History Main / ShootTheMageFirst

* In ''Dungeoneers'', it's always advisable to kill the mages among the monsters you fight first, as they can do things like drop Fireballs upon you, buff enemies, and even summon new enemies upon the field if left alone for too long. Thankfully, most mage enemies only take one hit to kill.

[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Kill. Them. On. Sight.]] Shatter the GlassCannon before he gets anywhere near you. Kill the EnemySummoner the second he appears and hope his minions [[KeystoneArmy disappear upon his death]]. Punt that puppy into low Earth orbit to spare yourself a nasty headache. Because if you don't, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck you're gonna have a real bad day]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Dungeoneers}}'', it's always advisable to kill the mages among the monsters you fight first, as they can do things like drop Fireballs upon you, buff enemies, and even summon new enemies upon the field if left alone for too long. Thankfully, most mage enemies only take one hit to kill.

** In general, any rearliners on your enemy's side that can move your party around dump a ton of stress on them should be the first to die. Said rearliners will also frequently have higher dodge stats than other enemies (such as the Madman, who can inflict Horror on everyone in the party) in order to frustrate any attempts to put them down first.

* Common advice in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', where "Geek the mage first" is one of the first rules a new shadowrunner learns. Because mages and shamans are capable of putting serious hurt upon a shadowrun team if left alone, the ones slinging around spells are usually the ones who get the first mags of ammunition emptied into them.

** Arcane magic users tend to have the fewest hit points and worst armor class of any class, but the highest damage output, so a standard party tactic is to attack the spellcasters first, if possible. On the flip side, the typical job of close-combat specialists like fighters and barbarians is to stand in front of spellcasters to prevent the enemy from doing the same.

* Common advice in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', where "Geek the mage first" is one of the first rules a new shadowrunner learns. The ones slinging around spells are usually the ones who get the first mags of ammunition emptied into them.

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

* ''VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce'': Due to how targeting priority works, the enemy AI will do this ''to you''. They will try to target lower HP units, especially if they can possibly take it out on the same turn, and that often means the magic or healing units. Excellent on the Ispares defense stage where the defeat of [[GuestStarPartyMemeber the wizards helping the heroes]] adds to the bad end points.

* ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': After Ultron gains the Infinity Stones and begins wiping out the universes, the Guardians of the Multiverse are assembled to stop him. To ensure that they can survive being attacked by Infinity Stones, Strange Supreme, a wizard who has consumed the power of an entire universe, places protection spells on all the teammembers. Midway through their battle, Ultron realizes that he can deal no harm to any of the Guardians because Strange's magic is protecting them, and so begins targeting Strange exclusively.

** 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. Considering that mages start out with an AC of 9 and can only improve it by means of magical items, archers are deadly to mages who don't have a ''protection from normal arrows'' spell up.

** Applies in most cases, what with mages throwing incantations that can move your party around and give you enough stress to drive you insane.

->''"By the way, if you're every playing a wizard, a smart DM will always target wizards first, especially high levels, because if you're obviously a wizard, any one with any kind of intelligence knows that you are the guy who dishes out pain, and dishes out pain in, like, a wide area of effect. So don't be the kind of wizard who dresses like fucking Gandalf!"''

* In ''Fire Emblem'''s co-genre codifier, the original VideoGame/ShiningForce, enemy priority 1A is StraightForTheCommander as his death is an instant loss for the player, and if he is out of reach, ShootTheMageFirst. The GBA remake downgraded the Mage step, making ShootTheMedicFirst the second priority.

Is there a GlassCannon who can destroy half your team in a single attack? A wizard who can grant every foe in the room extremely durable {{Beehive Barrier}}s? An EnemySummoner who can flood the room with hordes of relentless, {{Zerg Rush}}ing DemonicSpiders to their heart's content? A [[KillerRabbit harmless puppy]] who devours your vanquished foes in order to [[MagikarpPower metamorphose into an Level 9000 Unstoppable Hellhound of Flaming Death and Eternal Suffering]]? A mage who can upgrade said Level 9000 Unstoppable Hellhound of Faming Death and Eternal Suffering into a '''Level Infinity +1 Omnipotent EldritchAbomination of Endless Oblivion'''?

* For most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' titles, if it's not enemies with white magic that [[ShootTheMedicFirst you're attacking first]], then it's enemy mages next on the list due to them having either powerful party wide hitting spells, [[StandardStatusEffect using status magic to cripple you]], or both.

** PACT Support [[AMechByAnyOtherName Ryders]] overlap with this and ShootTheMedicFirst. They may be completely unarmed, but they can wreak havoc on your battle plans by healing their allies, removing status ailments from other PACT units, [[StandardStatusEffects and inflicting those status effects on your party, leaving you vulnerable to the actual damage dealers]]. That they tend to hang out at the back of enemy formations and have powerful shields to protect them does not help.

* In ''WebVideo/CounterMonkey'', Spoony repeatedly discusses this trope since Wizards are the primary area-of-effect elemental damage dealers and masters of StandardStatusEffects. Even with one spell each, they can kill a party, as Spoony himself once demonstrated. 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 ''TabletopGame/{{Infinity}}'''s variation of this is "shoot the hacker first", since (unless you're playing Ariadna) hackers can wreak havoc on your forces' abilities.

[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Kill. Them. On. Sight.]] Shatter the GlassCannon before he gets anywhere near you. Kill the EnemySummoner the second he appears and hope his minions [[KeystoneArmy dissappear upon his death]]. Punt that puppy into low Earth orbit to spare yourself a nasty headache. Because if you don't, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck you're gonna have a real bad day]].

But this isn't just limited to wizards; in general, whenever there's an individual who possesses some form of ability that allows them to dramatically turn the tide of battle, it's a vital tactic to take them out ''immediately'' before they can potentially put you at a serious disadvantage and allow the opposing side to subject you to a CurbStompBattle.

* In Creator/HGWells' ''Little Wars'', there are three different units, including basic infantry, mobile cavalry, and ranged artillery. Guess which one will be the most likely target to attack or defend.[[note]]It's the artillery[[/note]]

** In the Battle of Azure City, Hinjo tells the Order to ignore the fighting on the walls and go straight for Xykon, knowing that Xykon's power is enough to "alter the course of the entire battlefield" on its own (in fact, as an epic-level lich sorcerer, it's entirely possible that Xykon is by himself [[PersonOfMassDestruction more powerful than everyone else on the battlefield combined]][[note]]With the possible exception of the Monster in the Darkness, as no-one (not even the Monster himself) knows ''what'' he is or the true extent of his powers.[[/note]]), so he wants Xykon taken out or at the very least distracted ASAP.