Price$39.91 – $51.98

Torment of Hailfire

Sorcery

Legal Salt 1.62Board WipeRank #611

Repeat the following process X times. Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent of their choice or discards a card.

Why is this card good?

Torment of Hailfire is one of black's premier finishers — a one-card "you all lose now" button when X gets large. The key is that it punishes opponents no matter what they do: they bleed life, shed their board, or empty their hand. Late game, when hands are thin and life totals are low, even a modest X (8-10) can close out the whole table at once. With big mana ramp it's effectively lethal. Wants it: Big-mana black decks — Krark/Sakashima storm shells, K'rrik, mono-black devotion/ramp (Cabal Coffers, Nykthos), and anything generating absurd mana like Magus of the Coffers or rituals. It pairs beautifully with extra-mana engines and pillowfort decks that stall to the late game. Don't play it in low-curve aggro or token-swarm decks that win through combat — you'd rather just attack. It's also weak as a topdeck early, since small X does little. You need to commit a real chunk of mana to make it lethal; otherwise it's a glorified Mind Rot.

Related cards

Exsanguinate

X-spell black drain that scales with mana to close games.

Crippling Fear

Another big mana black finisher in mono-black ramp shells.

Bontu's Last Reckoning

Black mass payoff that pairs with ramp-heavy decks.

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Devotion-based mass drain finisher in mono-black.

Toxic Deluge

X-cost black sweeper paying life, similar big-mana payoff.

Crux of Fate

Black board wipe alongside Torment as a control finisher.

Cabal Coffers

Mana doubler enabling huge X for Torment.

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

Generates massive black mana to pump X spells.

Printings (6)

sldSecret Lair Drop · #2287R$39.91Buy

sldSecret Lair Drop · #9992R$51.98Buy

phouHour of Devastation Promos · #77pR$47.14Buy

plstThe List · #HOU-77R$43.14Buy

houHour of Devastation · #77R$41.32Buy

phouHour of Devastation Promos · #77sR$42.65Buy

Combos (1)

Yavimaya Bloomsage // Channel + Torment of Hailfire
→ Near-infinite lifeloss

Rulings (6)

2017-07-14
If X is 0, Torment of Hailfire resolves with no effect.
2017-07-14
While resolving Torment of Hailfire, your opponent chooses a card to be discarded without revealing it, chooses a nonland permanent to be sacrificed, or chooses to do neither. Then that player discards that card, sacrifices that permanent, or loses 3 life, then repeats this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Your opponent can always choose to lose 3 life, even if they have cards to discard or nonland permanents to sacrifice.
2017-07-14
Each repetition through this process is done separately. If an opponent sacrifices a creature with an ability that triggers when another creature dies, for example, it will see creatures that are sacrificed before it, but not those are sacrificed after it.
2017-07-14
State-based actions aren’t checked in between repetitions of this process, so the game state may be a little unusual while making the choice. For example, a player may sacrifice a creature and then later sacrifice an Aura that was attached to that creature.
2017-07-14
In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order makes their choice once, then all of the actions occur simultaneously, then they repeat this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Opponents will know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices, although a card chosen to be discarded this way isn’t revealed until it’s discarded.
2017-07-14
In a Two-Headed Giant game, Torment of Hailfire causes both opponents to sacrifice a nonland permanent, discard a card, or lose 3 life X times. Your opponents can choose the same torment or different ones each time.

Discussion (0)

Why is this card good?

Rulings (6)

2017-07-14

If X is 0, Torment of Hailfire resolves with no effect.

2017-07-14

While resolving Torment of Hailfire, your opponent chooses a card to be discarded without revealing it, chooses a nonland permanent to be sacrificed, or chooses to do neither. Then that player discards that card, sacrifices that permanent, or loses 3 life, then repeats this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Your opponent can always choose to lose 3 life, even if they have cards to discard or nonland permanents to sacrifice.

2017-07-14

Each repetition through this process is done separately. If an opponent sacrifices a creature with an ability that triggers when another creature dies, for example, it will see creatures that are sacrificed before it, but not those are sacrificed after it.

2017-07-14

State-based actions aren’t checked in between repetitions of this process, so the game state may be a little unusual while making the choice. For example, a player may sacrifice a creature and then later sacrifice an Aura that was attached to that creature.

2017-07-14

In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order makes their choice once, then all of the actions occur simultaneously, then they repeat this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Opponents will know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices, although a card chosen to be discarded this way isn’t revealed until it’s discarded.

2017-07-14

In a Two-Headed Giant game, Torment of Hailfire causes both opponents to sacrifice a nonland permanent, discard a card, or lose 3 life X times. Your opponents can choose the same torment or different ones each time.