Storm
Storm is a keyword ability that creates a copy of the spell when it’s cast, for each spell cast before it in the current turn. It can become extremely powerful in decks that can arrange for many cheap spells to be cast in a turn. Storm is well known as the namesake of the Storm Scale, which measures the unlikelihood of a mechanic returning to the Standard format, because it is considered one of the most broken mechanics ever.
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Edge of Eternities)
- 702.40. Storm
- 702.40a Storm is a triggered ability that functions on the stack. “Storm” means “When you cast this spell, copy it for each other spell that was cast before it this turn. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any of the copies.”
- 702.40b If a spell has multiple instances of storm, each triggers separately.
- The storm copies are put directly onto the stack—they aren’t cast. That means the copies don’t generate storm copies themselves, and they aren’t counted by other storm spells cast later during the turn.
- For the same reason, an effect like Twincast or Beamsplitter Mage, which can copy a spell with storm, will only create one new spell. The copy’s storm ability will not trigger because the spell was not cast.
- Each storm spell with a target allows you to change the target for each copy of that spell. You make that choice for each copy individually.
- When counting spells cast in a turn, you count spells that were cast face down, spells cast from zones other than a hand, and spells that were countered.[6]
- A copy of a spell can be countered, just like any other spell, but each copy has to be countered individually. Countering a storm spell won’t counter the copies of it.
- Exiling a card using suspend doesn’t count as casting a spell; you only cast a suspended card when you remove the last time counter from it and that ability resolves.
History
Storm was introduced as a major keyword in Scourge, then returned on several cards in Time Spiral block.
In 2012, five years after last being used in a Standard-legal set, head designer Mark Rosewater received a question asking him to rate the chance of another mechanic returning “on a scale of storm-10”. This led him to create the Storm Scale, as he considered Storm so broken that it was judged the least likely mechanic to ever return to Standard format.
The Storm Scale has been heavily used since then to rate the likelihood of return of many mechanics and themes. In a later breakdown of the scale, Rosewater wrote that mechanics rated the maximum of 10, including Storm itself, would require a “major miracle” to be reprinted in Standard.[4]
At the same time, Storm itself was well-remembered by enfranchised players, and has continued to appear in small quantities in supplemental sets for that audience, starting with one card in each of Commander, Unstable and Modern Horizons.[5]
Among subsequent Standard-legal sets, Thousand-Year Storm from Guilds of Ravnica references Storm by providing a version of the original ability restricted to instants and sorceries, and only the ones cast by a spell’s controller, a pattern continued in Strixhaven: School of Mages with Show of Confidence. Strixhaven’s Mystical Archive included four Storm cards as well, allowing them to be used in Limited-format Strixhaven games without disrupting the power level of Standard format.
Storm in practice
Storm is part of the cunning ways of a wizard the more spells you cast or the spell battle you end up battling with your opponent, lastly cast your Storm spell and deal tons of damage.
