Exclusive MTG The Brothers' War card preview reveals one hell of a Hail Mary

The Brothers' War promo artwork
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

It's preview season once again, but this time we're heading back in time with our exclusive MTG The Brothers' War card preview - the powerful 'Obliterating Bolt'.

Powered by one Red and one generic mana, this Sorcery card hits targets (either a creature or planeswalker) with four damage. However, that's not the juicy bit. As you can see from our MTG The Brothers' War card preview below, targets of Obliterating Bolt aren't sent to the graveyard like normal if they'd die from the attack - instead, they're exiled.  Basically, it's a less flexible but more powerful version of Annihilating Fire.

Flavor text for this MTG The Brothers' War card makes it clear that the spell is something of a Hail Mary in-universe; it notes that "in desperation, Pero called on his memory of a lightning storm that nearly killed his family. When he opened his eyes, only smoke and dust remained."

MTG The Brothers' War Obliterating Bolt

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Set in the past of Magic: The Gathering, this new set offers our first look at the Brothers' War itself - a major event that's often been referenced in storylines for one of the best card games but never explored directly. That's all changed thanks to master of time Teferi being sent back to witness this pivotal event for knowledge that might help save today's MTG universe.

You can get your hands on the full MTG The Brothers' War set as of November 18, but before then, there are plenty more previews to get through first - including another one here on GamesRadar+ this November 1. 

For all the other reveals, head over to the official MTG website.

More Magic: The Gathering

Want to guarantee yourself a copy of The Brothers' War? You can pre-order it via our price-matching software below.

Just be sure to stay mindful of 2022's Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals. Although it's far from a sure thing, this new set might be included in the annual sales. Either way, we'll be covering all the discounts throughout November as part of our overall Black Friday gaming deals coverage.


If you're on the hunt for tabletop offers, it's worth bookmarking our pages for D&D Black Friday deals and Black Friday board game deals - we'll be keeping them well stocked with reductions on the very best board games, not to mention Dungeons and Dragons books.

Benjamin Abbott
Tabletop & Merch Editor

As the site's Tabletop & Merch Editor, you'll find my grubby paws on everything from board game reviews to the latest Lego news. I've been writing about games in one form or another since 2012, and can normally be found cackling over some evil plan I've cooked up for my group's next Dungeons & Dragons campaign.