Reduces the enemy's MP.
Description
Magic Hammer is a Blu Mag spell for Quina in Final Fantasy IX that attacks a target's MP a cost of 2 MP. Magic Hammer cannot be reflected but works with Return Magic. Magic Vice uses it against the party.
Obtain[]
Quina learns Magic Hammer by eating a Magic Vice or a Ring Leader. The earliest it can be learned is by recruiting Quina at the first opportunity, and having them eat a Magic Vice in Burmecia. Eating it can be frustrating, as the vices tend to steal from the party and then flee; there is no way to recover the lost items even if the enemy is defeated. The best way is to deplete the vices' HP quickly with strong moves like Vivi's magic and then eat them.
Mechanics[]
Magic Hammer reduces one target's MP by a random amount between 0 and the target's current MP.
Use[]
Magic Hammer can prevent an enemy from using their abilities by taking away their MP. Similar effect could be achieved by inflicting the enemy with Silence, however. Magic Hammer's boon is that it is cheap to use and could pay off in a big way if the player is lucky.
Potential targets are the boss Valia Pira, who will die if it runs out of MP, and Ozma, who begins to act erratically when its MP is depleted. It could be useful against Garland, who cannot do much without his magic. If the player learned the spell early, Quina could use it against Lani. However, it usually faster to handle bosses the normal damage-dealing way, and Quina's turn would be better used for dishing out damage or for support with their other Blu Mag spells. If the party is stalling because they are waiting for Zidane to steal all good items from a boss, Quina could use their turns for Magic Hammer as it is inexpensive and could decimate the enemy's damage output.
Some enemies will keep using magic even after they have no MP.