Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 1

The second ability affects all sources you control that would deal damage to a permanent or player at any point in the rest of the turn.

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 2

Both of Quest for Pure Flame’s abilities interact with any kind of damage, not just combat damage.

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 3

The source of combat damage is the creature that dealt it.

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 4

If a spell causes damage to be dealt, that spell will always identify the source of the damage. In most cases, the source is the spell itself. For example, Lightning Bolt says “Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.”

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 5

If an ability causes damage to be dealt, that ability will always identify the source of the damage. The ability itself is never the source. However, the source of the ability is often the source of the damage. For example, Prodigal Pyromancer’s ability says “Prodigal Pyromancer deals 1 damage to any target.”

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 6

If the source of the damage is a permanent, Quest for Pure Flame checks whether you control that permanent at the time that damage is dealt. If the permanent has left the battlefield by then, its last known information is used. If the source of the damage is a spell, whether you control it is obvious. If the source of the damage is a card in some other zone (such as a cycled Jund Sojourners), Quest for Pure Flame checks whether you’re the card’s owner, rather than whether you’re its controller.

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 7

When the first ability resolves, you may put just one quest counter on Quest for Pure Flame. It doesn’t matter how much damage the source dealt.

Quest for Pure Flame — ruling 8

The first ability will trigger multiple times if multiple sources you control deal damage to a single opponent at once, or if a single source you control deals damage to multiple opponents at once.

Quest for Pure Flame : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Quest for Pure Flame 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

Whenever a source you control deals damage to an opponent, you may put a quest counter on this enchantment. Remove four quest counters from this enchantment and sacrifice it: If any source you control would deal damage to a permanent or player this turn, it deals double that damage to that permanent or player instead.

Complete guide

Quest for Pure Flame is a powerful red enchantment that rewards aggressive play by accumulating quest counters. Once charged, it acts as a explosive damage multiplier that can turn a small poke into a lethal strike. This guide covers how to fuel your quest and maximize the impact of its doubling effect.

Charging the Quest

The first ability of Quest for Pure Flame triggers whenever a source you control deals any type of damage to an opponent. This includes combat damage from creatures, noncombat damage from spells, and even triggered abilities from enchantments. Each time a source deals damage, you put one counter on the Quest, regardless of how much damage was dealt. If multiple creatures deal combat damage to an opponent at once, each creature is a separate source and will provide its own counter.

Doubling Your Damage

Once you have four counters, you can pay the cost of removing them and sacrificing the enchantment to activate its second ability. This creates a replacement effect that lasts for the rest of the turn. Every source you control—including the very spells or creatures used to trigger the Quest—will now deal double damage to any permanent or player. If you activate multiple Quests in a single turn, these effects stack multiplicatively: two Quests will quadruple the damage, while three will multiply it by eight.

Division and Prevention

It is important to note the order of operations for damage. If a spell or combat damage is divided among multiple targets, you divide the original damage first, then the Quest doubles the result for each recipient. If an opponent has a damage prevention effect, that player (the one being damaged) chooses the order in which the doubling and prevention apply. Usually, they will choose to prevent damage first to minimize the final total.

Timing Your Activation

Because the doubling effect lasts for the entire turn, the best time to activate it is usually at the beginning of your combat phase or just before a large burn spell resolves. Note that the activation is not a spell, but an activated ability that uses the stack. Once it resolves, even sources that enter the battlefield later in the turn will have their damage doubled.

Interaction examples

Rapid Charging with Impact Tremors

Impact Tremors

If you control both Quest for Pure Flame and Impact Tremors, every time a creature enters the battlefield under your control, Impact Tremors deals 1 damage to each opponent. Since Impact Tremors is the source of the damage, it triggers Quest for Pure Flame. If you are playing a multiplayer game and one creature enters, Impact Tremors deals damage to multiple opponents simultaneously, giving the Quest a counter for each opponent damaged.

Scaling Noncombat Damage

Impact Tremors

Suppose you have already sacrificed Quest for Pure Flame to activate its ability. You then play a creature while Impact Tremors is on the battlefield. Impact Tremors triggers to deal 1 damage to an opponent. Because the Quest's effect is active, that 1 damage is replaced by 2 damage. If you had activated two Quests earlier that turn, that 1 damage would become 4 damage.

Interaction with Urza's Saga

Urza's Saga

While Urza's Saga is primarily used to find artifacts, the Construct tokens it creates can help charge Quest for Pure Flame. If a 5/5 Construct token deals combat damage to an opponent, you put one counter on the Quest. Later, if you activate the Quest's ability, that same 5/5 Construct will deal 10 damage during its next attack that turn (if it has multiple combat phases) or if it deals damage via another effect.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Quest for Pure Flame

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
The second ability affects all sources you control that would deal damage to a permanent or player at any point in the rest of the turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
Both of Quest for Pure Flame’s abilities interact with any kind of damage, not just combat damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
The source of combat damage is the creature that dealt it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell causes damage to be dealt, that spell will always identify the source of the damage. In most cases, the source is the spell itself. For example, Lightning Bolt says “Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.”
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If an ability causes damage to be dealt, that ability will always identify the source of the damage. The ability itself is never the source. However, the source of the ability is often the source of the damage. For example, Prodigal Pyromancer’s ability says “Prodigal Pyromancer deals 1 damage to any target.”
No other card is named in this ruling.
#6October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If the source of the damage is a permanent, Quest for Pure Flame checks whether you control that permanent at the time that damage is dealt. If the permanent has left the battlefield by then, its last known information is used. If the source of the damage is a spell, whether you control it is obvious. If the source of the damage is a card in some other zone (such as a cycled Jund Sojourners), Quest for Pure Flame checks whether you’re the card’s owner, rather than whether you’re its controller.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#7October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
When the first ability resolves, you may put just one quest counter on Quest for Pure Flame. It doesn’t matter how much damage the source dealt.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#8October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
The first ability will trigger multiple times if multiple sources you control deal damage to a single opponent at once, or if a single source you control deals damage to multiple opponents at once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#9October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If multiple effects modify how damage will be dealt, the player who would be dealt damage or the controller of the creature that would be dealt damage chooses the order to apply the effects. For example, Mending Hands says, “Prevent the next 4 damage that would be dealt to any target.” Suppose a spell controlled by a player who has activated Quest for Pure Fire’s second ability would deal 5 damage to a player who has cast Mending Hands targeting themselves. The player who would be dealt damage can either (a) prevent 4 damage first and then let Quest for Pure Fire’s effect double the remaining 1 damage, taking 2 damage, or (b) double the damage to 10 and then prevent 4 damage, taking 6 damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#10October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability divides damage among multiple recipients (such as Arrow Volley Trap does), the damage is divided before Quest for Pure Fire’s effect doubles it. The same is true for combat damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#11October 1, 2009· Wizards of the Coast
If you activate the second ability of more than one Quest for Pure Flame in the same turn, the effects are cumulative. Two such effects will cause damage from sources you control to be multiplied by four; three such effects will cause damage from sources you control to be multiplied by eight.
No other card is named in this ruling.