Ranking Removal Spells in EDH | EDHRECast 305

What are the best pinpoint removal spells in Commander?
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[@Psynapseful]

Eaten by Piranhas is underrated in the Darksteel Mutation type space IMO. 1U to turn a creature into a 1/1 black skeleton with no abilities. What sets it apart is it has flash. It's a bit worse than a Cyber Conversion because its a removable aura, but still pretty solid as an instant speed removal option (and noticeably less money for the budget conscious).

[@EDHRECast]

That's a great pick!

[@SmeeGuitar]

Its an allstar in my Monoblue Minn deck! I can drop it (instant speed) when an Illusion dies. And if I cant it still has flash

[@ajaydassani9931]

Wow cards gas

[@Drift_Fx]

Yeah, I've started running that card and a bunch of my blue decks. Super great at shutting down problematic Commanders!

[@Iretammiele]

I want to try so bad to play this on a Yuriko

[@Alico_Reborn]

I am very surprised to not see Damn on this list. Spot removal that can also double as a board wipe is quite fantastic, even if it is sorcery speed. My personal favorite for targeted removal is Mythos of Nethroi. Fantastic art, hits most things, and can be easier to cast if you are just removing a creature. Very flexible.

[@soulkens]

Facts. One of the most underrated commander wipes and spots

[@NerdByAnyOtherName]

My counterargument for Cultivate in Voja: Do you know what most of those mana elves have in common? _they tap exclusively for Green_ You _need_ at least one source that can produce White and another one that can produce Red to get your commander on the table in the first place, and if you aren't shelling out for a tuned up mana base that can be difficult to do consistently without aggresive mulligans. If you have Cultivate or Kodama's Reach turn 3 (or 2 if you played a Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic turn 1) then you are guaranteed to have the right amount and colors of mana to play Voja on the following turn.

[@MareczqZglos]

Then play 2 mana Ramp spells, dont play Cultivate ... On top of that, this days we have so amazing lands - its really easy to make really good mana base.

[@officeman15]

​@MareczqZglos cultivate specifically gets your two other colors with one card, is the point.

[@MareczqZglos]

@@officeman15 If you play dual lands / trioms - any ramp spell that search for a "land type" is fixing 2+ collors ;) This is why i prefer to have 2 mana ramps. We 3 of them in commander (Farseek, ThreeVisist and Natures Lore) - each will fix You, but cost 1 less, and two of them put untapped land :) On top of that You have 3 mana elves that search for a lands, thats much much better in this deck, then any "pure" ramp spells.

[@DraggaRyuu]

@@MareczqZglosA lot of the dual lands are also expensive, and people will aim lower in budget often. Cultivate/Kodama's Reach are simply too easy on the wallet for me to ever consider as a bad pick in a Green deck. Budget is always a factor to consider, and honestly moving constantly towards the constant attempts to make Commander more efficient always feels a bit counterproductive to the spirit of the format, but that's not really the matter here.

[@cread13]

​@@DraggaRyuuthey have printed plenty of very cheap lands that have land types there's at least 2 cycles of them that are uncommon I believe that have lands types and come in tapped no other text on them. But ya I agree that cultivate isn't bad to run even in decks like this because not only does in garentee your other colors but also garentees u a land for the next turn.

[@hobez64]

Strike of Midnight being in 69420 decks just makes me giggle

[@melmacianmage]

Olorin's Searing Light has become my new favorite removal spell. It hits multiple targets and does some extra damage. Perfect for a lot of the boros spell decks I play.

[@Commander_Claw]

Yea no one knows about this card unless you bought the Lord of the Rings. Its under a $1 and a great card. I have it in my Anim Pakal deck.

[@the_r4ts]

I only run it as part of a Sunforger package.. which is in every Boros deck I've ever brewed, lmao

[@justinayran]

I've recently limited "Destroy target creature" effects and have opted to run more flexible, though expensive removal. I don't run Swords or Path in my decks that have white, but I do have Unexpectedly Absent, Oblation, Stroke of Midnight, Generous Gift, and Excise the Imperfect.

[@Commander_Claw]

Yea thats a good change up because options are good. I know the feeling about the change. it doesn't hit you until you actually added the flexiblity and exile until you play the next game. Youre shocked at what you actually needed to move for that moment. Sometimes I notice i'll over think the flexbile spells because they'll have an option of something super niche but that niche moment actually happens. Quandrix Command! Counter artifact or enchantment spell.

[@CutShadows]

Agreed, it's funny I was just finishing up a Selesnya deck and I didn't even think to include swords and path over beast within and generous gift. I'd take flexibility over efficiency anyday.

[@Phavahg]

I'll take "Exile target nonland permanent." over "Exile target creature." anytime in CMDR. It's often your opponent's enchantment that is killing you anyway. The fact that Swords and Path are one mana is of little consequence since you're not going to cast them in the first three turns anyway, most likely.

[@lordsoth-en4nb]

My favorite black removal spell is Baleful Mastery. It exiles a creature or planeswalker, which is huge with there being so much graveyard recursion. 4 mana is a lot, but the alternate cost of 2 mana and an opponent gets to draw a card is stellar. Best part is that the creature's or planeswalker's owner does not have to be the target of the card draw effect.

[@fridayfreed7287]

That *and* the fact that you can choose the opponent makes the politics that much better

[@DontTouchMeToast]

​@@fridayfreed7287 I love politics removal spells, loving what is coming out of bloomburrow so far

[@crisgon9552]

My Notion Thief/Narset Parter of Veil approves

[@pytawidmo]

Would it be possible to get a breakdown of those spells in a written form? Not necessarily article, but just the tiers/table for each person. I would love to have a reference sheet like that for the tier discussions where there is a plethora of options and many of them go into any deck :)

[@drew-id]

Resculpt is higher on my list ever since the one ring.

[@TeamSprocket]

If it destroyed instead of exile, it'd be okay. Exiling makes it an S card when there's so much graveyard synergy for creatures and artifacts. TOR has just made people realize how important artifact exile is.

[@sunflowertheog]

​@TeamSprocket yeah i play excise the imperfect over stroke of midnight specifically because of TOR

[@TheAverageGuyTAG]

​@@sunflowertheog Same. The One Ring's existence is the sole reason I am opting for Excise the Imperfect over Stroke of Midnight (though being in Orzhov also means I am running Anguished Unmaking) and why I am running Resculpt in my blue removal suite.

[@gedtheflayer]

Lethal Scheme is great in decks that can "use every part of the buffalo". My Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder deck is a combo deck looking to go off with Carnival of Souls, and spots are very tight for interaction. Lethal Scheme is effectively a 2nd copy of Deadly Rollick as long as Endrek Sahr is out; I can use my turn to cast a creature combo piece, and make enough thrulls to convoke it out without holding up mana. The connive also gives me card selection to dig through my deck, and I've totally killed an inconsequential creature on the end step before mine to dig if I think I'm just one piece away from a win. I totally agree that in the majority of decks, the broad, cheap, and reliable suite of removal you mentioned here is going to be the best choice, but it my decks I usually reserve one interaction spot for digging a little deeper and finding something that has a narrower home but is going to work wonders.

[@covfefe5842]

I think the quick dismissal of Lethal Scheme is an egregious error in judgment. You don’t need to be in some hyper token build to make the card good. You just need a moderate to high number of creatures in the deck. Like you said, it does a whole lot on one card. It’s an instant, potentially free, draws up to 4 cards, fills your yard, and puts +1/+1 counters on stuff. There are several ways that can synergize with other parts of many decks. Just the digging/filtering by itself is worthwhile, in my opinion. I can’t understand for the life of me how Pip-Boy 3000 is getting all this hype because of its versatility when Lethal Scheme gets tossed in the C/D range.

[@mufasafalldown8401]

​@@covfefe5842agreed. Lethal scheme is S tier. Didnt agree with most of their analysis. The video was also structured poorly. It was tough to follow all of their ramblings... they were all over the place and there was no coherent flow in the video/topics.

[@mispade]

Two cards that I think are often overlooked are: 1) Soul Partition - Can hit any nonland permanent for 2 mana and is instant speed. It is a great tempo play if you hit an engine piece, and can also be really clutch in the late game when you really want your targeted removal to be instant speed. It can also be decent commander removal since the commander tax and the partition tax are very comparable. 2) Guff Rewrites History - Remove everyone else's best piece and upgrade something of your own. Dangerous, chaotic, and super fun, but also very effective in decks like Prosper, Faldorn, or Rocco Street Chef.

[@urOSSIM]

Bitter Triumph is solid bc either - you pay the 3 life to cast it or you can discard a big creature to hit w reanimate/ similar effects

[@Insanir]

Baleful Mastery is a personal staple. It irritates me that giving an opponent a card is viewed as a downside. In the context of commander I view that as upside. I can help out a buddy that got left behind in the game. I'm also a big fan of Secret Rendevouz.

[@d0xx1d3]

You have to re-evaluate because of the one ring, if it hits an artifact it has to exile. Resculpt is mandatory in blue imo

[@davidrosenberg9615]

I mean, power level is relevant here. At lower and some mid power levels, folks aren't running it. It's a meta call.

[@hoodiegal]

it very much depends on the power level you are playing at, which is also why land removal isn't as important in my group. in my play group, if you put The One Ring and Nykthos into your deck, you have about $10 left to spend on the remaining 98 cards.

[@stephenbowes2187]

I did notice a few cards which got missed in this episode which I think warrant some mention: Zoyowa's Justice - just efficient red removal Damn - both removal AND boardwipe Reckless Spite - Curtain's Call but its always 3 mana at the cost of 5 life

[@elcapitanofthemtn]

I agree about Damn but Reckless Spite only hitting non-black creatures is a very big downside

[@Africa4444]

Do folks not like rite of oblivion? Sorcery speed but can hit anything and can cast twice. Definitely better in sac or token decks but a lot going for it anyway.

[@27777BigRedBarn]

Thank you for the discussion. I appreciate hearing the opinions of various players and how it informs my existing opinions.

[@magnusprime962]

40:49 So I actually had a fun Chaos Warp story happen to me last night. I was running the new Naya morph precon and an opponent had Ghostly Prison out. I Chaos Warped it to try and get it off the field. What did he proceed to pull out instead? Windborn Muse, a creature with the exact same effect as Ghostly Prison. I couldn't even be mad, it was just funny.

[@raonair]

I'd say using land ramp, even at 3 mana is good in any deck. You probably shouldn't go so heavily on the mana dorks, cause if someone wraths the board, your ramp is gone. If your meta doesn't have that many wraths, sure, drop the land ramp altogether and go for the dorks, but at that point, you're being overrun by Krenko, even without an actual Overrun.

[@lokidragon8725]

I think my favorite 4 mana removal spell in mono red is Aftershock... It's one of if not the only removal spell in the colour that destroys a creature rather than damaging it to death, if somethings too big to get with a lightning bolt, Aftershock has you covered also useful if it is immune to damage.

[@Commander_Claw]

Only if it was an INSTANT but what it does in red...its worth it!

[@FootballMedic]

Kenrith's Transformation would be mediocre except for one key aspect. It draws you a card. Removal that replaces itself is amazing. That alone makes it so much better than many other lock-down effect spells.

[@hansmelby5080]

MDFCs like Hagra Mauling allow you to play both a land and removal in the same slot. Allows me to keep my land count between 36-38 and add another spell. The extra mana is fine.

[@Dragonspeaker]

For me, there are 2 things that i value in my removal. The first being instant speed and the second being how many potential threats can it answer so i find cards like Beast Within/Generous Gift, Chaos Warp & Assassin's Trophy to be valuable. I find the ability to potentially answer anything on the board that is causing a problem very important

[@jeffreylong1478]

Another way that grasp of fate benefits you is it can draw out enchantment removal from your opponents, in effect protecting your other enchantments. Most people have about two or three cards that can remove enchantments in their decks, so if they use the card on grasp of fate they don’t have as many cards left to remove other enchantments you want to keep.

[@discoviolenza1984]

Hagra Mauling at F is wild. I think its one of the better Mdfc's.

[@lobbynotlob]

"No flexibility" just wait til they see the backside, theyre gonna freak.

[@marcusklo.4077]

This might be the first time i really disagree a lot with the edhrec cast, i love this card. Its my first mdfc in every deck running black tbh, and so far, i have never been disappointed. but there is a big BUT: i tend to play on a heavy budget in semi-upgraded precon-pools.. which might be a factor

[@brighty-go6nn]

yall completely insane on hagra mauling, a black tapped land is not good but not bad enough to just ignore the fact that its a land which means i can fill a land slot and get a removal spell too, that makes it an auto include for me in any 2 or less color black deck

[@sabbertode6413]

Same here. It's very interesting to me from which angle you can look at all the mdfc lands. Looking at a 4 mana creature removal spell that can be a tapped non swamp black source seems underwhelming to me as well but lookin at it as a tapped land that produces one of your colors and can answer commanders and other creature threats seems so much more valuable. But the land part can't be understated. No land can destroy a creature at that rate and no (black) removal spell can be your land drop. The question to run Hagra Mauling for me is mostly how many mono black sources can i run in my mana base and how many tapped lands can i run in general/ do i want to run.

[@dominicsandoval2214]

I think it's valuable and can be flexible, I think play patterns, and strategies might really affect why people don't run it. For me I don't have a deck where it didn't feel super clunky to have it in. The types of decks I have where hagra mauling would be an okay include it's very much outclasses in both on sides and not needed

[@AbyssArray]

I originally didn't rank it all that highly since I primarily played 3+ colour decks, but as I built 1-2 colours it was very good

[@dominicsandoval2214]

@@AbyssArray who are the commanders for the decks that you have hagra mauling in?

[@Mehwave]

Curiously enough, my #1 white removal spell is Generous Gift. Being able to hit literally everything feels so much better than being more efficient. Obviously that's going to be a metacall, though.

[@Dragon_Fyre]

As much as Elves ramp in a Voja deck, having some non-creature ramp is still worthwhile in case you get board wiped, so that you can recover.

[@beurtalvarez]

the flavour text from Utter end is just a one liner from a wrestling promo. "I came here seeking a challenge. All I found was you." is absolutely amazing as a one liner

[@Sykdude]

I love Hull Breach for targeted removal of an artifact and an enchantment. You don't need creature removal when you're playing Gruul, your creatures are the removal!

[@Jidayun]

"You dont have 14 slots for pinpoint removal" youre right. I have 24.

[@Commander_Claw]

Must be a Hirobi Death's Wail deck? lol

[@Jidayun]

No, I just be playing too much removal.

[@Commander_Claw]

@@Jidayun I have Valetin Dean of the Vein golgari deck. It's straight removal. Nothing survives from enchantments artifacts and creatures get exiled!!!

[@misterdonwaters]

Good choice target for a Wild Magic Surge would be a problem land. They reveal until they hit and get another land, which probably won’t be a problem land.

[@caasIsirhC]

I didn't know I had such strong opinions on removal. I value Generous Gift way over Swords to Plowshares for versatility. I'm usually aiming to fire off removal for game-winning threats which come in every permanent type these days. Hagra Mauling is good (certainly not amazing) at any stage of the game which makes it great for the lack of opportunity cost. Path to Exile is similar in a token deck. In an opening hand removal is often like starting a card down until a threat presents itself or you end up firing it off too soon. Things that hit something for each player seem subpar to me. As you say, you draw the aggro of the table or you hit things that don't matter. Council's Judgement (like Druid of Purification which is outside this episode's remit) gets around those issues but I'd rather hit the thing that matters, when it matters.

[@ajaydassani9931]

I'm all about exile removal sometimes more now due to recursion

[@jessewyatt5783]

My personal favourite is make an example. Four mana sorcery speed, but you get around all shroud, ward, hexproof, indestructible, and even prot instants and sorceries. Not only that, but for each opponent you can get rid of their best creature guaranteed, and can even snipe some stranglers on a congested board. All that more than makes up for the extra mana and sorcery speed.

[@mfitkin]

I feel like y’all were harsh on Resculpt, especially with the one ring everywhere

[@dominicsandoval2214]

I thought the same thing

[@ekuude]

I hate resculpt. I find defabricate much stronger. It's a different card/effect but it can cleanly answer a lot of threatening artifacts and doesn't let the opponent get them back with Academy Ruins or the like. It can also be used to stifle Thoracle combos. Makes it strong in low and higher power formats. Also I think in blue you can do better than turning a creature into a 4/4. I'd play echoing truth over it even. Stops you from dying to big creature in a turn and also can wipe tokens, treasures, etc. plus it can save your commander or key combo piece

[@CutShadows]

As far as non creature removal goes, Heliod's intervention is an absolute staple for me now. It can be a one sided board wipe for artifacts/enchantments or save you in a pinch with the life gain. So incredible!

[@Deathkeeper43]

Resculpt exiles The One Ring which is extremely relevant

[@pytawidmo]

Would you also qualify Fire Covenant as a multi-target removal, or do you think about it more as a semi-boardwipe? Also, I was surprised to hear your opinion on Decimate, the fact that it cannot be cast without all valid targets being there has came up for me one too many times, I suppose. Damn definitely fall under the "flexible enough" with the default mode being not-bad enough to include it in the decks that can run it, especially if you play into the board with creatures yourself and will unlikely want a wrath most of time.

[@MareczqZglos]

Fire Covenant is like the nr.1 spell i put in Black-Red decks.... it can be a point removal, or board wipe... most of time its 3-4 target remuval, like others mention here. For me its S-tier. Better then Path to Exile, and Swords ;P

[@lukey170890]

I can't recommend Chain of Vapor enough, amazing card! Hits any permanent type bar land, it can protect one or more of your cards, and if you can politic well, you can convince people to bounce each others stuff! IMO much better than Rapid Hybridisation and Pongify (though they're still good) love the show :)

[@fassin666]

Always so happy to see my fav dads and their fav dad jokes rendering Joey speechless 😂

[@gregh9176]

Matt is the 🐐 of dad jokes and I especially appreciate the math puns as a math major myself

[@davidengkent7756]

I find Grasp of Fate tends to sweep away commanders, and players don't tend to leave their commanders under a GoF so if you can remove a non-commander threat and then 2 commanders, that threat will stay under as the commanders will just go back to the Command Zone.

[@borislibaque1558]

I love the wand of the worldsoul challenge. I just built a convoke deck and realized very quickly that to get the most out of the convoke mechanic you do want to pair it with other selsenya mechanics like vigilance and tokens. The same idea can be applied to any game mechanic; you want to consider in color and ally color mechanics to find the right support and synergies. Eg if you want to highlight the mentor mechanic in boros, protection and extra combats pair really well. If you're doing a self discard theme in raktos, reanimimation can be nice, as can hellbent and madness.

[@davidrosenberg9615]

I'd have liked to hear discussion about Imprisoned In The Moon and In Too Deep, because I'm a BIG fan of both. Also, some favorite burn spells like Cut//Ribbons and Lightning Bolt.

[@michaelsparks1571]

I actually put Unexpectedly Absent in my W-decks after Swords, but before Path. Usually all 3 still make the cut, but the flexibility of being able to "hide" any nonland permanent or combo piece, even for a single turn (or best case, in response to a shuffle effect) makes up for both the higher mana cost and the "doesn't exile".

[@anthonyderusso3768]

Resculpt has been an absolute all star in a world of one ring

[@joelmacgregor2615]

Solitude, like other creatures that can remove are great to flicker with conjurers closet, teleportation circle etc. looking at you Chupacabra

[@AndresDm101]

I dont like saying swords or path are unconditional removal. I like things that target any permanent. Theres only so many slots in my decks for target removal, id rather play a couple of wraths and a couple of Anguished Unmaking type of target removal. :D

[@MrPinkpanzer]

I play a lot of deathsprout and binding of the old gods because it consolidates two roles in my deck. It ramps me and functions as spot removal. I also play fell the profane, bridgeworks battle, sink into stupor, and witch enchanter in all my decks because they're just lands that cost me life and sometimes they function as spot removal. Additionally, I play binding of the old gods in my 5 color deck because they can fetch shocks and triomes. Spots in decks is getting so tough that making space by consolidating roles matters to me.

[@iryanmadayana1904]

I am eyeing Lethal Scheme very interestedly for a Nethroi deck I am building. I both tend to have some relatively small creatures in play AND welcome the fact that it digs deeper into my deck and lets me dump stuff into my graveyard for reanimation.

[@JeffreyKramer]

Good to see y'all giving props to Tear Asunder. I find exile removal so much more important in the current play environment - I had to deal with The One Ring in two commander games over the weekend - that I am willing to pay a little more to be completely rid of things. For that reason, I find myself favoring Vanish into Eternity over some of the destroy options, along with Path and Swords to deal efficiently with problem creatures. As far as the removal that does destroy, I have tended to stick with Beast Within and Generous Gift over Stroke of Midnight because in the local meta, I do find having the option of dealing with lands like Coffers or Nykthos is pretty important. At least once a week I run into something like a Nykthos or Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun, so it turns out to be pretty good to have the option of taking care of those things with an instant in addition to running Strip Mind, Demolition Field, etc.

[@wyatt5450]

During the conversation of Astarians Thirst, there's also a green removal spell called Ruinous Intrusion that's 3(G) for an instant to exile an enchantment or artifact and a creature gains +1/+1 counters equal to that mana value. It's not quite the same thing but it hits the normal green targets, gets past indestructible and gives you an incentive to continue with beatdowns

[@MomirsLabTech]

Ahh yes, the Committing Crimes podcast. My favorite.

[@dominicsandoval2214]

I don't get it

[@wingsofwar15]

@@dominicsandoval2214 Crime is a new game concept that is being introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. Specifically, committing a crime is when you cast a spell or use an ability that targets either an opponent or their stuff. Since this podcast is specifically talking about targeted removal and attempting to rank it, it is a 'Committing Crimes' podcast.

[@dominicsandoval2214]

Thank you I was very out of the loop

[@schwarzertee7586]

The thing about PtE and Swords: They sometimes do something, you don't want. I find myself often in a place where I do not particularly care about creature removal anyways. Often times Enchantments, Artifacts, Lands, Planeswalkers are the bigger issues. PtE gives mana to your opponent, you don't want to PtE an opponent who is missing landdrops or who could use that mana to recast their commander next turn anyways. Swords on the other hand... sure if I fire that on a small creature... who cares? But sometimes life points matter. And hitting a big creature and giving back 8-10 life is just.... counterproductive when my goal is to drain someone for example. In aristocrats I often forego Swords because I don't want to swords their threats. I only drain by 1 or 2 life/creature. When I am winning I am winning anyways (you know, 3 aristocrats and a full board anda sac outlet... game's over buddy) but when we're in the grindy section of a game every LP matters. I almost never run the blue 1-mana removal. In blue decks particularly I don't feel like single creatures are what I am losing to. And if they were (Nyxbloom Ancient?) I'd rather counter them than destroy them. So yea... Counterspell is removal too. I run sometimes PtE, sometimes Swords, almost never Pongify and Rapid Hybridization

[@ethanboyd2981]

I like Overwhelming Remorse. I've never cast it for more the 3, so even at that cost it's a exile Hero's Downfall. Most of the time when I've cast it, it's only been 1 mana. Most games by the time you need removal, unless someone has exiled your graveyard, you should have several creatures already in your graveyard. But I don't run it in every black deck, just the ones with an aristocrats play style.

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Regarding ward and hexproof, I am adding edict effects as well for that reason. Is remarkably fun to use.

[@jaredcrawford923]

For me, my deck "doing the thing" is more important than stopping someone else from doing their thing. With that in mind I need my removal to hit any permanent because I am not willing to sacrifice the card slots needed to put all these narrow target cheap cards in that only hit a creature or only an artifact. The four manna "hit anything" removal spells is where I find the most utility.

[@nathanielb5659]

the more i think about swift reconfiguration i think more and more about how apparently no one read the flavour text when they hyped it up

[@pauldyson8098]

*Skullbriar already was good. But, yes, Astarion's Thirst is bonkers in SkullyB.

[@nickpalframan]

I also really like vindicate rite of oblivion and Invasion of New Capenna. But they won't save you when a threat is already swinging at your door. So often I find in my games that people hold their removal until something actively threatens them vs helping the table.

[@evolutionXXVII]

I know this is likely too old to get a response on, but would love to hear the verdict on Unexplained Absence and Joey's experiments with bounce spells as removal.

[@EulogyfortheAngels]

I know it doesn't target creatures (same for Council's Judgment), but I'm a huge fan of Do or Die. Fun for the table, and has a high ceiling for 2 cmc removal.

[@Wessux]

No one is gonna read this, but people are sleeping on Declaration in Stone. Two mana exile a creature and all creatures that share a name. Make a clue for each non-token creature. Blasts token decks, blast clone decks. Two mana exile removal is already very playable with an insane gotcha upside. The clue tokens are usually suboptimal draw versus what your opponent is already running so they likely never crack it. The only downside is sorcery speed, but it's worth it to run one sorcery speed removal spell for that level of efficiency and high end value.

[@rootfish2671]

Oh wow fantastic card, I just got back into magic after a 20year hiatus and this card is definitely going into my anti creature theme deck. People I play with have been getting too arrogant with their infinite creature token decks lately

[@mightyone3737]

The best removal spell? Transmogrifying Wand, even if it's not technically a spell, you can play it for 3 and hold up 1 mana to kill whatever you want, it's sweeter than sugar if you actually blow up 3 things with it, and with Proliferate effects you can get even more. IMHO it might be the single most under-utilized removal option in Commander. My next favourite (and an actual removal spell) is Make an Example, this is the Roll Royce of removal spells, it doesn't target, it's sacrifice and it hits each opponent. On top of that, if your opponents aren't good at making piles/sussing out what you want dead then you can kill more than one creature potentially. Such an underrated gem, but I'm glad it is, because it's not a fun card to play against. This is contrary to popular opinion, but Green is sneaky-good at removal, it and White are the 'colours of removal', Green because it has endless amazing Disenchant family effects (many that hit more types) alongside Fight and Bite effects (Bite can sometimes hit PWs too), and White because WotC figured out White was not the best colour in removal in Commander anymore and finally worked to rectify this issue. Green might be better at general removal than White, but White can also wipe, so White is a much better 'board control' colour, but if you build Green around killing stuff it's very good at it. Voja seems like 'a bit much' as you say, I think WotC got the wrong message from the fact that people will tolerate broken Commanders. Naya needed a new 'best' Commander, but this is a bit offensive in an era where it's already a struggle to manage any extremely old Commanders, the 99 means an awful lot, but 'elves' isn't a bad type AT ALL, while Wolves aren't truly obscure (their are solid Wolves), so that'll be hard to compete with faily. I hope people have the sense not to run stuff like that outside High Power, but it's certainly another great reason to up your wipe count (if your colours allow)! I think Cultivate is in Voya because it can help get Voya out, it'll find a Plains and a Mountain, many Elf dorks make G, not R or W. Still, creatures have a lot of synergy with Voja. I would happily cut a Mountain and a Plains for Kodama's Reach and Cultivate, but ymmv. You don't use Generous Gift very often vs land, but the fact that it CAN hit lands is pretty relevant vs certain decks. The key to using Grasp of Fate is that you either want to hit 3 problems (such that nobody wants the other two back), or pick on a player who can't remove Enchantments. it's a hard card to use I agree, but I loved it when I saw it because it's the perfect card for a Zur deck. I love cards that are technically 'your opponent's choice', but that are either hard to optimize vs or have no good choices Oh, I thought of another good BS answer, Stronghold Biologist is an amazing way to answer creature decks, and Blue can afford to pitch cards more than many colours. Man, I only play Hagra Mauling in 1 deck, but it's a pretty tight deck (lots of RP elements, but it's got to compete), and I rarely hate seeing it. If I draw it early and have other removal I might just play it as a land, but if I didn't draw any other removal options, then I'm probably REALLY HAPPY it's not a Swamp, that versatility makes it one of the better cards in the deck, even if it's ceiling isn't especially high. In Casual, in a 2 colour deck, you can afford a few bad ETB tapped lands, nobody is doing all that much especially early.

[@kok6885]

Maelstrom Pulse is most useful in a deck like Grismold The Dreadsower

[@CrabBaskets]

Around 44:26 Dana mentioned to the effect that your pod may not care or notice if you run weird, obscure removal spells and that really stood out to me. I love trying to make a number of my decks as thematic as possible, and that extends to the removal spells that I choose. I have a Omnath, Locus of Mana deck and while Beast Within and Song of Dryads are generically good and I've been running for a while now, but I have gotten bored casting them - they don't spark any joy to me running them and doesn't evoke anything in particular in gameplay, that's been my experience with them. I am very excited to take those out and try [[Archdruid's Charm]] and [[Contest of Claws]] as these feel more on theme with the big mana, big chonky creatures theme.

[@ekuude]

Yeah that was silly. I love Toxic Stench for this exact reason. The name and art are hilarious.

[@Guukoh]

My pod sees quite a bit of Hagra Mauling, and for some reason it always end up being used towards the same player. It’s kind of hilarious. A few times, it’s become a land. Even a land that was bounced in the future to then Hagra Mauling something!

[@paperwatt]

Great video! For me, exile effects are super important, as well as getting as much versatility as possible. I've cut swords and path for get lost and unexplained absence just because theres so many enchantments im my meta. Hopefully it actually works out. Now I'm wishing unexplained absence turned the people into floating chalk outlines, that would be such a cool flavor upgrade.

[@moctzal]

Totally agree that Council’s Judgment should be explained to opponents when you cast it! Reigning PT champ - Seth Manfield - had no idea how CJ worked when he saw it for the first time. He ended up losing both a True-Name Nemesis and Umezwa’s Jitte to it! xD

[@mfsoab]

The problem with Decimate is, that the targets are not optional, but obligatory. It is nice, that it hits many things, but just feels bad when you could deal with a mayor threat, but one of the permament types is just not present on the board at the time... That bein said: Thanks for being once again a voice of reason and not fueling the FOMO for poeple who like brewing from collection first etc. and don't always have the "optimal" spells on hand. I hate that soooo many content creators tell people with a burning passion, that perfectly good cards are unplayable and so on.

[@QuicksilverSG]

The deluge of Treasure tokens is what makes Detention Sphere, Maelstrom Pulse and Pernicious Deed S-tier.

[@JusticeJudge]

Maelstrom/Detention Sphere doesn't work on things like treasure as in response to the certain treasure being targeted they can sac the treasure in response to the target then fizzle the Maelstrom/Detention so they are bad against to treasure tokens, however Pernicious Deed is a great and will get rid of all those treasures no matter what or can be used at instant speed for bigger things.

[@QuicksilverSG]

@@JusticeJudge - Yes, they can sack their Treasure tokens in response, but if you time it right, you can force them to sac ALL their tokens at a point when they can't make good use of the mana.

[@CKarasu13]

​@@QuicksilverSG Nah, if they sac the one you targeted, then it saves the rest. The card cannot resolve if its initial target is gone. Gatherer says as much. You have to target either a tapped treasure(Dauntless Dismantler can make this happen) or your own.

[@QuicksilverSG]

@@CKarasu13 - Thanks, great suggestion, targeting your own Treasure token to prevent it from being sacked

[@drew-id]

Love wild magic surge. I've changed a lord, into a overrun creature, into fogging the death-swing, into cracking back for the win.

[@folbrekr]

What about Zoyowa’s Justice as red removal in the new ixalan set? I know that my opponent would discover, but they may end up getting something with less mana value or something less impactful than what I removed.

[@jlaw131985]

Convoke is also really good in decks where you try to win with activated or triggered abilities of creatures that doesn’t generally need, or want, to attack

[@sparkyrocks1257]

As someone who has a typical 60 to 80 dollar budget for decks some of these are all stars for me specifically bc they are cheap money wise

[@insertnamehere9566]

i think a point youre missing on cutlivate in voja is that its a naya deck and 99% of elf dorks tap exclusively for green. just slotting in a single cultivate is a bottom budget option to grab your other 2 colors. it is one of the first cards cut if youre upping the decks power with better 2 mana ramp options but its not a wasted slot due to "elves tap for mana". its color fixing

[@rileypowell5354]

Brazen Borrower is criminally underrated if your commander has attacker payoffs like tymna, the weaver

[@scaredycat3146]

Recently I often include Generous Gift/Get Lost/Stroke of Midnight over Swords/Path. Flexibility is often just more important than efficiency in my games. Specifically in 3+ color decks. I'd like to note that Song of the Dryads/Imprison in the Moon have some additional value in enchantress decks or decks with Vesuva etc. Honorable mention to Zoyowa's Justice and Soul Shatter that weren't mentioned in this episode. They're neat especially in mono colored decks. Edit: aaaand Soul Shatter is mentioned in the last 5 minutes, that's what I get for commenting just an hour into the video!

[@Commander_Claw]

Glad I read this comment about Zoyowa's Justice. Its another chaos warp but I plan to use it on myself for my Megatron deck which is heavy with artifacts. I can save one of my artifact creatures when an opponent goes to remove it. Thank you!

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Cards like Darksteel Mutation abd Impprisoned in the Moon are amazing against Pantlaza or The First Sliver.

[@christianbergeron2519]

I play Price of Fame in my reanimator deck. destroying an opponent's commander on turn 2 AND ditching a massive demon in the yard to be reanimated the turn after is a huge tempo swing. Their gameplan is stopped by not having their commander and they now lose 2 turns to get to the mana to pay for the commander tax, in the meanwhile I have either Rune-Scarred Demon tutoring something nasty, or Sheoldred, whispering One preventing them to cast their commander unprotected.

[@richardjohnson8991]

Played a game one time where my friend played his Wandering Archaic and another player cloned it, Maelstrom Pulse targeting Wandering Archaic, chaos ensues

[@geoffbarnes2590]

I've been much higher on zowoya's justice than wild magic surge since it came out in caverns. It doesn't hit enchantments, but it's easier to cast and gets around indestructible, and the discover off the top seems less likely to hit something awful. It can also be used on your own stuff in all those cast from exile decks if you need to get a trigger.

[@VexylObby]

I actually tend to devalue removal spells that just fit anywhere. And value spells that synergize more, or produce a fun effect as a result. Will MAgic Surge will get more praise from me than just a spell that only gets rid of something.

[@LunarWingCloud]

I think Snuff Out is still fantastic in mono black, as at that point you really are going to need a 6th, 7th, or 8th creature removal spell and having just a single color leaves a lot of options off the table

[@IneptCardCollector]

700th like 🤙 Just finished, and this was amazing!!! Super helpful! Hopefully y'all did more of these!

[@Drift_Fx]

I'm surprised there's no mention of Soul shatter? But i guess its not targeted removal, but it generally hits what you want and the value is incredible! Edit lol I made this comment just before Joey's mention of Soul shatter at the end. Haha 😂

[@PaulissVegan]

this has become one of my absolute favorites... it's not even close. I also like Vona's Hunger so much.

[@9awner992]

Can we get this episode for card draw?? 👀👀👀 This was so helpful!

[@hanschristopherson8056]

The number of times being able to hit a land is important is higher than the number of times the 1/1 vs the 3/3 matters on generous gift vs stroke of midnight

[@TheKumaXKuma]

really liking mono-colored decks (fine-tuning a Varchild and a Watcher in the water deck at the moment). what do you think about Zoyowa's justice?

[@anaskaadan5845]

How many of these types of removals do you guys run in your decks on average? I always struggle with that. I'm not counting sweepers, counterspells...etc

[@domotoro3552]

i love volcanic offering a bunch, just one y’all didn’t bring up in the windgrace’s judgement section. has a lot of the same problems (its mana cost), however

[@MrBLAAHHHHHHHHHHH]

JOEY GOT THE CHALLENGE THE STATS SEGUE!!!

[@Spencer4686]

Regarding black, you cant discount 'long goodbye', yes it has a cmc restriction but their are so many great value creatures that are less then 3 cmc its almost not a restriction at all.. DRC, Esper Sentinel, Dockside, deathrite the list goes on and on

[@alexcurtis6180]

Wand of the Worldsoul is a monster in my God-Eternal Oketra deck. About a quarter of the creatures in the deck have vigilance, as do the tokens Oketra makes, and tapping a bunch of white weenies to cast a Moonshaker Calvary that makes my Dreadhorde army massive and fly over for the kill will always be funny

[@smoornybarnes9537]

You play Bedevil because of the awesome artwork!!!

[@ElmoTheRed]

I am so in another camp with removal. I prefer exile effects so much more than mana efficient. I also prefer flexible ones over creature only. I am curious on how unexplained absence turned out. I am big on this card but have limited play with it. Also thanks on the Song of the Dryads shout out as it can "remove" anything.

[@beurtalvarez]

price of fame and lethal scheme are great in my opinion, but maybe I value surveil more than I should (I love this mechanic so stinking much)

[@PSroka]

the new alela loves the convoke removal

[@breadgehog]

I think Void Rend gets better and better the more giant threats get printed with Ward. I wouldn't call it broken per se with a WUB casting cost but that can't be countered clause comes in clutch, especially because that part tends to take people by surprise with warded creatures.