MTG Red sources deal triple damage through City on Fire

The color Red in Magic: The Gathering has a new Enchantment from the upcoming Standard-legal set March of the Machine that triples damage dealt. 

Big Red decks are thriving within the MTG Standard meta. The boost in power came from cards like Mechanized Warfare through The Brothers’ War set, and Skitterbeam Battalion. And Big Red decks thrive in other Magic formats too, especially Commander under the helm of Torbran, Thane of Red Fell. 

Mono-Red Aggro decks also sometimes use cards like Mechanized Warfare, boosting the power of cheap creatures that have low stats. And these decks are about to get even better through the MOM spoiler dropped by Eilidh Lonie on Twitter today called City on Fire, a Red Enchantment that triples damage dealt. 

MTG March of the Machine – City on Fire

The Red Enchantment looks intimidating with its casting cost of 5RRR, which it is if you don’t have any creatures on the battlefield. City on Fire uses the returning MTG mechanic Convoke, which allows players to tap creatures on the battlefield to assist in casting a spell. 

• Casting Cost: 5RRR
• Type: Enchantment
• Rarity: Rare
• Convoke: Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for one or one mana of that creature’s color.
• Ability: If a source you control would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals triple that damage instead. 

In MTG formats like Pioneer and Commander, there is an abundance of cheap Red creatures that produce token creatures, typically goblins.

City on Fire can use these tokens to its advantage, having them tap to cast the Enchantment. Follow that up with a Lightning Strike to your opponent’s face and you’re dealing nine damage in one shot. 

Players can also follow up City on Fire with Skitterbeam Battalion. The Artifact Prototype will produce either two 2/2 tokens or two 4/4 tokens depending on the mana spent to cast it. But spending nine mana isn’t needed with City on Fire on the battlefield, turning the damage from those 2/2 tokens into six damage. 

Other powerful cards in Standard synergize with City of Fire—like Burn Down the House and Brotherhood’s End.

Players can test out City on Fire at MOM prerelease events that start on April 14. The digital release of March of the Machine is scheduled to take place on April 18.