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Moxonomy

V.A.T.S.

Instant2 generic manaBlack manaBlack mana

The unusual restriction is the toughness clause: whatever creatures you name have to share a single toughness value. Point it at a swarm of identical tokens and you clear the row; aim it at a board of mismatched threats and you might catch two while the others walk. You can always name just one creature, which leaves this as a functional (if overpriced) single-target kill when nothing else lines up, but the more of the board that sits on the same number, the more this sweeps. What makes the chosen slice permanent is split second. Because targets are locked the moment you cast, before anyone gets a response window, the defending player cannot fog, counter, sacrifice a piece for value, or pump a creature's toughness to slip it out of the named group. Triggered abilities still trigger and sit on the stack waiting; what split second shuts off is casting spells and activating non-mana abilities in that gap, and that is precisely the interaction a defender would need to save something. The two constraints hold each other in tension: the freedom to hit an arbitrary set of creatures comes at the cost of the shared-toughness demand, and the guarantee that the named creatures die untouched leans on how rarely split second shows up on targeted removal. It is a wrath that reads the board and then refuses to negotiate about the reading.

V.A.T.S. (pip)
PIP · #578rare
Pricing
Normal:
Foil: $7.53
Oracle Text

Rules text

Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.) Choose any number of target creatures with equal toughness. Destroy the chosen creatures.
Legalities

Format Status

Standard
N/A
Pioneer
N/A
Modern
N/A
Legacy
Legal
Vintage
Legal
Commander
Legal
Pauper
N/A
Brawl
N/A
Historic
N/A
Alchemy
N/A
Timeless
N/A
Standard Brawl
N/A
More formats
Old School
N/A
Premodern
N/A
PreDH
N/A
Pauper Commander
N/A
Oathbreaker
Legal
Gladiator
N/A
Penny Dreadful
N/A
Duel Commander
Legal
Future Standard
N/A
COMPETITIVEBRAWL
N/A
TLR
N/A
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