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Pinecone Strike

common Instant

Choose one or both —

• Pinecone Strike deals 3 damage to target creature. If that creature would die this turn, it instead.

• Destroy target .

B+ Grade from the win rate

Win rate when drawn 59.4% +3.2 vs average 55,706 games

Win rates and picks

57.6% 104,421 games
Average pick ()
3.7

By deck

  • Goblin Army 60.5% 29,551 games
  • Dwarves & Equipment 58.4% 18,840 games
  • Burn and Draw 60.3% 2,434 games
  • Beasts and Burn 57.0% 1,001 games

Win rates from , 323,114 games. This card is compared with the set average (56.2%).

Reviews

I say this in just about every set review, but 3 damage for 2 mana is just a very good rate. Pinecone Strike should be able to kill a lot of creatures in The Hobbit, and exiling them gets around death triggers and the like. Destroying an is bound to come up from time to time, but since it's a free bonus, we'll gladly take it. This is red's best common and you should take it highly.

Red's best commons (Pinecone Strike, Dori, Bearer of Friends, Gundabad Opportunist) and uncommons (Bothersome Noisemaker, Burn, Burn, Tree and Fern, Gandalf, Spark Starter, Misty Mountains Raider) fit into every single deck.

Pinecone Strike: for 3 damage. The “nontoken” mode can blow up Axes and , so be careful.

Pinecone Strike cleanly 1-for-1s it if you wait for the to be created.

In case this core set vibe wasn't strong enough already, here comes Pinecone Strike to show you what Abrade looks like in Middle Earth. For two mana , you get a slightly better version of the damage part of Abrade and a much worse version of the mode. Still, three damage to a Creature is nothing to sniff at.

How to draft it

One of the 20 cards to memorize. An that deals 3 damage to a creature for 2 mana, enough to kill most early creatures.

Roles in each deck

  • Goblin Army Removal

    Most early creatures die to 3 damage, and so do the 4/3 the deck fears, Smaug the Magnificent and Head of the Hunt. Because the spell exiles, an opposing Fearsome Goblin Pair or Rhovanion Rampager leaves without its trigger. At 2 mana it fits in the same turn as a 2- or .

    How to play it

    Aim it at whatever would block your attack, ideally in a turn where you also add a creature. Choosing both modes also destroys an , such as a , Dáin's Axe or a Stone Boulder, for no extra mana. Creatures with 4 or more toughness need Bilbo's Deadly Slice, or the 3 damage after combat has hurt them.

    Learn the Goblin Army deck

  • Dwarves & Equipment Removal

    Three damage at speed kills almost every early creature in the set, and Pinecone Strike exiles the creature if it would die. For the same 2 mana it can also destroy an , or do both.

    How to play it

    Clear the blocker that stops your equipped attacker, ideally on your own turn before combat. When the target carries an Axe or the opponent has a , choose both modes. Nontoken like Goblin Plate Mail is safe from the second mode.

    Learn the Dwarves & Equipment deck

  • Burn and Draw Removal

    Three damage at speed for 2 mana kills most 2- and and plenty of bigger creatures. If that creature would die this turn, it is instead, so triggers like Fearsome Goblin Pair's never happen. The other mode destroys an ( , Axe, Stone Boulder), and you may choose both modes at once.

    How to play it

    Hold it for their turn. Kill an attacker, or kill a creature in response to an equip payment, so the mana is wasted and the stays where it was. Facing a creature and an , take both for the same 2 mana, which is why you wait for Long-Bodied Grey Dog's to arrive before you aim at the Dog. A 1/1 token is worth the Strike only when it is about to kill you.

    Learn the Burn and Draw deck

  • Beasts and Burn Removal

    Three damage at speed for 2 mana kills most of the set's 2- and , and its second mode destroys an in the same spell.

    How to play it

    Save it for their best early attacker or the creature wearing their , and let a 1/1 live. When they have a , choose both modes.

    Learn the Beasts and Burn deck