In MTG, storm is a triggered ability on a spell. When you cast a spell with storm, it copies itself once for every other spell that has already been cast this turn, by any player, and you may pick new targets for each copy. The Comprehensive Rules give the exact wording: "Storm" means "When you cast this spell, copy it for each other spell that was cast before it this turn. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any of the copies" (rule 702.40a of the Comprehensive Rules). Two details decide most storm questions. The count includes spells cast by your opponents, not just yours, and it counts spells that were cast, whether they resolved, fizzled or were countered. And the copies are copies: rule 707.10 says "a copy of a spell isn't cast", which is why a storm copy never triggers anything that waits for a spell to be cast. Mana Grove, a free MTG deck builder for Commander, publishes this guide to the storm keyword and reads the storm card list in it from its own card database.
This guide is part of our MTG keywords and mechanics glossary, the index of every mechanic guide on Mana Grove.
Below: the rule, how to count your storm correctly, what copies do and do not trigger, and the 33 Commander-legal storm cards our card database holds as of the September 14, 2026 build.
The rule, and the two lines that matter
Rule 702.40a
Storm is a triggered ability that functions on the stack. "Storm" means "When you cast this spell, copy it for each other spell that was cast before it this turn. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any of the copies."
Rule 702.40b
If a spell has multiple instances of storm, each triggers separately.
Unpack 702.40a into the four things it settles.
- "each other spell" excludes the storm spell itself. Cast three spells and then a storm spell as your fourth, and you get three copies plus the original, for four total.
- "that was cast" means cast, full stop. A countered spell still counts. A spell that was cast and then fizzled because its target disappeared still counts. Nothing needs to have resolved.
- "before it this turn" covers the whole turn, including your opponents' spells during your turn and, on someone else's turn, everything anyone has cast. Storm in a four-player Commander game is much easier to grow than storm in a duel.
- "this turn" resets every turn. Storm counts nothing from previous turns.
The trigger is put on the stack above the spell, so it resolves first: all the copies go on the stack, then they resolve one at a time from the top, and only then does the original spell resolve. This is why Grapeshot with a storm count of five deals its damage in six separate one-damage chunks, which matters against anything with damage prevention or a shield counter.
How to count your storm, without miscounting
Storm is counted at the moment the storm spell is cast, from the game's own record of spells cast this turn. A reliable way to keep the count at a table:
- Start the turn at zero. It does not matter what happened last turn.
- Add one every time any player casts a spell, including your opponents' instants during your turn.
- Lands do not count. Playing a land is not casting a spell.
- Activated and triggered abilities do not count either, even when they look like spells. Only spells count.
- Copied spells do not count. A copied spell is put on the stack rather than cast (rule 707.10), unless an effect tells you to cast the copy, in which case it is cast and does count (rule 707.12). The copies your own storm spell makes are never cast, so they never add to a later storm spell's count.
- When you cast the storm spell, the count is the number you reached in steps two to five. You get that many copies, plus the original.
Point five is the one that stings. A storm deck that chains two storm spells does not compound: the first spell's copies are invisible to the second one's count. Only spells that are actually cast, by any player, build the number.
Copies are not cast, and what that changes
Rule 707.10 is the other half of storm, and it is short: "To copy a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability means to put a copy of it onto the stack; a copy of a spell isn't cast and a copy of an activated ability isn't activated."
That single clause resolves a family of questions.
| Ability | Wording | Do storm copies trigger it? |
|---|---|---|
| Prowess (rule 702.108a) | "Whenever you cast a noncreature spell" | No, because a copy is not cast |
| Magecraft (an ability word, rule 207.2c) | "Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell" | Yes for a copy of an instant or sorcery spell, because the wording names copying; no for a copy of an Aura or creature spell |
| Storm itself (702.40a) | "When you cast this spell" | No, the copies do not each make more copies |
| Cast triggers on your permanents | "Whenever you cast..." | No |
The contrast between prowess and magecraft is the cleanest way to remember it: read the card, and if it does not say the word copy, a storm copy will not wake it up. Magecraft carries one further catch that the list below makes real. Magecraft is an ability word, and rule 207.2c says ability words "have no special rules meaning", so all magecraft ever does is what the card text says, which is "cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell". Rule 707.10 gives a copy the characteristics of the original, so a copy of a storm Aura or creature spell is not an instant or sorcery spell and cannot trigger magecraft at all. Four of the cards below are exactly that: Amphibian Downpour and Tempest Technique are Auras, and Aeve, Progenitor Ooze and Stormscale Scion are creature spells. Sedgemoor Witch is the well-known magecraft case, and it does make a token for every storm copy of an instant or sorcery spell.
Copies also inherit the choices made for the original: modes, the value of X, and additional costs are all copied (rule 707.10). Targets are the one exception, because storm's own wording grants it: rule 702.40a says "If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any of the copies." So a storm spell that targets, such as Grapeshot or Tendrils of Agony, can spread its copies across the table one at a time, while a storm spell with no targets, such as Empty the Warrens, simply repeats itself. The storm cards that are permanent spells resolve under a rule of their own: rule 707.10f says that some effects copy a permanent spell, and as that copy resolves it ceases being a copy of a spell and becomes a token permanent. That is the general rule behind Aeve, Progenitor Ooze arriving with a board of Ooze tokens, and it is what the Aura and creature storm spells in the list below do too.
The storm card list for Commander
Our card database holds 33 Commander-legal cards with the storm keyword as of the September 14, 2026 build, and those 33 are below, ordered by how often they appear in Commander decks. Read the count as a snapshot of that data rather than a permanent total: Commander legality is a policy and database fact rather than a rules one, since rule 903.5 sets the format's deck construction rules and carries no banned list of its own, and the next set that prints storm will make the list longer.
| Card | Cost | What each copy does |
|---|---|---|
| Flusterstorm | {U} | Counters an instant or sorcery unless its controller pays {1} |
| Grapeshot | {1}{R} | Deals 1 damage to any target |
| Brain Freeze | {1}{U} | Mills a player three cards |
| Amphibian Downpour | {2}{U} | An Aura with flash that turns a creature into a 1/1 Frog with no abilities |
| Empty the Warrens | {3}{R} | Makes two 1/1 Goblins |
| Chatterstorm | {1}{G} | Makes a 1/1 Squirrel |
| Radstorm | {3}{U} | Proliferates |
| Mind's Desire | {4}{U}{U} | Shuffles, exiles the top card and lets you play it free this turn |
| Haze of Rage | {1}{R} | Gives your creatures +1/+0, and has buyback |
| Stormscale Scion | {4}{R}{R} | A flying Dragon that pumps your other Dragons |
| Elemental Eruption | {4}{R}{R} | Makes a 4/4 flying Dragon Elemental with prowess |
| Tendrils of Agony | {2}{B}{B} | Drains a player for 2 and gains you 2 |
| Tempest Technique | {3}{W} | An Aura giving +1/+1 for each enchantment you control |
| Aeve, Progenitor Ooze | {2}{G}{G}{G} | A legendary Ooze whose copies are nonlegendary tokens |
| Weather the Storm | {1}{G} | Gains you 3 life |
| All of History, All at Once | {2}{U}{U} | Time travels |
| Galvanic Relay | {2}{R} | Exiles your top card to play next turn |
| Dragonstorm | {8}{R} | Searches out a Dragon permanent card onto the battlefield |
| Temporal Fissure | {4}{U} | Bounces a permanent to its owner's hand |
| Ignite Memories | {4}{R} | Damages a player for the mana value of a card revealed at random from their hand |
| Spreading Insurrection | {4}{R} | Steals a creature until end of turn, untapped and hasty |
| Sprouting Vines | {2}{G} | Searches a basic land to your hand |
| Wing Shards | {1}{W}{W} | Makes a player sacrifice an attacking creature |
| Hunting Pack | {5}{G}{G} | Makes a 4/4 Beast |
| Storm of Memories | {2}{R}{R}{R} | Casts a random cheap instant or sorcery from your graveyard free |
| Mordor on the March | {3}{B}{R} | Exiles a creature from your graveyard and makes a hasty copy of it |
| Ground Rift | {R} | Stops a creature without flying from blocking this turn |
| Fiery Encore | {4}{R} | Loots, and damages a creature for the discarded card's mana value |
| Scattershot | {2}{R} | Deals 1 damage to a creature |
| Reaping the Graves | {2}{B} | Returns a creature card from your graveyard to your hand |
| Astral Steel | {2}{W} | Gives a creature +1/+2 |
| Volcanic Awakening | {4}{R}{R} | Destroys a land |
| Hindering Touch | {3}{U} | Counters a spell unless its controller pays {2} |
Three notes for deck-building from that list. The storm cards that win games are the ones whose effect scales linearly with no ceiling: Tendrils of Agony and Grapeshot end games, while Weather the Storm and Astral Steel do not. The cheap ones matter most, because every mana you spend on the storm spell is a mana you did not spend raising the count. And Flusterstorm is the one storm card that regularly appears in decks with no storm plan at all, because a one-mana counterspell that gets bigger as the turn goes on is simply a good card.
Building around a different mechanic and want to know whether it has this kind of hidden list? Ask Scry in plain language, and it searches on what cards do rather than on keyword text.
Frequently asked questions
What does storm do in MTG?
When you cast a spell with storm, its storm ability triggers and copies the spell once for each other spell that was cast earlier in the turn by any player (Comprehensive Rules 702.40a). The copies go on the stack above the original, so they all resolve first, and you may choose new targets for each copy if the spell has targets.
Does storm cast or copy?
Copy. The storm ability puts copies onto the stack, and rule 707.10 states that "a copy of a spell isn't cast". That is why storm copies do not trigger cast triggers, do not trigger prowess, and do not each make copies of their own.
Does storm work with other players' spells?
Yes. Rule 702.40a counts "each other spell that was cast before it this turn" without restricting it to your own spells, so an opponent's removal spell or counterspell earlier in the turn raises your storm count. In a four-player Commander game this is a meaningful difference from a duel.
Do storm copies count towards prowess?
No. Prowess reads "Whenever you cast a noncreature spell" (rule 702.108a), and a copy is not cast. Magecraft is the exception among the common triggers because its wording says "cast or copy" explicitly, so it triggers on each storm copy of an instant or sorcery spell. It stops there. Magecraft is an ability word with no rules meaning of its own (rule 207.2c), and rule 707.10 gives a copy the characteristics of the original, so a copy of one of the storm Auras or creature spells is not an instant or sorcery spell and triggers nothing.
What happens if a card has storm twice?
Each instance triggers separately (rule 702.40b). Two storm abilities on the same spell each make a full set of copies, so with a storm count of three you would get three copies from the first trigger and three more from the second, plus the original.
Do countered spells count for storm?
Yes. The count is of spells cast, not spells resolved. A spell that was cast and then countered, or that was cast and then had no legal targets on resolution, still adds to the count.
Does playing a land add to my storm count?
No. Playing a land is a special action, not casting a spell. Activated abilities and triggered abilities do not count either, however much they look like spells. Only spells cast add to the number.
Is storm banned in Commander?
The storm keyword itself is not banned, and the 33 cards listed above are Commander-legal in our card database as of the September 14, 2026 build. Legality is a policy and database matter rather than a rules one: rule 903.5 sets the format's deck construction rules and carries no banned list, and individual cards move on and off the Commander ban list at any time. Check the current ban list before you sleeve up, and check the Commander brackets as well: a deck built to win with a storm count is a conversation to have before the game, not during it.
How high does a storm count need to be to win?
It depends entirely on the card. Tendrils of Agony drains two life per copy, so in a game where each opponent started at 40, it needs a storm count around 19 to finish one player from a full life total, and much less once the table is damaged. Grapeshot at one damage a copy is far more often used to sweep small creatures than to end a game.
How is the storm count calculated?
Count every spell any player cast this turn before the storm spell, your opponents' spells included. Lands do not count, because playing a land is not casting a spell; activated and triggered abilities do not count; and copies do not count, because a copied spell is not cast (707.10), unless an effect tells you to cast the copy, in which case it is cast and does count (707.12). The count is fixed at the moment you cast the storm spell, and you get that many copies plus the original.
Do storm copies count toward my next storm spell?
No. The copies a storm spell makes were put onto the stack, not cast (707.10), so they add nothing to a later storm spell's count. Two storm spells in one turn do not compound: only spells that are actually cast, by any player, build the number.
Can I choose new targets for the storm copies?
Yes, if the spell has targets. Rule 702.40a says "you may choose new targets for any of the copies", so Grapeshot or Tendrils of Agony can spread its copies across the table one at a time. A storm spell with no targets, such as Empty the Warrens, simply repeats itself. The other choices made for the original, modes, the value of X and additional costs, are copied as they are.
Build the deck, then count the spells
A storm deck is a deck that asks one question of every card: does this raise the count, or does it help me get to the turn where the count matters? Rituals, cheap cantrips and cost reducers do the first; card draw and protection do the second.
Open a list in the deck builder and use the Analysis tab to look at the mana curve. A storm list that peaks above two is a storm list that will not get there. Grover can take a plain-language brief and draft a starting list, and the Suggestions tab, powered by Tutor, scores further picks against what you have built. Before the game, check where the deck sits with the Commander brackets, and see the deck builder basics if the format is new to you.
Create a free Mana Grove account to build with the full deck builder and format legality checks, see plans and pricing for more time with Grover, Scry and Tutor, browse the Commander hub for more guides, and find every keyword we have explained in the MTG keywords and mechanics glossary.
Sources
- Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, effective August 7, 2026: https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules. Read on September 16, 2026. Rule 702.40 (Storm), rule 707.10 (copying a spell) including 707.10f, rule 707.12 (casting a copy), rule 702.108 (Prowess), rule 207.2c (ability words) and rule 903.5 (the Commander deck construction rules) are quoted or cited above.
- Mana Grove card database, MTGJSON build of September 14, 2026: the storm keyword, the Commander legality, the mana cost and the rules text of the 33 cards listed above, which are the storm cards present in that build. Commander play frequency is the deck-inclusion popularity rank carried in the same data.
This article is updated when the Comprehensive Rules change the storm entry or when a set adds a storm card. The date at the top is the last revision.
