Ice Storm 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.
Complete guide
Ice Storm is a classic green sorcery that offers a straightforward way to disrupt your opponent's mana base. By destroying a key land, you can slow down their strategy and prevent them from casting high-cost spells.
What It Does
Ice Storm is a targeted land destruction spell. For three mana, it allows you to choose any land on the battlefield and move it directly to its owner's graveyard. It does not care if the land is basic, non-basic, or even a creature-land; if it has the 'Land' type and is not indestructible, Ice Storm can destroy it.
How It Resolves
When you cast Ice Storm, you must choose a legal target land. Upon resolution, the game checks if the target is still legal. If it is, the land is destroyed and put into the graveyard. This happens immediately during the resolution of the spell, and no player can take actions between the target being destroyed and the spell finishing its resolution.
Common Mistakes
A common error is attempting to target a land that has Hexproof or Shroud, which prevents targeting. Additionally, if the target land gains Indestructible in response to Ice Storm, the spell will resolve but the land will remain on the battlefield. Always ensure your opponent hasn't left mana open for a protection spell before committing your resources.
When to Play It
The best time to play Ice Storm is early in the game to 'color screw' an opponent or keep them off their fourth or fifth mana source. If your opponent relies on specific utility lands or ramp spells to get ahead, Ice Storm acts as a surgical tool to maintain parity or pull ahead in tempo.
Interaction examples
CultivateYour opponent casts Cultivate to put a basic Forest onto the battlefield tapped. On your next turn, you cast Ice Storm targeting that specific Forest. By destroying the extra land they just searched for, you effectively negate the mana advantage they gained from their ramp spell.
FarseekAn opponent uses Farseek to find a Steam Vents to fix their blue and red mana requirements. You respond on your turn by casting Ice Storm on the Steam Vents. Because they lost a dual land that provided two colors, they may now be unable to cast spells requiring specific mana symbols in their hand.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ice Storm
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Ice Storm
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.