Clear a Path MTG Card

Strategically removes defenders, allowing aggressive creatures to secure card advantages through unobstructed attacks. Niche card at sorcery speed requires foresight, rewarding players who plan their turns for maximum impact. Despite resource costs, it’s a potent tactical option against defender-dependent strategies in your MTG arsenal.

Dragon's Maze (DGM)
2013-05-03 - Number 32

Magic 2015 (M15)
2014-07-18 - Number 136

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery

Text of card

Destroy target creature with defender.

"Why do guards always look surprised when we bash them?" asked Ruric. "I think they expect a bribe," said Thar.

Cards like Clear a Path

Clear a Path stands out among red destruction spells with its specific role in the battlefield dynamics. In comparison, Smelt and Shatter are two similar cards that players might consider as alternatives. While Smelt provides an efficient, low-cost method to destroy artifacts, it cannot address creatures; this is where Clear a Path comes in, focusing on clearing out creatures with defender. Shatter, alternatively, also targets artifacts and comes with the advantage of being able to target any artifact, not just those equipped to creatures.

Another card worth comparing is Seismic Strike, which deals damage to a creature based on the number of mountains you control. While Seismic Strike has potential for greater damage, Clear a Path offers certainty by definitively destroying creatures with defender regardless of your land count. Additionally, there’s Reckless Spite, an instant that can destroy up to two nonblack creatures at the cost of 5 life. While powerful, Clear a Path asks for no such sacrifice, offering a more specific yet life-preserving option.

In sum, Clear a Path may not be the versatile tool some red spells offer, but its niche destruction against defender-typed creatures can be exactly what a strategic player needs to shift the board in their favor without undue resource or life cost.

Cards similar to Clear a Path by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Clear a Path offers a niche strategic advantage by removing defenders, potentially clearing the way for your aggressive creatures to hit the opponent unblocked. This can pave the way to card advantage by allowing your creatures with card draw abilities to connect with the opponent successfully.

Resource Acceleration: While Clear a Path itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low casting cost is a minor advantage. It allows you to keep up the pace of your gameplay and continue developing your board without investing much mana, which can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by leaving more mana available for other spells.

Instant Speed: Clear a Path operates at sorcery speed, requiring strategic planning to make the most of its effect. While it lacks the versatility of an instant, this encourages players to think ahead when shaping their turns, potentially creating more impactful plays with this precise removal tool.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Clear a Path requires sacrificing a land to destroy an opponent’s land, which can put you at a significant resource disadvantage if not timed correctly.

Specific Mana Cost: The card requires both red and green mana, potentially limiting its inclusion to decks that can reliably generate both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana, including both red and green, Clear a Path could be considered steep for its land disruption effect, especially when benchmarked against other land destruction options.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Clear a Path provides deck builders with a reliable removal card for creatures with defender, syncing well with strategies that aim to deal with stalling tactics and combat turtle-like defenses.

Combo Potential: This card can be an essential piece in decks that aim to dismantle opponent’s defensive setups, effectively clearing the way for high-powered attackers or setting up for a game-winning combo where unblocked attackers are crucial.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where defender-based decks are prevalent, or where walls are commonly used to protect high-value planeswalkers, including Clear a Path in your collection ensures that you have an accessible answer to such strategies, maintaining the pace and aggression of your own gameplay.

How to beat

Clear a Path is a straightforward yet niche destruction spell that boasts the ability to take down creatures with defender in Magic: The Gathering. Players encountering this card can circumvent its effect by incorporating creatures without the defender ability in their deck strategies. Unlike broader removal spells, Clear a Path is highly specific, which means unless your deck heavily relies on defenders, its impact could be minimal or non-existent.

Another strategy to overcome Clear a Path is by utilizing instant-speed spells that can grant a targeted creature temporary hexproof or protection from red, which is Clear a Path’s color identity. This would render the removal spell ineffective. Additionally, since Clear a Path is a sorcery, it does not factor in during an opponent’s turn, allowing for more strategic planning and responses during one’s own turn. Always be mindful of the spells your opponents play and stay ready to adapt. This adaptability makes it easier to dilute the effects of situational removal cards like Clear a Path.

The key to successfully navigating cards like Clear a Path lies in diversity within creature selections and having a range of responses. By doing so, players can ensure that a single removal spell won’t easily disrupt their board presence and gameplay strategy.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Clear a Path MTG card by a specific set like Dragon's Maze and Magic 2015, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Clear a Path and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Clear a Path Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-05-03 and 2014-07-18. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2013-05-03	Dragon's Maze	DGM		32	2003	Normal	Black	Karl Kopinski
2	2014-07-18	Magic 2015	M15		136	2015	Normal	Black	Karl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Clear a Path has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal