Tarfire 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
Tarfire deals 2 damage to any target.
Complete guide
Tarfire might look like a simple shock at first glance, but it carries deep synergies thanks to its unique card types. As a Kindred Instant, it brings the Goblin tribe into the spell slot of your deck, offering more than just raw damage. Understanding how its types interact with the game state is key to mastering this classic red spell.
What It Does
Tarfire is a Kindred Instant that deals 2 damage to any target, which includes players, creatures, or planeswalkers. The most important feature is its Kindred type and Goblin subtype. Even though it is not a creature card, it counts as a Goblin card in all zones, including your hand, library, and graveyard. This allows it to be searched for or recycled by effects that specifically look for Goblins.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When you cast Tarfire, you first choose a valid target and pay the one red mana cost. While on the stack, it is a Kindred spell and a Goblin spell. Upon resolution, it deals 2 damage to the chosen target. Finally, it is placed in the graveyard. Because Kindred is a distinct card type, Tarfire contributes two types to effects like Delirium: Kindred and Instant.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is forgetting that Kindred is its own card type. If an effect counts the number of card types in your graveyard, Tarfire provides two (Kindred and Instant), whereas a card like Lightning Bolt only provides one (Instant). Additionally, remember that while it is a Goblin card, it is not a creature; you cannot cast it if an effect specifically says you may only cast creature spells.
When to Play It
Tarfire is best utilized in decks that care about the Goblin subtype or the diversity of card types in the graveyard. While it deals less damage than some other one-mana spells, the ability to search for it with Goblin-specific tutors or use it to quickly power up card-type-hungry mechanics makes it a strategic choice over standard burn spells.
Interaction examples
Lightning BoltIf your goal is pure damage, Lightning Bolt is superior as it deals 3 damage for the same mana cost. However, if you have an effect that triggers when a 'Goblin spell' is cast, Tarfire will trigger that ability while Lightning Bolt will not.
AbradeTarfire can target a player's life total directly, which Abrade cannot do. While Abrade offers the utility of destroying an artifact or dealing more damage to a creature, Tarfire serves as a finisher that can reduce an opponent's health to zero or interact with Goblin-synergy cards.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Tarfire
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
This cards was originally printed with the "tribal" card type. That card type has been replaced with "kindred". This change does not affect the gameplay function of this card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Kindred is a card type that allows noncreature cards to have creature types. For example, Echoes of Eternity is an Eldrazi (although not a creature) while on the battlefield and an Eldrazi card (although not a creature card) in zones other than the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
While it appears only on cards that already have other card types, kindred is a card type and will be counted by effects that refer to the number of card types among cards in a zone.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Tarfire
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.