Fires of Victory

Strategy & Gameplay

Fires of Victory is a versatile instant from Dominaria United that offers Red mages both direct damage and card advantage through its innovative kicker mechanic, making it an excellent inclusion in tempo and aggressive strategies across multiple formats. At its baseline cost of one red mana, the card provides efficient removal by dealing damage to a target creature or planeswalker equal to the number of cards currently in your hand, which scales naturally in decks built around card draw and hand management. The kicker option adds significant depth by allowing you to pay an additional two blue and two generic mana to draw a card before calculating damage, effectively turning this into a draw spell that doubles as removal when you have the mana available. This flexibility makes Fires of Victory particularly attractive in izzet-based decks, whether you're playing tempo strategies in Pioneer and Modern that utilize spell-slinging and cantrip synergies, or control-oriented builds in Commander and Legacy where card advantage matters tremendously. Players want this card because it addresses a common problem in interactive decks: the tension between drawing cards and having removal ready. By combining both functions, Fires of Victory allows you to advance your mana and resources simultaneously, and the damage scaling rewards you for building around cantrips and card draw engines. The instant speed ensures flexibility in how and when you deploy it, whether protecting yourself from threats or finishing off already-damaged opponents. Across all available formats from Pioneer through Vintage, this card fits naturally into any red or izzet shell looking for efficient, scalable interaction that doesn't force you to sacrifice card advantage for tempo.