck teh additional power dont matter much

When all of your creatures are flying, or heck, even have toughness above 2, this card is your best friend. I've used it in booster draft and constructed and it has served me well. Nice to flashback with Burning Vengeance on the board to add insult to injury.

I guess it makes nice addition to Burning Vengeance decks. Those decks most likely run Delver of Secrets and by the time you cast this to clear the board, your delvers are transformed.

anyway, I'm so happy all those dirty zombies (I mean tokens) are 2/2s so this will end them pretty well.

Flavor text for the win.

When an Invisible Stalker keeps beating a path to your door, it's time to roll.

Hey, 'thebroodwarjc', nothing is as awesome as Pyroclasm, which costs less and kills more. Temblor's only claim to fame is the fact that it's uncommon, not rare.

Man, those new neighbors, I tell you...

DESTROYS ZOMBIES only doesn't hurt GB zombies as much... But with red black zombies!!! take out the geralf's (done sooner or later) gravecrawler diregraff goul, only thing it doesnt deal with is their late game threats... falkenrath, or even thundermaw... i work around this though... i have doomed travelers... use this when they just got falkenrath and you have doomed... kill all their other creatures and they have only falkenrath left... you have a spirit token to block it... delays their gameplay for quite a while, as well as wiping out their gravecrawler supply

Is everyone forgetting that this hits GoST as well???? I mean what better card against a tempo deck do you need than this? The only card I see thwarting this is a return from geralf's messenger (which can be taken care of via ultimate price/searing spear), and a Loxodon Smiter from aggro decks.

Solid 4.999999/5 if you ask me...

Seriously underrated card. Granted, you won't see a lot of decks with red in them that wouldn't be hurting themselves with this, but for any slow decks with red, this card is amazing. It's a turn-3 board wipe against aggro, it destroys midrange's mana producers, and it works around Invisible Stalker's and Geist of Saint Traft's hexproof. It's certainly not worth putting in every sideboard, but for the decks that can make it work, it really pulls its weight.

That guy just took an Infernal Plunge, except he wasn't willing to sac himself to Griselbrand.

I really like this card, but I wish it hit fliers and/or players. Then it would be 5/5 for me.

Basically red's best sweeper in standard, for what it's worth, save maybe bonfire.