History Main / ShootTheMageFirst

* Averted in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls2'': If you kill the Skeleton Lord Pyromancer, he summons '''Wheel Skeletons''', therefore he should be the last one to be killed.

* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', the only priority for a Sniper higher than killing [[ShootTheMedicFirst Medics]] and their patients is killing any ''other'' sniper in the area before he kills you. However, a good Sniper won't ''seek out'' enemy Snipers the same way he looks for Medics because this wastes so much time as to turn both teams' Snipers into TheLoad. Going for Engineers is something between ShootTheMedicFirst and this trope, given he builds and repairs both Dispensers (healing) and Sentries (which can kill boat loads of your teammates).

** When fighting [[spoiler:Team Tarquin]], the Order is quick to dog-pile on the arcane caster the second they get the chance, knowing he's physically the weakest. However, said team also has a powerful [[PsychicPowers psion]], who might not be as strong as the arcane caster, but still isn't anything to sneeze at.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'': The [[{{Necromancer}} Catacomb Necromancers]] will keep resurrecting the [[DemBone skeletons]] until you kill them. Nevertheless, once you killed them, they do not respawn. Therefore they're top priority targets.

* ''Videgame/DarkestDungeons'': While in most cases this applies, what with mages throwing incantations that can move your party around and give you enough stress to drive you insane, [[spoiler:this is the worst of ideas when fighting the Swine King, as killing Wilbur (the aforementioned mage) will piss the king off so darned much he'll start hitting your entire party at once with horrifically powerful attacks. So don't touch Wilbur until the King's dead.]]

!!Examples

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* Averted in FairyTail: Due to the increasing trend of combining martial arts with age-old magic, empowering the user's body based on the level of their magic and how they use it, the mage is the LAST guy you want to take potshots at. Two MageKiller assassins figured this out the hard way. Eight in-universe years after Natsu meets Lucy, magic-martial arts has grown so popular there's now a martial arts grand tournament focused on magic. Subverted multiple times when enemy mages try to pick off the younger but powerful mages, only for them to pull out a secret weapon and pummel the enemy with it, or their comrades to get enraged and hit the enemy even harder.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', during the Burning Crusade and Cataclysm expansions, the first rule of pulling in heroic dungeons was [[ShootTheMedic "kill the healer"]] while the second was "kill the mage." The most important priority was to stop the enemy healer from making the entire pull take four times longer. The second most important priority was not letting your entire team get burned to death.

* In ''WebVideo/CounterMonkey'', Spoony repeatedly discusses this trope since Wizards are the primary area-of-effect elemental damage dealers. Competent opponents know they are the biggest source of pain and should be dealt with first. He further advises players who are Wizards to not dress like the stereotypical Wizard to disguise their identity and avoid being singled out (In particular, not to dress "Like fucking Gandalf" and to carry a sword- not learn to ''use'' it, but have it as cover).

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', when fighting [[spoiler:Team Tarquin]], the Order is quick to dog-pile on the arcane caster the second they get the chance, knowing he's physically the weakest. However, said team also has a powerful [[PsychicPowers psion]], who might not be as strong as the arcane caster, but still isn't anything to sneeze at.

** Literal example with the Wizard Zombie, who [[BalefulPolymorph turns more of your plants into useless sheep]] unless you kill it (which will revert all transformed plants back).

* In ''WebVideo/CounterMonkey'', Spoony repeatedly discusses this trope since Wizards are the primary area-of-effect elemental damage dealers. Competent opponents know they are the biggest source of pain and should be dealt with first. He further advises players who are Wizards to not dress like the stereotypical Wizard to disguise their identity and avoid being singled out.

Compare ShootTheMedicFirst, which is specifically for healers and support types, and StraightForTheCommandeer, which is targeting the leader or general.

Compare ShootTheMedicFirst, which is specifically for healers and support types.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', 1st Edition TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Campaign Setting boxed set booklet ''Cyclopedia of the Realms'', section "Pirate Isles of the Inner Sea". On pirate ships it was a standard procedure for archers to make anyone who was appearing to cast a spell their first target.

One of the disadvantages of being on the wrong side of a SquishyWizard is that they are usually ''extremely'' dangerous. On the other hand, they are also the easiest to eliminate. Therefore, taking them out first usually makes the rest of the battle that much easier.

!!Examples:

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