Punishing Fire
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Magic: The Gathering
Mana cost
ZendikarZEN · #142
- Card type
- Instant
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Indicative price
- 0.33 € · ★ 5.44 € · 0.34 $ · ★ 18.72 $
- Mana value
- 2
- Colour
- Red
Card text
Punishing Fire deals 2 damage to any target. Whenever an opponent gains life, you may pay . If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand.
Format legality
- CommanderLegal
- DuelLegal
- LegacyLegal
- ModernBanned
- OathbreakerLegal
- PredhLegal
- VintageLegal
Legalities follow the imported catalogue; check format rules before a tournament.
Data imported on 2026-10-06 (UTC).
Indicative Scryfall prices, updated daily. ★: foil; ★ E: etched foil. EUR and USD represent different markets.
Printing information
- Illustrator
- Christopher Moeller
- Card language
- English
- Release date
- 2009-10-02
Rulings
If Punishing Fire has left your graveyard by the time its triggered ability resolves, you may still pay , but you won't return it to your hand. This is true even if Punishing Fire has left your graveyard and returned to it by the time its triggered ability resolves.
Punishing Fire's triggered ability triggers only if it's already in your graveyard at the time an opponent gains life. For example, you can cast it in response to a spell or ability that will cause an opponent to gain life. In that case, Punishing Fire will resolve first, so it will be in the graveyard by the time the opponent gains life. However, if you wait until an opponent actually gains life and then cast Punishing Fire, you won't be able to return it to your hand at that time.
You choose whether to pay as the triggered ability resolves.
