Always useful in Ninth Edition limited events,
Volcanic Hammer only rarely finds a home in
constructed decks. Sorcery-speed direct damage
spells only fit a small category of decks, but
when you want to deal more damage than the
amount of mana spent, Volcanic Hammer can be
something of a bargain.
Ahh, the classics. 3 damage for 1R, plain and
simple. Often initated, never quite duplicated,
though often reprinted. And for good reason.
Constructed- 3.5
Casual- 4
Limited- 4.5
KC MetroGnome
Volcanic Hammer
Please raise your hand if these last three days
of reviews have made you even more excited for
10th Edition and the return of Incinerate. (ME!!
ME!!). I hate this card. Not that it's that bad,
I guess. 3 damage for 2 mana. That's just like
Incinerate, right? And Incinerate was the fixed
version of Lightning Bolt. So that's passable.
Oh, but it's a sorcery, and that makes me cry.
Like Char, this has been something of a
necessary evil at various points in its history.
But it's going to be really nice when it's older
brother makes its return.
In casual, see yesterdays' answer (buy lightning
bolts and incinerates). In limited, play this,
because it kills critters.
Constructed - 2
Casual - 1
Limited - 3+
Aethereal
Volcanic Hammer
These days, usually played as burn spells 13-16,
as we already have the superior Rift Bolt, Char,
and Lightning Helix. This is a VERY tamed down
version of Lightning Bolt, as it's slower and
costs more than the original. However, 3 damage
for 2 mana at sorcery speed with absolutely no
drawbacks is still good, and the card does what
it needs to do: clears a path for your beaters.
It can also end the game if they're at 3. A good
card, but I'd only play it if you need the extra
burn, as the aforementioned burn spells are all
superior, and 12 burn spells is often enough
(although, as Worlds suggests, 16 is the number
to go with in a BDW deck).
