Card Spotlight
Swords to Plowshares
One white mana, instant: exile target creature, and its controller gains life equal to its power. It was printed in Alpha in 1993 and is still the removal spell every other one is compared to.
Commander Spotlight
Swords to Plowshares ↗
One white mana, instant: exile target creature, and its controller gains life equal to its power. It was printed in Alpha in 1993 and is still the removal spell every other one is compared to.
See Swords to Plowshares's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Any white deck. One mana for clean, instant-speed creature removal fits every white archetype, from Angels to stax.
- Removal recursion. Isochron Scepter can imprint it and cast a copy every turn, and Snapcaster Mage can flash it back for {W}.
- Answering commanders. Exile is better than destroy against an indestructible or recursive creature, though a commander can still go to the command zone instead of exile.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
It's an instant, never a commander. It goes in the 99 of a white deck.
In the 99
Close to an automatic include in any white deck. It costs one mana, can be held up during any turn, and answers the creature that matters most at the table.
Formats it's strong in
- Every white deck. There is no white archetype that doesn't want a one-mana answer to a creature.
- Fast, high-power pods. One mana at instant speed means you can answer a key creature and still use the rest of your turn.
Formats it's weak in
- Tables that win without creatures. It only hits creatures, so it does nothing against an enchantment, artifact or spell-based win.
- Against commanders on their way back. A commander exiled by Swords usually goes to the command zone, so your opponent gets it back for {2} more.
Synergistic cards
Path to Exile ↗
The same one-mana exile effect with a basic land instead of life as the drawback, run next to Swords in most white decks.
Isochron Scepter ↗
Imprint Swords and pay {2} each turn to exile a creature without casting a card from your hand.
Snapcaster Mage ↗
In a deck with blue, gives Swords flashback for {W}, so one copy answers two creatures.
Generous Gift ↗
Covers what Swords can't by destroying any permanent, at the cost of giving its controller a 3/3.
Is it worth the price?
Swords to Plowshares is inexpensive. It has dozens of printings, including the Reality Fracture Commander decks, and only premium foil and older printings cost much more. Buy whichever copy is cheapest; they all play the same.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Swords to Plowshares so highly rated in Commander?
It costs {W}, works at instant speed, and exiles any creature with no restriction on size, color or type. Exile also beats the recursion and death triggers that make destroy effects weaker in Commander. Few removal spells match it on all three counts at that cost.
Does the life gain from Swords to Plowshares matter?
Usually not. In a 40-life format, giving an opponent a few life rarely changes a game, though it does help a player who is close to losing to someone else. You can also exile your own creature to gain the life yourself, or to save it from a steal effect.
Is Swords to Plowshares a Game Changer?
No. It's legal in Commander and isn't on the Game Changers list, so it's allowed in every bracket, including Bracket 1. That makes it one of the strongest cards a low-bracket white deck can run without counting against any limit.