Surtr wants a deck that is full of legendary creatures and other legendary cards. It also suits a deck that deals one damage at a time, again and again.
Mana cost
Red ()
Power / toughness5 / 5
RarityRare
Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player it's attacking.)
Whenever you cast a historic spell, Surtr deals 3 damage to any target. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
Picked for what they do in Surtr's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Surtr's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Surtr works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast5 Jul 2024
A card, spell, or permanent is historic if it has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype. Having two of those qualities doesn't make an object more historic than another or provide an additional bonus—an object either is historic or it isn't.
Wizards of the Coast5 Jul 2024
An ability that triggers "whenever you cast a historic spell" doesn't trigger if a historic card is put onto the battlefield without being cast.
Wizards of the Coast5 Jul 2024
Lands are never cast, so abilities that trigger "whenever you cast a historic spell" won't trigger if you play a legendary land. They also won't trigger if a card on the battlefield transforms into a card with the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype.
Wizards of the Coast5 Jul 2024
Some abilities trigger "whenever you cast a historic spell." Such an ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryRPlayers write colors as letters: R for red.Legends MatterLegends decks fill up on legendary cards and use cards that reward you each time you cast one. A legendary card has the word Legendary on its type line; you can only keep one with the same name in play, and nearly every commander is legendary.Open the Legends Matter pageHistoric PayoffRewards you for historic cards: the legendary cards, artifacts, and Sagas that Magic groups under that one word. In Commander your commander is always legendary, so these start with something to count. Jhoira, Weatherlight CaptainOpen the Historic Payoff pagePingersPinger decks deal one damage at a time, again and again, to pick off small creatures and wear opponents down. The damage usually comes from creatures you tap to deal 1 damage, or from cards that deal damage whenever something happens.Open the Pingers pageRepeatable DamageDeals damage again and again rather than once. It comes from an activated ability you can use every turn, or a trigger that fires whenever something happens. Walking Ballista, Impact TremorsOpen the Repeatable Damage pageBurnDeals damage directly, to creatures or to players. Because it can hit a player as easily as a creature, the same card can remove a blocker or finish off an opponent. Lightning Bolt, Blasphemous ActOpen the Burn pageDamage RemovalRemoves creatures by dealing damage to them rather than by destroying them outright. This includes fight cards, where your creature deals the damage. Damage only kills a creature if it at least equals its toughness, so it can miss the biggest ones, and it does not kill a creature that cannot be destroyed. Lightning Bolt, Rabid Bite, PyroclasmOpen the Damage Removal pageBurnBurn decks win by dealing damage straight to opponents with spells and abilities, rather than by attacking with creatures. Damage that hits every opponent at once counts three times over at a four-player table.Open the Burn pageGods / DevotionGods, and cards that count your devotion: the number of mana symbols of one color among the costs of your permanents. The Theros Gods cannot be destroyed, and only become creatures when your devotion to their color is high enough.Open the Gods / Devotion page
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