Damnation is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.
Complete guide
Damnation is the iconic black equivalent of Wrath of God, providing a clean slate for the battlefield at a crucial four-mana price point. It is a fundamental tool for control decks looking to stabilize against aggressive strategies by eliminating every creature in play simultaneously. Understanding how it bypasses specific survival mechanics is key to mastering its use.
What It Does
Damnation is a sorcery that destroys all creatures currently on the battlefield. The most significant clause in its text is that creatures 'can't be regenerated.' This means shields from abilities like 'Regenerate {B}' or cards that grant regeneration will not save a creature from being put into the graveyard.
How It Resolves
When Damnation resolves, it checks the battlefield for all permanents with the type 'creature.' It then attempts to destroy all of them simultaneously. Because of the anti-regeneration clause, any replacement effects that would replace destruction with tapping and removing the creature from combat are ignored. The creatures are placed into their owners' graveyards, triggering any 'when this creature dies' abilities.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that Damnation removes Indestructible creatures. Since Indestructible prevents a permanent from being 'destroyed,' and Damnation uses the keyword 'destroy,' Indestructible creatures will remain on the battlefield. Additionally, because it does not target, cards with Hexproof or Shroud are still destroyed.
When to Play It
Damnation is best used when your opponent has established a superior board presence or when you are prepared to follow up with ways to recur your own threats. Since it is a sorcery, you must plan your turn to ensure you don't leave yourself open to haste creatures or non-creature threats immediately after wiping the board.
Interaction examples
VictimizeFirst, you cast Damnation to destroy all creatures on the field, ensuring the graveyard is full of targets. On your next turn, or later in the same turn if you have mana, you can cast Victimize, sacrificing a single creature you've since played to bring back two of the powerful creatures Damnation just sent to your graveyard.
Toxic DelugeIf your opponent has an Indestructible creature, Damnation will fail to remove it. In this scenario, you would prefer Toxic Deluge, as reducing a creature's toughness to 0 or less is not 'destruction' and will send an Indestructible creature to the graveyard. However, against a swarm of regenerating trolls, Damnation is the superior choice because it explicitly stops regeneration.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Damnation
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Biorhythm + Damnation
- 1Cast Damnation by paying its mana cost, destroying all creatures.
- 2Cast Biorhythm by paying its mana cost, causing each player's life total to become equal to the number of creatures they control.
- 3Each player that controls no creatures loses the game due to having 0 life.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Damnation
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.