FireballFireball | Art by Dave Dorman
Great Balls of Fire!
Hello, and welcome back to Singleton Shmingleton, where I bend the singleton rules of Commander by building decks with as many functional reprints of a certain card as possible. This week's card is one of the most iconic spells in the game, dating back to Magic's first set and even earlier to the iconic D&D wizarding specialty from which Magic drew much of its aesthetic inspiration. It's FireballFireball.
This card is simple and evocative: channel (or perhaps even ChannelChannel) your mana into this spell, and the more mana you have, the bigger it gets and the more things it can kill.
Players loved it. It ended games at all levels of competitiveness, and was part of the iconic ChannelChannel FireballFireball combo that gave its name to one of the most influential brands and testing teams in Magic's history. Alongside Serra AngelSerra Angel and Shivan DragonShivan Dragon, it was the card that ended games.
FireballFireball has remained a popular design to return to again and again, with dozens of X-spells that deal damage. They've been important role players in Standard combo or ramp decks, and have captivated more casual players for thirty years.
For a long stretch of time, "FireballFireball with set mechanic" was a good bet to fill a rare slot in any upcoming set. There are so many FireballFireball derivations that I've limited the search to only cards that can deal damage to creatures and/or players, as these capture the flexibility of offense and defense that made the original FireballFireball such a force to be reckoned with.
Here are the thirty-eight spells that deal X damage to a target:
Fireballs
View on ArchidektSorceries (30)
- 1 BanefireBanefire
- 1 BlazeBlaze
- 1 Bonfire of the DamnedBonfire of the Damned
- 1 Burn from WithinBurn from Within
- 1 Clan DefianceClan Defiance
- 1 ConflagrateConflagrate
- 1 Consume SpiritConsume Spirit
- 1 Crackle with PowerCrackle with Power
- 1 Crater's ClawsCrater's Claws
- 1 Death GraspDeath Grasp
- 1 DemonfireDemonfire
- 1 Devil's PlayDevil's Play
- 1 DisintegrateDisintegrate
- 1 Drain LifeDrain Life
- 1 Fanning the FlamesFanning the Flames
- 1 FireballFireball
- 1 Ghitu FireGhitu Fire
- 1 IlluminateIlluminate
- 1 Invoke the FiremindInvoke the Firemind
- 1 Jaya's Immolating InfernoJaya's Immolating Inferno
- 1 Kaervek's TorchKaervek's Torch
- 1 Lava BurstLava Burst
- 1 LavalancheLavalanche
- 1 Light Up the NightLight Up the Night
- 1 Meteor ShowerMeteor Shower
- 1 Red Sun's ZenithRed Sun's Zenith
- 1 Rolling ThunderRolling Thunder
- 1 Soul BurnSoul Burn
- 1 Titan's RevengeTitan's Revenge
- 1 Worldsoul's RageWorldsoul's Rage
Instants (8)
- 1 Aurelia's FuryAurelia's Fury
- 1 Comet StormComet Storm
- 1 ElectrodominanceElectrodominance
- 1 Expansion // ExplosionExpansion // Explosion
- 1 Fall of the TitansFall of the Titans
- 1 Flaming GambitFlaming Gambit
- 1 Ravaging BlazeRavaging Blaze
- 1 Volcanic GeyserVolcanic Geyser
The most played of these cards, Comet StormComet Storm, sees play in 68,449 decks and is a bit of a throwback. It's similar to FireballFireball in that you can pay extra mana to do damage to more things, but instead of splitting the damage it just does the full X to everything you target. It's an expensive way to solve any number of problems, from any number of creatures to killing opponents outright, and I'm glad that it still shows up here.
The next most played card is Crackle with PowerCrackle with Power, which sees play in 59,814 decks and is a finisher for the modern era. If you're dumping mana into it, it scales up fast. Five times X is no joke. Jaya's Immolating InfernoJaya's Immolating Inferno, the third most played card in 46,983 decks, also provides an elegant finisher in a format where there are usually exactly three opponents.
The least played of these cards is Flaming GambitFlaming Gambit, with only 172 decks. This is a real stinker; it can only target players, but that player can redirect the damage to their least valuable creature. Even flashback can't redeem it. The next least played card, however, is actually one of my favorites. IlluminateIlluminate is only included in 193 decks, but it can do everything, hitting creatures and players and even drawing cards! It costs a million mana, sure, but if we're filling our deck with X spells, surely we'll have a plan for that.
Learning From Experience
Looking at all of these cards immediately brought me back to one of the first Commander decks I built: Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus. She works so well with X spells, because they will always have a higher mana value than your experience, even if we don't put any mana into X, and the amount of discount we can accumulate on spells throughout a game can become ridiculous.
This was the first deck I built where the concept worked too well. I filled the deck with cards like Stroke of GeniusStroke of Genius and BraingeyserBraingeyser, and basically drew my whole deck every game. Add in Reality SpasmReality Spasm as a way to untap all my lands, a few ways to return Reality SpasmReality Spasm and play it again, and what I thought would be an interactive Spellslinger deck became a solitaire-style Storm deck. Don't get me wrong, I love playing combo decks, but that wasn't my intention, and it wasn't the kind of game I had told my friends I would be bringing.
But today, I have the chance to recreate this deck as I originally intended. The problem with playing fifteen versions of BraingeyserBraingeyser that can all be cast for two mana is that each one becomes more and more likely to find another one, and the chain never ends. FireballFireball doesn't have the same problem. Each one fuels the next in that it will give you an experience counter with Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus on the board, but it doesn't also dig for more FireballFireballs. MizzixMizzix solves the fundamental problem of huge X spells by providing an ever-increasing discount, but the game still feels like it revolves around casting huge spells and interacting with opponents' boards, rather than calculating combo math.
There are a couple other ways I've included to fuel huge X spells for redundancy. Vadrik, Astral ArchmageVadrik, Astral Archmage works very similarly to Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus, but doesn't scale up quite as quickly. Mana FlareMana Flare accelerates games into the haymaker stage almost instantly, but should benefit us the most since our spells can be as big as we want. And Elementalist's PaletteElementalist's Palette scales to be a crazy mana rock once we've cast a few X spells.
Nuclear Proliferation
Our primary way to power up our X spells, however, is definitely still Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus. She gives us experience counters, which are very hard for our opponents to interact with, but can be easy for us to manipulate with a little deckbuilding consideration. Cards like Steady ProgressSteady Progress, Contentious PlanContentious Plan, and Experimental AuguryExperimental Augury are all spells that can also proliferate, giving us more counters.
Tezzeret's GambitTezzeret's Gambit is especially powerful, since we can cast it for free if we have three or more experience counters thanks to its Phyrexian mana cost. Flux ChannelerFlux Channeler goes off in this deck, since we're planning on casting tons of spells anyways. And I wanted to try out Dreamtide WhaleDreamtide Whale as well. Its trigger reminds me of Ledger ShredderLedger Shredder, a card that has impressed me a lot (and which seems to trigger almost every turn), and the Whale is also just a huge body for its cost.
Spells that make TreasureTreasures are also powerful in this deck as a way to chain spells or build up mana for a following turn. Pirate's PillagePirate's Pillage, Big ScoreBig Score, and Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall are all great spells that play even better in this deck, as they can be mana-neutral or even generate mana if we have enough discount. Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist remains one of the most powerful enablers for spell-based decks. And I've snuck in Hell to PayHell to Pay, which, despite only being able to target creatures, is one of the best FireballFireballs in the deck. Once we've got a good amount of discount, it can be a one-mana spell that kills a creature and gives us tons of Treasures for the next turn.
Oiling the Gears
We need some way to get our motion started if we want to build up to lethal FireballFireballs. It's a bit disappointing to have to start with a DisintegrateDisintegrate for one just to gain some experience. Thankfully, blue and red have some of the very best instants and sorceries for card selection in the game.
PonderPonder, PreordainPreordain, and Faithless LootingFaithless Looting can gain experience counters while also looking for slightly larger spells to trigger Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus's ability again. Further up the chain, cards that can be cast for free, like GushGush and PyrokinesisPyrokinesis, can notch up the experience as well. Lórien RevealedLórien Revealed can be a two-mana draw-three while also having the flexibility of just being part of our mana base.
I also simply could not resist adding in some of the explosive elements of the original Storm deck. For the draw spells, I chose to include only the best, which in this deck means only the ones that can be discounted to a single mana. Stroke of GeniusStroke of Genius, Drown in DreamsDrown in Dreams, and Ingenious MasteryIngenious Mastery all join our little package of Expansion // ExplosionExpansion // Explosion and IlluminateIlluminate for draw power. Reality SpasmReality Spasm and TurnaboutTurnabout remain powerful ways to generate mana, and the new Niv-Mizzet, VisionaryNiv-Mizzet, Visionary can draw huge chunks of our deck.
The key with these cards is to make sure they're not the centerpiece of the deck. With only a few of them, we won't have the same chance of chaining one into the other, and our FireballFireballs can shine as the lynchpin of the strategy.
The Decklist
Disco Inferno
View on ArchidektCommander (1)
- 1 Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus
Sorceries (32)
- 1 Apex of PowerApex of Power
- 1 BanefireBanefire
- 1 Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act
- 1 Bonfire of the DamnedBonfire of the Damned
- 1 Burn from WithinBurn from Within
- 1 Contentious PlanContentious Plan
- 1 Crackle with PowerCrackle with Power
- 1 Crater's ClawsCrater's Claws
- 1 DemonfireDemonfire
- 1 Devil's PlayDevil's Play
- 1 DisintegrateDisintegrate
- 1 Faithless LootingFaithless Looting
- 1 Fanning the FlamesFanning the Flames
- 1 FireballFireball
- 1 Ghitu FireGhitu Fire
- 1 Gitaxian ProbeGitaxian Probe
- 1 Hell to PayHell to Pay
- 1 IlluminateIlluminate
- 1 Ingenious MasteryIngenious Mastery
- 1 Inspired TinkeringInspired Tinkering
- 1 Invoke the FiremindInvoke the Firemind
- 1 Light Up the NightLight Up the Night
- 1 Lórien RevealedLórien Revealed
- 1 Mana GeyserMana Geyser
- 1 Mystic RetrievalMystic Retrieval
- 1 Pirate's PillagePirate's Pillage
- 1 PonderPonder
- 1 PreordainPreordain
- 1 Rolling ThunderRolling Thunder
- 1 Shatterskull SmashingShatterskull Smashing
- 1 Tezzeret's GambitTezzeret's Gambit
- 1 Treasure CruiseTreasure Cruise
Instants (20)
- 1 Big ScoreBig Score
- 1 Comet StormComet Storm
- 1 Dig Through TimeDig Through Time
- 1 Drown in DreamsDrown in Dreams
- 1 ElectrodominanceElectrodominance
- 1 Expansion // ExplosionExpansion // Explosion
- 1 Experimental AuguryExperimental Augury
- 1 Fall of the TitansFall of the Titans
- 1 Frantic SearchFrantic Search
- 1 GushGush
- 1 PyrokinesisPyrokinesis
- 1 Ravaging BlazeRavaging Blaze
- 1 Reality SpasmReality Spasm
- 1 Sink into StuporSink into Stupor
- 1 Spell BurstSpell Burst
- 1 Steady ProgressSteady Progress
- 1 Stroke of GeniusStroke of Genius
- 1 TurnaboutTurnabout
- 1 Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall
- 1 Volcanic GeyserVolcanic Geyser
Creatures (5)
- 1 Dreamtide WhaleDreamtide Whale
- 1 Flux ChannelerFlux Channeler
- 1 Niv-Mizzet, VisionaryNiv-Mizzet, Visionary
- 1 Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist
- 1 Vadrik, Astral ArchmageVadrik, Astral Archmage
Enchantments (1)
- 1 Mana FlareMana Flare
Artifacts (5)
- 1 Arcane SignetArcane Signet
- 1 Elementalist's PaletteElementalist's Palette
- 1 Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves
- 1 Sol RingSol Ring
- 1 Talisman of CreativityTalisman of Creativity
Lands (36)
- 1 Cascade BluffsCascade Bluffs
- 1 Command TowerCommand Tower
- 1 Fiery IsletFiery Islet
- 10 IslandIsland
- 1 Izzet BoilerworksIzzet Boilerworks
- 13 MountainMountain
- 1 Shivan ReefShivan Reef
- 1 Spinerock KnollSpinerock Knoll
- 1 Spirebluff CanalSpirebluff Canal
- 1 Steam VentsSteam Vents
- 1 Stormcarved CoastStormcarved Coast
- 1 Sulfur FallsSulfur Falls
- 1 Temple of EpiphanyTemple of Epiphany
- 1 Thundering FallsThundering Falls
- 1 Training CenterTraining Center
This deck is a blast to play. Our twenty-three FireballFireballs give us a high level of consistency, but each individual version brings its own flavor to the game. Bonfire of the DamnedBonfire of the Damned plays out totally differently from Fanning the FlamesFanning the Flames, leading to different games. We can also shift very quickly from offense to defense and vice versa, since FireballFireball can function either as removal or half of an "I win" button.
Mizzix of the IzmagnusMizzix of the Izmagnus is fundamentally a messed up engine for discounting spells, and sometimes we'll draw two or three ways to build huge card advantage along with our mana advantage, but in this deck it feels more like the classic explosive potential of a Spellslinger deck, rather than a concentrated strategy to end the game in one turn. In terms of reworking the vibe of a prior deck, this was definitely a success.
Until Next Time
One of the best build-arounds of all time, Spider SpawningSpider Spawning is a card that has always inspired dreams. But there are now seven versions of this effect. That's enough that we can now base a strategy on finding one every single game, and accumulating masses of tokens! How can we maximize one of the coolest cards in the game? Find out next time on Singleton Shmingleton!
Your opinions are welcome. We love hearing what you think about Magic! We ask that you are always respectful when commenting. Please keep in mind how your comments could be interpreted by others. Personal attacks on our writers or other commenters will not be tolerated. Your comments may be removed if your language could be interpreted as aggressive or disrespectful. You may also be banned from writing further comments.