Planetary AnnihilationHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

This spell performs two major actions in sequence. First, it targets the mana base of every player by forcing them to choose exactly six lands to keep, with all others being sacrificed. Second, it deals 6 damage to every creature on the battlefield. Because it affects 'each player,' you are not immune to its effects; you must be prepared to lose your own excess lands and creatures as well.

How It Resolves Step by Step

When the spell resolves, the active player (whose turn it is) chooses six lands they control first, followed by each other player in turn order. Once choices are made, all unchosen lands are sacrificed simultaneously. After the lands are gone, the spell deals 6 damage to every creature currently on the board. This damage is dealt to all creatures at once, and any creature with 6 toughness or less will be destroyed once state-based actions are checked after the spell finishes resolving.

Common Mistakes

A common error is forgetting that you must choose six lands if you have six or more; you cannot choose to keep fewer to trigger more sacrifice effects unless you have fewer than six to begin with. Also, note that the damage is dealt to creatures after the sacrifice of lands occurs. This means any abilities that trigger on land sacrifice will go on the stack only after the entire spell, including the damage portion, has finished resolving.

When to Play It

Planetary Annihilation is best used when you are facing an opponent with a massive army or an overwhelming mana advantage. Since it caps everyone at six lands, it punishes 'Ramp' strategies heavily. It is also an excellent choice if your primary creatures have 7 or more toughness, as they will survive the 6 damage while your opponents' smaller utility creatures and tokens perish.

Interaction examples

Managing Mana with Mana Geyser

Mana Geyser

If your opponents have many tapped lands, you can cast Mana Geyser first to generate a massive amount of red mana. You then use five of that mana to cast Planetary Annihilation. This allows you to wipe the board and destroy their lands while still having leftover mana from the Geyser to cast a follow-up threat, which is crucial since you will be down to six lands yourself soon.

Double Board Wipe

Chandra's Ignition

If you have a creature with 7 toughness, it will survive the 6 damage from Planetary Annihilation. You can then cast Chandra's Ignition on that survivor. Since the battlefield was already weakened by the first spell, Chandra's Ignition can easily finish off any surviving large creatures your opponents might have kept, while also dealing direct damage to your opponents' life totals.