MTG >Cards > Impractical Joke

About Impractical Joke

Impractical Joke, Sorcery, designed by Caroline Gariba first released in Apr, 2026 in the set Secrets of Strixhaven.

**Impractical Joke** would fit best in an aggressive red deck—such as Mono‑Red Aggro, Red Prowess, or a spells‑matter burn shell—that wants cheap, efficient removal to clear blockers or finish off a planeswalker while pushing damage, and the “damage can’t be prevented” clause is occasionally relevant against protection effects, fogs, or lifelink prevention strategies. However, at **R for 3 damage with sorcery speed and limited to creatures or planeswalkers**, it’s generally outclassed by stronger options like **Lightning Bolt** (if legal), **Play with Fire**, **Lightning Strike**, **Skewer the Critics**, or **Wizard’s Lightning**, which either hit players, are instant speed, scale better, or provide additional value; even **Roast** can be preferable if larger creatures are a concern. Because it lacks flexibility by not targeting players and being sorcery speed, it’s unlikely to see competitive play unless the metagame heavily rewards the prevention clause, making it mostly a niche or l