Powder Keg
Mana cost {2}.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a fuse counter on this artifact.
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy each artifact and creature with mana value equal to the number of fuse counters on this artifact.
Powder Keg is legal in Premodern, shown in its old-frame Urza's Destiny printing.
Price and printings: Cardmarket (€55.45) · TCGplayer ($69.76) · Scryfall
Tracked daily since 28 July 2026: on Cardmarket between €52.29 and €59.99 in that time.
Also printed with a gold border in World Championship Decks 1999, for less. Gold-bordered copies aren't tournament legal, but some Premodern events allow them: where, and what they save.
How often Powder Keg is played
Powder Keg is maindecked in 15 of 131 tournament decks in this archive (11%), averaging 2.5 copies; kept in 16 sideboards (12%); used by 6 of 33 tracked archetypes.
See how it compares on the Premodern staples list.
Premodern archetypes that play Powder Keg
- Stiflenought: It is the only sweeper in the main deck. At one fuse counter it destroys every artifact and creature with mana value 1: Goblin Lackey, Mogg Fanatic, Jackal Pup, mana elves and your own Dreadnought.
- Landstill: Two mana to cast, then free: in each of your upkeeps you may add a fuse counter, and at instant speed you can tap and sacrifice it to destroy every artifact and creature with mana value exactly equal to the counters. At zero it takes tokens, Mox Diamond and an animated Mishra's Factory, your own included; at one Goblin Lackey, Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic and Phyrexian Dreadnought; at two Goblin Piledriver. Ticking and firing it are not spells, so it keeps working under Standstill.
- Contamination: Two mana: you may give it a fuse counter in each of your upkeeps, and when you tap and sacrifice it, it destroys every artifact and creature with mana value equal to the counters. On one counter it kills Goblin Lackey, Llanowar Elves, Mother of Runes, Phyrexian Dreadnought and The Rack; on two, Quirion Dryad, Wild Mongrel and Winter Orb. It hits your own artifacts and creatures with that mana value too, such as Phyrexian Furnace on one.
Sideboard plans with Powder Keg
- Mono Black vs. Stiflenought, Landstill, Psychatog, Gro-a-Tog and Tron. His 15: four Engineered Plague, three Dystopia, three Gloom and one each of Drain Life, Phyrexian Arena, Powder Keg, Spinning Darkness and Vendetta. Against Stiflenought, in: Powder Keg; out: a Withered Wretch. On one fuse counter Powder Keg destroys Phyrexian Dreadnought without targeting it, and your own Cursed Scroll with it; Stifle can counter the Keg's ability and Vision Charm can phase Dreadnought out, so fire it after Duress has taken the Stifle or while they are tapped out.
- Mono Black vs. Stasis, MUD, Fluctuator, Pit Rack and Contamination. Powder Keg destroys every artifact and creature whose mana value equals its fuse counters, without targeting, your own included, so count before you fire it. Against Stasis and Fluctuator, in: Powder Keg; out: Plaguebearer. Against MUD, in: Powder Keg; out: a Diabolic Edict. Against Pit Rack, in: Phyrexian Arena and Powder Keg; out: Plaguebearer and a Dark Ritual.
- Mono Black vs. Goblins and Elves. Against Goblins, in: all four Engineered Plague, Vendetta, Spinning Darkness and Powder Keg; out: all four Duress, both Nantuko Shade and a Withered Wretch. Against Elves, in: all four Engineered Plague, Powder Keg, Vendetta and Spinning Darkness; out: all four Duress, both Knight of Stromgald and a Diabolic Edict.
- Clerics vs. Go-wide aggro, Stiflenought and Reanimator. Powder Keg, in about half the sideboards, destroys each artifact and creature with mana value equal to its fuse counters: at one counter that is every one-drop, your own Dark Supplicant included, and Phyrexian Dreadnought.
- Pit Rack vs. Landstill, Psychatog, MUD and Stiflenought. Powder Keg on one counter destroys Phyrexian Dreadnought and Goblin Welder, and your own Racks and Cursed Scrolls too, so time it; on two counters it takes Sphere of Resistance.
Tournament decks with Powder Keg
- MUD: 1st Place at Semanal Premodern (3× mainboard)
- Moneyball: 4th Place at 4Seasons Summer Edition (1× sideboard)
- Pox Aggro: 1st Place at Magic Beijing #59 (1× sideboard)
- Darigaaz Midrange: 12th Place at 2026 Nantuko League (2× mainboard)
- Mono Red Control: 6th Place at Geddon Gang Fall 1K (4× mainboard)
- Contamination: 6th Place at Premodern & Hooters 9 (3× main + sideboard)
- Frenetic Encounter: 1st Place at APAC Webcam Season 21 (2× mainboard)
- Mono Black: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (1× sideboard)
- Reanimator: 1st Place at 2026 Nantuko League (2× sideboard)
- Mono Black Clerics: 3rd Place at IX Torneo Mensual (2× sideboard)
- Rogue: 1st Place at Secrets Makuhari 2026 (1× sideboard)
- Moneyball Red: 2nd Place at 2026 Nantuko League (2× sideboard)
- Basic Mono Black: 4th Place at Andre's League 10 Tappa (3× sideboard)
- Horror Stompy: 3rd Place at MTGO Premodern Challenge (2× mainboard)
- Colorless MUD Stax: 2nd Place at Liga Feijoada @ Santa Cruz (4× mainboard)
- Mono Red Control: 3rd Place at Mogg Monthly: Phyrexian Colaugust (4× mainboard)
- Fires: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (3× mainboard)
- Moneyball: 1st Place at LPP x Trial Épico (2× sideboard)
- Ponza Red: 1st Place at MTGO Premodern League (1× sideboard)
- Mono B Control: 7th Place at Premodern & Hooters 8th Edition (2× mainboard)
- Black Contamination: 3rd Place at PREM Brescia (3× mainboard)
- Pox: 3rd Place at Liga Premodern Alicante 2026 9ª Jornada (2× main + sideboard)
- UW Landstill: 1st Place at New England Summer Regional (1× mainboard)
- Mono W Tron: 2nd Place at Premodern at the Port (2× mainboard)
- Moneyball Black: 2nd Place at Liga Paulista de Premodern 2026 (2× sideboard)
- Super Wayfarer: 1st Place at Premodern Online Monthly (3× mainboard)
- Black Clerics: 2nd Place at Lega Milano 3/9 (1× sideboard)
- Welder Survival: 1st Place at 1K @ SCG CON Washington (1× sideboard)
- Mono R Ponza: 1st Place at Chile Premier League – May 2026 (1× sideboard)
Spicy brews with Powder Keg
- Hammer Time (4×)
- Coffers Control (4×)
