Obliterate is probably more devastating than this, unless you're beating down with a Juggernaut at the same time. It also won't get countered after all the work you put into ramping up to it.
There are two good reasons to consider this card over Obliterate:
1) This card does not destroy artifacts or prevent things from regenerating. While this means there may be more permanents your opponents get to keep, that also means this card is easier for you to build around, requiring fewer enchantments thrown into the deck to be able to truly abuse the effect.
2) It can be countered. This is a positive because many, many players dislike land destruction and some players dislike Wrath of God effects. Players generally dislike noninteraction, and one way to not interact with other players is to have a nearly (note that I say nearly, given Time Stop and Mindbreak Trap) unanswerable effect that, if played correctly (say, with Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Eldrazi Monument) ends the game. Giving them an out - and even more so, a reason to like Counterspells - may go a long way toward a healthy playgroup even as you run generally controversial effects.
Comments (8)
This is great card in red artifact & burn deck.
1) This card does not destroy artifacts or prevent things from regenerating. While this means there may be more permanents your opponents get to keep, that also means this card is easier for you to build around, requiring fewer enchantments thrown into the deck to be able to truly abuse the effect.
2) It can be countered. This is a positive because many, many players dislike land destruction and some players dislike Wrath of God effects. Players generally dislike noninteraction, and one way to not interact with other players is to have a nearly (note that I say nearly, given Time Stop and Mindbreak Trap) unanswerable effect that, if played correctly (say, with Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Eldrazi Monument) ends the game. Giving them an out - and even more so, a reason to like Counterspells - may go a long way toward a healthy playgroup even as you run generally controversial effects.