I've never been much of a fan of this card. Maybe if the discard wasn't random, but then it might be too powerful. I just don't think it's very well designed full stop.
True_Mumin
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(7 votes)
@stygimoloch: Too powerful without the random discard? Lightning Axe would like to have a word with you...
Anyway, this was my very first Magic card. It also happens to be one of the worst burn spells of all time. Oh well. :P
holgir
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
Random discard, 3R, sorcery, limited targeting - that's 4 times bad.
Why yes, I'll gladly accept losing this card...in a pit of flaming chainsaws.
IshubarashI
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
I happen to like this card, the friends I play casually with have come to fear this card, since I play it in my hellbent/madness deck. It really puts pressure on my opponents (when we discard "randomly" we just put our hand face down and have an opponent pick one) because the card they pick could easily be Call to the Netherworld, or Dark Withering, or Big Game Hunter, or at the least it could be a Reckless Wurm. I like to screw with my friends' heads by using cards like this. But I admit it's limited to what type of deck it can be played in and actually be good. I give it 2.5/5
Also, I realize Lightning Axe is a much better version of this card but I just get a kind of nostalgic feeling from using older cards like this. That being said, I only run one of these in my deck, with a play set of lightning axes
If it were instant speed and could hit players, it would be a great finisher. But using two cards to get rid of one creature is never a good idea.
dberry02
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
At least Ember Shot can hit players and cantrips at instant speed...
themlsna
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
I find that in a lot of my red decks, I end up getting hellbent pretty easily, it's usually my downfall. It's likely that I could fix my hand so that I play this when I only have one other card in hand, so that my discard isn't random. I think that's what makes this acceptable, that I'd only cast this if I knew my "random" discard would be something I knew I didn't need at that point. Hellbent/ madness is definitely the home for this card, though.
Azrael1911
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(8 votes)
5/5 kills walletslayer angel.
Kruzewah
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Ya know, maybe if you could choose a madness card to discard along with playing it, it could actually be a possible 2/5 rating, but you can't even guarantee what you're going to discard!
Pontiac
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
losing this card to a city sewer or something is an "Acceptable Loss"
thorjy
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
ewe....10 points from Gryffindor
Gako
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Sometimes half a star just isnt low enough.
sonorhC
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
The thing to remember about cards that do damage to a creature is, for 2 mana, you can usually just destroy a creature outright. OK, that usually requires black, and off-color effects are more expensive, but it's still awfully hard to justify more than 3 mana for something that does nothing but damaging creatures. At 4 mana and an extra card? That's just absurd.
Crag-Hack
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(5 votes)
The losses are unacceptable.
Sk8er_Boi_1999
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Better than FOW. Deals 5 to them instead of 1 to you
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Hey, whatever it takes to stop that Baneslayer angel from killing you right?
ax_morph
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Fiery Temper was printed in thenext set. 8 damage for 3RR isn't/wasn't terrible. Plus, this was the block where you wanted to fill your graveyard. Losing a Anger or a Wonder wouldn't bum you out to much.
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is one of those cards that makes you go back through the last ten random cards you rated and rate each of them half a star more highly.
If you ever host a tournament, give this out as the consolation prize. :P
Comments (30)
Anyway, this was my very first Magic card. It also happens to be one of the worst burn spells of all time. Oh well. :P
Also, I realize Lightning Axe is a much better version of this card but I just get a kind of nostalgic feeling from using older cards like this. That being said, I only run one of these in my deck, with a play set of lightning axes
kills walletslayer angel.
If you ever host a tournament, give this out as the consolation prize. :P
~Akuma
.5/5