Board Wipes

Board wipes destroy everything (or nearly everything) of a certain type. When one opponent has 15 creatures and another has an army of tokens, spot removal can't keep up. A single board wipe resets the table.

Run 3-4. Minimum 2. If you're playing a control strategy, you want 5-7.

Creature wipes

The most common type. These clear creature boards.

• Wrath of God — 4 mana, destroys all creatures. The original.
• Damnation — 4 mana, same thing in black.
• Blasphemous Act — technically costs {8}{R} but almost always costs {R} because it gets cheaper per creature on the battlefield. Deals 13 damage to all creatures. Red staple.
• Toxic Deluge — 3 mana, each creature gets -X/-X where X is the life you pay. Gets around indestructible. The best creature wipe if you can afford the life.
• Cyclonic Rift — 7 mana overloaded, bounces all nonland permanents opponents control. Not technically destruction, but it resets everyone else's board while yours stays. This card is a Game Changer for a reason.

Multi-type wipes

These hit more than just creatures.

• Farewell — 6 mana, choose any combination of creatures, artifacts, enchantments, and graveyards. Exiles instead of destroying. Extremely powerful and flexible. Added to the Game Changers list in Feb 2026.
• Austere Command — 6 mana, choose two: destroy creatures CMC 3 or less, creatures CMC 4+, artifacts, or enchantments. Modular.
• Vandalblast (overloaded) — 5 mana, destroys all artifacts opponents control. One-sided.
• Bane of Progress — 6 mana creature, destroys all artifacts and enchantments on ETB. Gets bigger for each one destroyed. Green staple.

Choosing wipes that don't hurt you

Pick board wipes that spare your own strategy:

• Token deck? Avoid creature wipes. Run artifact/enchantment wipes instead.
• Enchantress? Use creature-only wipes (Blasphemous Act, Toxic Deluge).
• Artifact deck? Avoid Vandalblast. Use Blasphemous Act, creature-focused wipes.
• Aristocrats? Board wipes are fine because your Blood Artist triggers on everything dying. You might profit.

One-sided wipes (Cyclonic Rift, Vandalblast, Plague Wind) are premium because they break the symmetry. You reset opponents while keeping your board.

When to cast them

Board wipes are reactive. You cast them when you're behind on board, not when you're ahead. Wiping the board when you have the strongest position is usually wrong.

The exception is when you can immediately rebuild faster than opponents. If you wipe, then drop a haste threat, you're ahead. If you wipe and pass with an empty board and nothing in hand, you just gave everyone a fresh start with no advantage.