Welcome back to Name That Card! Today's card is a global sweeper, except it doesn't hit things it can't target. That restriction should make it cheaper, but there are ways to build around the ability and just play with creatures that can't be targeted. Which would probably be easier if Hexproof wasn't so pervasive an ability, that it's honestly difficult to find creatures you control and can't target nowadays.

But what is the name of this card?

~Normal Answer~

Name: Hell of Arrows

Flavor: As the army of Benalia pushed through the arrows of the enemies by sacrificing their flesh, a common soldier thought to himself, "I have died and gone to a hell of arrows"

~Weeb Answer~

Name: Megiddo

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt_If7IG5g0

Flavor Text: Cool fact about this attack, but it's not actually magical because the water magic just creates lenses to reflect the natural light of the sun. Thus, it is technically possible in the real world to some extent, making it OP as hell.

If you like real-world theorized superweapons (but not real-world superweapons in practice, of course), google "Rods from God" which are my personal favorite for their absurd destructive power for such a (relatively) cheap cost.

Those are both really good names, I'm not sure I can do better.

Let's try:

­Returning 100,000 Arrows

As an allusion to Borrowing 100,000 Arrows, of China three kingdoms era tale of the general who got the enemy to replenish his arrow supply by shooting scarecrows on a drifting boat.

Nice pull! Nothing is cooler than one hundred thousand arrows!

Well... maybe one hundred thousand one arrows...

The poll is up! Vote on your favorite card here!

Froggy picks up this week with Hell of Arrows! See everybody in (((NTC #090)))!

"Every target" isn't clear.

Hurray I won! Also, cool addition to the flavor text :)

Also, how is every target not clear wording, zzo?

The rules do not define "every target" and does not make it clear what it should mean. (The rules define "any target", but it isn't clear what is the relation between "any target" and "every target".) Even if it means what the comment says (which doesn't seem at all obvious to me), it should be made more clear, and even the comment isn't clear enough e.g. does it target them, or if a target becomes valid or invalid before it resolves, etc?

Rules about whether a target becomes valid/invalid before it resolves and whether the card gets countered or can't be cast without valid targets is confusing despite this card. That's just 'the rules of targeting being confusing'.

The fact that the rules don't define 'every target' just means we add that to the rule book.

The real question is whether this needs reminder text, because you're right zzo38, this is confusing. I decided against it. If Lightning Bolt can read "Deal 3 damage to any target" and not require reminder text at common, then I think "Deal 3 damage to every target" is just as reasonable at uncommon. To me, this isn't a matter of whether the ability is confusing so much so that the rules themselves are confusing, and the reminder text wouldn't be explaining what the card does so much as how the rules of Magic work. But I totally understand how another person would come to a completely different conclusion. It's quite possible this card or something like it will see print some day, so I guess we get a chance to see what happens when Wizards gets around to it.

I think the rules about valid/invalid/etc (and other rules relating to targeting) isn't really that confusing; they seem clear enough to me. However, this seems to be a special case. For example:

• Does it automatically target all damageables that it can target?

• Is it like "any number of target damageables" but restricted so that during the targeting step you must select all valid targets (or the maximum number, if some targets are somehow mutually exclusive)?

• Are its targets continuously all valid targets, to change as soon as the set of valid targets changes, adding and/or removing?

• Does it not target but find everything it could target as it resolves, not affecting anything that would not be a valid target?

• Or all of the above are wrong and it is something else?

• What happens in combination with division among targets?

• Other things?

Such things like the above would answer many kind of questions (including effects that change targets). Even that might not solve everything, though. When inventing new rules, it is necessary to consider such things.

I thought "Each target" was already in the wording?

Maybe I was thinking of "Each opponent" or "Each creature"?

From your bullet list, this is apparently way more complicated than it needs to be. This definitely sounds like a problem with MTG rules...

I mean... I only play casual kitchen table magic, but when I target stuff I never think of anything besides "Can I target this?" and "Please don't counter me..."

What kind of reason is it for there to be so many rules. is it because of some old cards that they won't functionally errata, and thus make the whole game more annoying over?

totally weird to me that 'every target / each target' is not clear wording... then again, I'm not a game developer, so maybe this complexity actually matters a lot of the time, but i have no idea how...

seems totally unfun :shrug:

I wrote a bunch, but then I deleted it, because I don't think it was as helpful as just responding generally. I think I see where your confusion is zzo. You're asking if 'every target' means 'every target at all times'. Or in other words, does the spell just keep targeting everything it can up through resolution. No, it's intended to target every available target when it is cast. It doesn't readjust as the board state changes. For example, if a creature is flashed into play before the spell resolves, it won't suddenly get targeted by this spell. Targeting only happens during the targeting step.

A lot of your other questions seem to be answered by looking at any other red spell that has multiple targets. Treat this spell in the same way you would treat a Cone of Flame. If a creature is no longer a valid target for Cone of Flame, then it isn't affected, and the rest of the spell goes off. Same here.