Obliterating BoltHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Obliterating Bolt targets a single creature or planeswalker and attempts to deal 4 damage to it. Beyond just the damage, it applies a 'rest in peace' effect: if that permanent would die at any point during the remainder of the turn, it is moved to the exile zone instead of the graveyard.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, you choose a legal target and pay the mana cost. Upon resolution, the 4 damage is dealt immediately. If that damage is enough to destroy the target (lethal damage for a creature or removing all loyalty from a planeswalker), it is exiled. Even if the target survives the initial 4 damage, the exile effect lingers on that permanent until the end of the current turn.

Common Mistakes

A common misconception is that the exile effect only applies if the 4 damage is what kills the target. In reality, the replacement effect lasts the entire turn. If you cast Obliterating Bolt on a creature and it survives, but then you destroy that creature later in the same turn with another spell or through combat, it will still be exiled.

When to Play It

This card is best utilized against decks that rely on graveyard recursion or 'dies' triggers. Because the permanent is exiled instead of dying, 'when this creature dies' abilities will not trigger. It is a perfect answer for cards with high toughness that might need a little extra nudge to be removed permanently.

Interaction examples

Cleaning Up the Board

Vandalblast

Imagine your opponent has a creature that is also an artifact. You first cast Obliterating Bolt on that creature, dealing 4 damage. If it survives, you can then cast Vandalblast to destroy it. Because of the Bolt's lingering effect, the artifact creature will be exiled instead of going to the graveyard when Vandalblast resolves.

Filtering for Answers

Faithless Looting

If you are facing a large creature and don't have enough damage, you can cast Faithless Looting to draw two cards and discard two. Once you draw into your Obliterating Bolt, you can cast it to deal 4 damage. If the creature was already weakened by combat, the Bolt will finish it off and exile it, preventing any reanimation shenanigans.