History Main / DownToTheLastMatch

->''"That if one has only three matches left, the first two will invariably go out, but that the third and last will remain lighted."''
-->-- ''Literature/TheAmericanCredo'', #142[[labelnote:*]]Original edition[[/labelnote]]/#243[[labelnote:*]]New edition[[/labelnote]]

Thanks to the RuleOfDrama, when a fictional character desperately needs to light something with a match, they will likely find that they have only [[RuleOfThree three]] or so left. All but the last will be duds or blow out, and the last will probably do its share of [[TentativeLight flickering]].

Subtrope of HardToLightFire. See also GoingByTheMatchbook, TentativeLight, and OneBulletLeft.

Not to be confused with DownToTheLastPlay, an analogous trope about sports competition.
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!!Examples:

[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/TheFifthElement'': Dallas gets down to one chance to activate the Fire stone.

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Sam Vimes really wants a cigar. He also realizes that he is running low on matches and will absolutely ''need'' a fire to survive. He has a cigar.
* ''Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl'' by Creator/HansChristianAndersen. [[ShootTheShaggyDog She still freezes to death]].
* ''Literature/TheMysteriousIsland'': The castaways need fire, and have lost all their matches save one in the balloon crash. Pencroff is so nervous that he can't get the match to light, his hands are shaking and he's afraid he might snap it.
* Played with in ''Literature/ToBuildAFire''. While the man actually has plenty of matches, he winds up lighting them all at once when fumbling with his frozen fingers.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/FamilyMatters'': When Steve and Carl are lost in the woods when cutting down a Christmas tree. Steve has three matches in his survival kit. When Carl lights the first, Steve sneezes it out, but got the firewood lighted on the second try.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'': Guybrush uses the last match to blow a hole in the ground so he can find Big Whoop.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'': A brain teaser has you are stuck in a remote cabin in the woods, with only one match. You see a stove, an oil lamp, a fireplace and a candle in the cabin. What should you light first? The answer, of course, is [[spoiler:the match]].
* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'': The opening segment sees Lara Croft escape from a cave into a torrential downpour. She recovers survival gear from her crashed boat and lights a campfire with the last match in the box, setting up the ''Main/SavePoint'' system of the game.

[[AC:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': I [[Recap/HTFGetWhaleSoon "Get Whale Soon"]], Russell and Lumpy attempt to light a fire to get out of the whale they're trapped in, but Russell finds that he only has one match left. After some difficulty, he manages to light it... only for Lumpy to sneeze and put it out.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': This is done a few times.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'': Subverted when Woody realizes that they need to light the rocket taped to Buzz Lightyear's back. A passing car blows out that one and only match, leading to (temporary) despair. But Woody is able to light the rocket after remembering how Sid used the sun to set him on fire using a magnifying glass.
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-->--''Literature/TheAmericanCredo'', #142[[labelnote:*]]Original edition[[/labelnote]]/#243[[labelnote:*]]New edition[[/labelnote]]

* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Dallas gets down to one chance to activate the Fire stone.

* Sam Vimes of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' really wants a cigar. He also realizes that he is running low on matches and will absolutely ''need'' a fire to survive. He has a cigar.

* In ''Series/FamilyMatters'' when Steve and Carl are lost in the woods when cutting down a Christmas tree. Steve has three matches in his survival kit. When Carl lights the first, Steve sneezes it out, but got the firewood lighted on the second try.

* In ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', Guybrush uses the last match to blow a hole in the ground so he can find Big Whoop.
* There's a brain teaser about this, which was used in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'' but has appeared elsewhere: "You are stuck in a remote cabin in the woods, with only one match. You see a stove, an oil lamp, a fireplace and a candle in the cabin. What should you light first?" The answer, of course: [[spoiler:The match!]]
* The opening segment of ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' sees Lara Croft escape from a cave into a torrential downpour. She recovers survival gear from her crashed boat and lights a campfire with the last match in the box, setting up the ''Main/SavePoint'' system of the game.

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' episode [[Recap/HTFGetWhaleSoon "Get Whale Soon"]]: Russell and Lumpy attempt to light a fire to get out of the whale they're trapped in, but Russell finds that he only has one match left. After some difficulty, he manages to light it... only for Lumpy to sneeze and put it out.

* This was done a few times in ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' when Woody realizes that they need to light the rocket taped to Buzz Lightyear's back. A passing car blows out that one and only match, leading to (temporary) despair. But Woody is able to light the rocket after remembering how Sid used the sun to set him on fire using a magnifying glass.

* Subverted in the short story "Literature/ToBuildAFire" by Creator/JackLondon. He has plenty of matches, but after his first fire goes out he winds up lighting all the rest of them at once, due to his hands being completely frozen. This second fire also goes out, and the man proceeds to freeze to death.

When fictional characters desperately need to light something with a match, they will likely find only three or so remaining in the matchbook or box. All but the last will be duds or blow out, and the last will probably do its share of flickering but stay lit.

Subtrope of HardToLightFire. See also GoingByTheMatchbook, TentativeLight, OneBulletLeft.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' when Woody realizes that they need to light the rocket taped to Buzz Lightyear's back. A passing car blows out that one and only match, leading to (temporary) despair.

Not to be confused with DownToTheLastPlay, which is still a similar trope. See also GoingByTheMatchbook, TentativeLight, OneBulletLeft.

* "Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl" by Creator/HansChristianAndersen. She still freezes to death.

* In Monkey Island II, Guybrush uses the last match to blow a hole in the ground so he can find Big Whoop.
* There's a brain teaser about this, which was used in ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'' but has appeared elsewhere: "You are stuck in a remote cabin in the woods, with only one match. You see a stove, an oil lamp, a fireplace and a candle in the cabin. What should you light first?" The answer, of course: [[spoiler:The match!]]

* There's a brain teaser about this, which was used in ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'' but has appeared elsewhere: "You are stuck in a remote cabin in the woods, with only one match. You see a stove, an oil lamp, a fireplace and a candle in the cabin. What should you light first?" The answer, of course: [[spoiler:The match!]]

* This was done a few times in ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' when Woody realizes that they need to light the rocket taped to Buzz Lightyear's back. A passing car blows out that one and only match, leading to (temporary) despair.
* In Monkey Island II, Guybrush uses the last match to blow a hole in the ground so he can find Big Whoop.

* In ''FamilyMatters'' when Steve and Carl are lost in the woods when cutting down a Christmas tree. Steve has three matches in his survival kit. When Carl lights the first, Steve sneezes it out, but got the firewood lighted on the second try.

* ''Film/TheFifthElement''

* In ''FamilyMatters'' when Steve and Carl are lost in the woods cutting down a Christmas tree. Steve has three matches left in his survival kit. When Carl lights the first, Steve sneezes it out, but got the firewood lighted at the second try.

* Subverted in the short story "To Build a Fire" by Creator/JackLondon. He gets his matches soaked, can't light any of them, and proceeds to freeze to death.

* "Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl" by Creator/HansChristianAndersen. [[spoiler:She still freezes to death.]]

* ''To Build a Fire'' by JackLondon. [[spoiler:The hero fails in the title task.]]

* Subverted in ''ToyStory'' when Woody realizes that they need to light the rocket taped to Buzz Lightyear's back. A passing car blows out that one and only match, leading to (temporary) despair.

* ''To Start a Fire'' by JackLondon. [[spoiler:The hero fails in the title task.]]

* ''TheFifthElement''

* Sam Vimes of ''{{Discworld}}'' really wants a cigar. He also realizes that he is running low on matches and will absolutely ''need'' a fire to survive. He has a cigar.

* This was done a few times in ''LooneyTunes''.

* "Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl" by HansChristianAndersen. [[spoiler:She still freezes to death.]]

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* ''TheLittleMatchGirl'' by HansChristianAndersen. [[spoiler:She still freezes to death.]]