Devastate 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 target land. Devastate deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.
Complete guide
Devastate is a powerful red sorcery that pairs land destruction with a global sweep of minor damage. It allows players to disrupt their opponent's mana base while simultaneously picking off small creatures and chipping away at life totals. This five-mana spell ensures that as your opponent loses a resource, their battlefield presence also feels the heat.
What It Does
Devastate has two primary effects that occur in a specific order. First, it destroys a target land of your choice. Second, it deals 1 damage to every creature on the battlefield and every player in the game. Note that because the spell requires a target land, you cannot cast Devastate if there are no lands on the battlefield.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When you cast Devastate, you must choose a target land. If that target is legal upon resolution, the land is destroyed. Immediately after the land is moved to the graveyard, the damage component of the spell occurs. Every creature currently on the battlefield receives 1 damage, and every player—including you—takes 1 damage. If the targeted land becomes an illegal target before the spell resolves (for example, if it is sacrificed or gains Hexproof), the entire spell is countered and no damage is dealt.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is forgetting that Devastate damages your own creatures and yourself. It is not a 'one-sided' board wipe. Additionally, players sometimes forget that if the land destruction part of the spell fails due to the target being gone, the damage part never happens. You must have a valid target land to successfully deal the 1 damage to everything.
When to Play It
Devastate is best utilized when your opponent relies on specific utility lands or when they have several creatures with 1 toughness, such as tokens or small mana-generating creatures. It is an excellent tool for slowing down the game's pace while clearing a path through a swarm of small blockers.
Interaction examples
Mana GeyserIf your opponents have many tapped lands, you can cast Mana Geyser to generate a large amount of red mana. Use five of that mana to cast Devastate, destroying one of those tapped lands and dealing 1 damage to all creatures and players, effectively turning your opponent's resource usage against them.
Chandra's IgnitionIf you have a creature with high power, you might cast Chandra's Ignition first to deal heavy damage to the board. If any small creatures survive with just 1 toughness remaining, following up with Devastate will finish them off while also removing a key land from your opponent's side.
Even if you only need the 1 damage to clear a field of 1/1 tokens, you must target a land. If you are the only one with lands, you would be forced to target your own land to resolve the spell and deal the damage to the creatures.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Devastate
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Legal formats
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