Torment of Hailfire 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
Repeat the following process X times. Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent of their choice or discards a card.
Complete guide
Torment of Hailfire is a devastating black sorcery that forces your opponents into a series of impossible choices. As the fire rains down, they must decide whether to bleed life, lose their precious resources, or watch their board crumble. This card is a premiere finisher in any deck capable of generating vast amounts of mana.
How the Torment Works
When you cast Torment of Hailfire, you choose a value for X. Upon resolution, the game initiates a loop that repeats exactly X times. In each iteration, every opponent must choose one of three options: sacrifice a nonland permanent, discard a card from their hand, or lose 3 life. Crucially, players can always choose to lose life even if they have cards to discard or permanents to sacrifice.
Step-by-Step Resolution
The process happens in waves. First, starting with the next player in turn order, each opponent announces their choice for the current iteration. Once all choices are made, the actions happen simultaneously: permanents are moved to the graveyard, cards are discarded, and life totals are adjusted. The game then checks if the process has been repeated X times; if not, the cycle begins again. Note that state-based actions are not checked between repetitions, meaning a player could technically sacrifice an Aura that was attached to a creature they sacrificed in a previous iteration of the same spell.
Strategic Timing
Torment of Hailfire is most effective when your opponents are low on resources. If their hand is empty and their board is thin, every point of X represents a guaranteed 3 life lost. It is often used as a 'mana sink' in the late game to end the match instantly. However, if X is 0, the spell resolves but does absolutely nothing, so ensure you have the mana to back up the threat.
Interaction examples
ReanimateIf you cast Torment of Hailfire for a large X, your opponent may be forced to sacrifice a powerful creature to stay alive. Because the creature is now in the graveyard after the sorcery finishes resolving, you can then cast Reanimate on your next turn to bring that exact creature back under your control, turning their sacrifice into your gain.
Demonic TutorIn a late-game scenario where you have accumulated ten or more mana, you can use Demonic Tutor to search your library for Torment of Hailfire. Since the Tutor only costs two mana, you can immediately cast the Torment for an X value of at least six or seven, likely forcing an opponent to lose 18+ life in a single turn if they cannot discard or sacrifice enough permanents.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Torment of Hailfire
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If X is 0, Torment of Hailfire resolves with no effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
While resolving Torment of Hailfire, your opponent chooses a card to be discarded without revealing it, chooses a nonland permanent to be sacrificed, or chooses to do neither. Then that player discards that card, sacrifices that permanent, or loses 3 life, then repeats this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Your opponent can always choose to lose 3 life, even if they have cards to discard or nonland permanents to sacrifice.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Each repetition through this process is done separately. If an opponent sacrifices a creature with an ability that triggers when another creature dies, for example, it will see creatures that are sacrificed before it, but not those are sacrificed after it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
State-based actions aren’t checked in between repetitions of this process, so the game state may be a little unusual while making the choice. For example, a player may sacrifice a creature and then later sacrifice an Aura that was attached to that creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
In a multiplayer game, each opponent in turn order makes their choice once, then all of the actions occur simultaneously, then they repeat this process if it hasn’t been done X times yet. Opponents will know choices made by earlier opponents when making their choices, although a card chosen to be discarded this way isn’t revealed until it’s discarded.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, Torment of Hailfire causes both opponents to sacrifice a nonland permanent, discard a card, or lose 3 life X times. Your opponents can choose the same torment or different ones each time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Yavimaya Bloomsage // Channel + Torment of Hailfire
- 1Cast a copy of Channel by paying
. - 2Activate the ability granted by Channel by paying 1 life, adding
. - 3Repeat step 2 as desired.
- 4Cast Torment of Hailfire by paying
and all remaining available mana. Each opponent will lose 3 life unless they sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card for each mana paid beyond the .
Channel + Torment of Hailfire
- 1Cast Channel by paying .
- 2Activate the ability granted by Channel by paying 1 life, adding .
- 3Repeat step 2 as desired.
- 4Cast Torment of Hailfire by paying and all remaining available mana. Each opponent will lose 3 life unless they sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card for each mana paid beyond the .
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Torment of Hailfire
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.