Furnace Of Rath is a powerful Magic: The Gathering card that doubles damage dealt by sources controlled by its owner, making it a staple in many aggressive and combo decks. This guide covers card details, strategic uses, deckbuilding tips, Commander synergies, sideboard considerations, reprints, and market value to help players of all formats evaluate and utilize Furnace Of Rath effectively.
| Card | Mana Cost | Type | Text | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnace Of Rath | 3RR | Enchantment | If a source would deal damage to a permanent or player, that source deals double that damage instead. | Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Casual |
Content Navigation
- Card Details And Rules Interactions
- Why Furnace Of Rath Is Powerful
- Formats Where Furnace Of Rath Shines
- Top Combos And Synergies
- Deckbuilding Tips
- Common Removal And Counters
- Sideboard And Meta Considerations
- Pricing And Reprints
- Alternatives And Comparable Cards
- Examples: How To Play A Turn With Furnace Of Rath
- Tips For Online Play And Streaming
- FAQ
- Further Reading And Resources
Card Details And Rules Interactions
Furnace Of Rath is a red enchantment that reads: “If a source would deal damage to a permanent or player, that source deals double that damage instead.” It is a replacement effect that modifies damage before it happens.
Key Interaction Notes: The doubling effect applies per source instance of damage. If a spell or ability deals damage in multiple instances, each instance is doubled separately. It affects consumable direct damage and combat damage alike, including triggers that cause damage from creatures or burn spells.
Furnace Of Rath modifies damage after any other modifications that only change the amount but before damage is actually dealt. It interacts predictably with effects that replace or prevent damage by applying replacement effects in APNAP order where relevant.
Why Furnace Of Rath Is Powerful
The card scales with both single-source high-damage effects and volume strategies that deal many instances of damage. Doubling damage is one of the most efficient damage multipliers because it multiplies rather than adds.
High-Leverage Scenarios: Doubling a bolt increases one mana spells from 3 to 6 damage, turning marginal removals into lethal threats. Doubling combat damage can instantly kill opponents when combined with damage boosters or trample creatures.
Formats Where Furnace Of Rath Shines
Commander
Furnace Of Rath is arguably most impactful in Commander, where multiplayer life totals and political dynamics amplify the card’s threat. It creates tension and forces opponents to prioritize answering it.
Widely included in red aggro, damage-matters, and combo decks, Furnace Of Rath pairs especially well with commanders that benefit from dealing or receiving damage, such as Purphoros, God of the Forge or Neheb, the Eternal.
Legacy And Vintage
In Legacy and Vintage, Furnace Of Rath sees occasional play in niche combo decks but less frequently due to faster linear combo strategies and broader hate options. It can enable surprise wins when combined with life-swing mechanics or big burn spells.
Casual Play
Among casual and kitchen-table players, Furnace Of Rath is a popular inclusion for fun and explosive damage turns, often acting as a finisher in midrange or tribal red builds.
Top Combos And Synergies
Furnace Of Rath excels in combos that multiply damage from many small sources or a single large source. Below is a practical list of reliable synergies.
| Combo/Synergy | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Recurring Bolts (faithless looting / rune-scarred demon) | Multiple 3-damage instances become 6 each, quickly closing games. |
| Purphoros, God Of The Forge | Purphoros deals damage to each opponent when tokens enter; doubled damage makes token strategies lethal. |
| Double Strike Creatures (e.g., Mirran Crusader) | Each strike instance is doubled, effectively quadrupling the value of double strike against players. |
| Redirection And Copy Effects (Fork, Reverberate) | Doubling plus copying high-damage spells creates exponential damage outcomes. |
Deckbuilding Tips
When building with Furnace Of Rath, prioritize redundancy, protection for the enchantment, and cards that create many damage instances.
Include: Cheap burn (Lightning Bolt, Lava Spike), token generators, artifact damage sources (Goblin Bombardment combos), and ways to protect the enchantment (Glen Elendra Archmage-style counterspells in blue-red builds, though color identity limits apply in Commander).
Avoid Reliance: Do not rely solely on Furnace Of Rath; include fallback plans because artifact/enchantment removal or enchantment hate is common.
Common Removal And Counters
Opponents will often prioritize removing Furnace Of Rath. Common answers include artifact/enchantment removal and general removal spells.
- Instant-speed Removal: Red decks face few instant enchantment answers, but blue or black opponents can use counterspells or removal like Beast Within in multiplayer.
- Board Wipes: Board wipes that don’t target the enchantment still remove damage sources; include redundancy to mitigate this.
- Enchantment Hate: Cards like Return To Dust, Disenchant, and Stony Silence variants are common in multiplayer.
Sideboard And Meta Considerations
In competitive non-Commander formats with sideboards, Furnace Of Rath decks should watch for enchantment hate and graveyard strategies that can slow down burn plans.
Sideboard Options: Include interaction for artifact/enchantment hate (e.g., Abrade) and graveyard disruption if the deck uses recursion. Consider life-gain mitigation if opponents use cards like Sphinx’s Revelation or Timely Reinforcements frequently.
Pricing And Reprints
Furnace Of Rath has seen multiple printings, which affects availability and price. The card’s market value varies by edition, foil treatment, and current play interest.
Market Drivers: Commander demand and any competitive-level resurgence drive prices up. Reprints in supplementary sets or Commander decks typically lower price spikes.
Alternatives And Comparable Cards
Several cards offer similar effects or overlapping strategies that can substitute for Furnace Of Rath in different deck archetypes.
- Dictate Of The Twin Gods: A near-identical replacement often used interchangeably with Furnace Of Rath.
- Furnace Of Hellkite (themed alternatives): Not the same effect but relevant in dragon or artifact-heavy strategies.
- Punishing Fire And Searing Blaze: Provide direct damage but lack multiplicative scaling.
Examples: How To Play A Turn With Furnace Of Rath
Example 1: The hand includes Furnace Of Rath in play, a Lightning Bolt in hand, and an opponent at 6 life. Casting Lightning Bolt deals 6 life instead of 3, winning the game.
Example 2: With Furnace Of Rath and a board of three 1/1 token creatures, attacking an opponent for 3 regular damage becomes 6 damage, often enough to finish multiplayer opponents when combined.
Tips For Online Play And Streaming
When streaming or playing online, highlight Furnace Of Rath interactions because they make for dramatic moments. Explain replacement effect timing briefly to viewers to avoid confusion about damage calculations.
Deck Presentation: Show key lines of play and contingency plans when the enchantment is removed to demonstrate strategic depth rather than one-shot wins.
FAQ
Does Furnace Of Rath Double All Damage Sources?
Yes, it doubles any damage from sources controlled by the enchantment’s controller, including combat damage, spells, and triggered abilities, as a replacement effect when damage is dealt.
Does It Double Before Or After Other Modifiers?
Furnace Of Rath’s replacement effect applies when the damage would be dealt, after static or continuous effects that modify damage amounts but before the damage is actually assigned.
Can Opponents Benefit From It?
No. It only affects sources controlled by its controller. Opponents’ sources are unaffected unless control of the enchantment changes.
Further Reading And Resources
Players seeking deep rules interactions should consult the official Magic: The Gathering comprehensive rules and rulings on replacement effects. Community guides, decklists on sites like EDHREC for Commander, and pricing aggregators like TCGPlayer provide practical insights and meta context.
| Resource | Use |
|---|---|
| Gatherer (Official Card Page) | Official Oracle text and rulings |
| EDHREC | Commander decklists and synergy suggestions |
| TCGPlayer | Market prices and printings |
Players should test Furnace Of Rath in multiple matchups to learn when to deploy it and how to protect the strategy from common hate. Its simplicity and power make it a rewarding card for players who enjoy explosive, damage-focused play patterns.
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