What it does
Overload is an alternative casting cost found on certain instants and sorceries. When you cast a spell for its overload cost, you replace the word "target" in its text with "each." So a spell that normally hits one creature instead hits every applicable creature, often blowing past targeting restrictions entirely.
The key nuance: because an overloaded spell no longer targets, it can affect things you couldn't normally target—like creatures with hexproof or shroud, or permanents protected from that color. It's still the same spell, just cast differently, so it's not a separate ability you can choose mid-resolution. You decide at cast time. Also note overloaded spells affect all qualifying permanents, including your own, so watch for symmetrical effects hitting your board.
In Commander, cards like Cyclonic Rift, Vandalblast, and Mizzix's Mastery turn overload into devastating one-sided board wipes or mass removal, making it a premier wincon and reset button.
Iconic cards with Overload
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