Card Guides
Best Removal in Commander
Swords to Plowshares first, then the flexible answers that hit more than just creatures. The staples worth knowing across every color.
What makes a removal spell good
- Cost versus what it answers. One mana for a creature is a better rate than four mana for the same job.
- Flexibility: does it only hit creatures, or can it answer an enchantment, an artifact, or a planeswalker too.
- Exile versus destroy. This format is full of graveyard recursion, so exile effects are worth more than they look on paper.
Exile effects, the safest kind of removal
An exiled card can't be reanimated, recurred, or brought back, which matters a great deal in a format built around the graveyard.
Flexible answers that hit anything
Not restricted to creatures, which is what makes them worth a slot in nearly any deck that can cast them.
Beast Within ↗
Three mana, destroys any permanent, not just a creature. The downside (a 3/3 for your opponent) is rarely worse than the problem it solves.
Chaos Warp ↗
Answers anything, including your own permanents in a pinch, at instant speed for red. The randomness on the redraw is the tradeoff for hitting things nothing else in red can.
Removal that costs nothing to include
A land that's also an answer when you need one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most efficient removal spell in Commander?
Swords to Plowshares: one mana, exiles any creature, no restrictions beyond that. It's the standard the rest of the category gets measured against.
Is exile removal better than destroy removal?
Usually, because the format is full of graveyard recursion, reanimation, and death triggers that a simple 'destroy' effect plays right into. Exile effects like Swords to Plowshares and Anguished Unmaking sidestep all of that.
Should removal answer more than just creatures?
Ideally, yes. A removal suite that only answers creatures does nothing against a problematic enchantment, artifact, or planeswalker, which show up constantly in Commander. Beast Within and Chaos Warp answer anything, which is why they're staples across colors that don't normally overlap.
How much removal should a Commander deck run?
8 to 10 pieces covers most decks. See how much removal to run for the full breakdown, including when a control-leaning deck wants more.
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