Purphoros, God of the Forge — Magic: The Gathering card

Purphoros, God of the Forge

{3}{R}
Legendary Enchantment Creature — God

Indestructible<br>As long as your devotion to red is less than five, Purphoros isn't a creature.<br>Whenever another creature you control enters, Purphoros deals 2 damage to each opponent.<br>{2}{R}: Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.

Set Pioneer Masters
Rarity Mythic Rare
Artist Eric Deschamps

Why Play Purphoros, God of the Forge

Aggressive red decks and token strategies benefit enormously from the guaranteed 2 damage dealt to each opponent whenever creatures enter under your control. The indestructible enchantment base means opponents struggle to remove this consistent damage engine, making it excellent in creature-heavy metas. Deploy Purphoros early when you have multiple cheap creatures or token generators ready, as the cumulative damage adds up quickly and can close games before opponents stabilize.

Format Notes

Commander represents Purphoros's strongest format, where multiplayer games amplify the damage output and longer games justify the four-mana investment. Pioneer and Modern occasionally see play in aggressive red builds, though the competitive speed of these formats limits its impact. Legacy and Vintage applications remain niche, typically appearing in fringe tribal or combo strategies rather than mainstream competitive lists.

Combos & Synergies

Token generators like Krenko, Mob Boss and Dragon Hatchling create explosive turns by triggering multiple damage instances simultaneously. The activated ability synergizes perfectly with wide board strategies, turning utility creatures into legitimate threats. Norin the Wary provides repeated enter-the-battlefield triggers in formats where flickering effects are prevalent, while cards like Genesis Chamber can create additional artifact creature tokens to multiply the damage output.

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Creature Enchantment Indestructible Modern Pioneer Commander