Witch Fire

[Upinthe]

Here is an ideal common fireball variant. I think it would be cool if direct damage worked well with pain lands and the like as well as other sources of damage.

Witch Fire RX
Instant

You can't play Witch Fire if a player hasn't been damaged yet this turn.

Witch Fire deals X damage to target creature or player.

Flavor text suggestions welcomed.

Witch Fire RX
Instant

You can't play Witch Fire if a player hasn't been damaged yet this turn.

Witch Fire deals X damage to target creature or player.

Flavor text suggestions welcomed.

[Anusien]

I'm not getting the flavor of this really.  Why does Witch Fire only burn someone that has already taken damage?  Also, compare this to Fireball which they recently reprinted, and you'll see that this is strictly worse.  Since this will never be common (X spells are always at least uncommon, I believe), I'd try to find a way to make it stronger/more interesting.  X burn is boring, so spice it up some.

[Ephraim]

Not only that, but with the return of painlands, it's trivially easy for "a player" to have been damaged this turn. Generate the first red before you cast the spell, then play it. I don't think it's really that much of a drawback, it isn't all that flavourful, and as Anusien mentioned, they've been avoiding common-level spells. The drawback would be more meaningful anyhow, if it simply read "Witch Fire deals X damage to target creature or player that was dealt damage this turn." It's still an uncommon (especially now that I notice that you've made it an instant), but it's a little bit more flavourful, or could be with some good flavour text.