Storm the CitadelHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it Does

Storm the Citadel grants all creatures you currently control +2/+2 until the end of the turn. Additionally, each of these creatures gains a triggered ability: whenever they deal combat damage to a player or a planeswalker, you get to destroy an artifact or enchantment controlled by the defending player. This makes every unblocked creature a potential threat to your opponent's non-creature permanents.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When Storm the Citadel resolves, the game checks which creatures you control at that exact moment. Those creatures receive the power/toughness buff and the new triggered ability. If you play a creature later in the turn (such as one with Flash), it will not receive these bonuses. During the combat phase, if any of the affected creatures deal combat damage to a player or planeswalker, the new ability triggers. You then choose a target artifact or enchantment owned by the player who was hit (or the player who controls the planeswalker that was hit) and destroy it.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is assuming this spell affects creatures that enter the battlefield after the spell has finished resolving; it only locks in the creatures present during resolution. Another common point of confusion involves 'defending player.' If your creature attacks a planeswalker, the 'defending player' is the controller of that planeswalker, meaning you can only target artifacts or enchantments that specific player controls.

When to Play It

This spell is best utilized when you have a wide board of creatures, especially those with evasion like flying or trample. Since it costs five mana, you want to ensure you are ready to enter the combat phase immediately after casting it to take advantage of the 'until end of turn' duration.

Interaction examples

Scaling Power for Cards

Rishkar's Expertise

If you have a 3/3 creature and cast Storm the Citadel, it becomes a 5/5. You can then follow up with Rishkar's Expertise to draw five cards instead of three, using the boosted power to maximize your card draw before moving to combat.

Building the Mana Base

Skyshroud Claim

To cast a high-cost sorcery like Storm the Citadel early, you can use Skyshroud Claim to pull two Forest cards from your library onto the battlefield. This provides the necessary mana to deploy your creatures and the spell itself in the following turns for a decisive strike.