Eradicate MTG Card

Eradicate delivers a significant card advantage by removing threats and related cards from the game. Its sorcery speed allows for strategic planning, timing removal for maximum impact. Mana cost and discard requirement could hinder gameplay, making it a tactical choice.

Urza's Destiny (UDS)
1999-06-07 - Number 60

Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
2005-02-04 - Number 65

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery

Text of card

Remove target nonblack creature from the game. Search its controller's graveyard, hand, and library for all copies of that card and remove them from the game. That player then shuffles his or her library.

Cards like Eradicate

Eradicate is a unique removal spell in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, standing proud among the myriad options available. When parallels are drawn with similar cards, one can’t help but consider Bane of the Living. Bane of the Living also allows for an impactful board clear but requires mana investment into its morph cost to maximize potential. Unlike Eradicate, however, it doesn’t exile but merely destroys creatures, leaving room for graveyard shenanigans from opponents.

Sever the Bloodline is another noteworthy comparison. It offers the elimination of creatures much like Eradicate but with the added flexibility of hitting multiple copies of a creature across the battlefield. While it doesn’t remove the threat from the game entirely like Eradicate does by searching the library for all copies, Sever the Bloodline does prevent recursion through its exile effect from the graveyard.

In contrasting these options, Eradicate’s ability to precisely target and remove a singular threat and effectively neuter any similar future threats provides a strategic edge. Within Magic: The Gathering’s arsenal of removal cards, Eradicate exemplifies its niche role through its thorough purge mechanic.

Cards similar to Eradicate by color, type and mana cost

Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The power of Eradicate lies in its ability to not only deal with a single threat on the battlefield but also to strip away all cards with the same name from your opponent’s hand, library, and graveyard. This thorough approach ensures you dismantle any strategies reliant on specific cards and secures a significant advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Eradicate itself does not directly provide resource acceleration, its comprehensive removal effect can indirectly accelerate your game plan by disrupting your opponent’s resources, effectively setting them back and allowing you to capitalize on their weakened board presence.

Instant Speed: Eradicate’s efficiency is further enhanced since it operates at sorcery speed, allowing you to plan your removal strategically during your own turn. This ensures that your eradication of a threat is perfectly timed, granting you control over the tempo of the game and making it a reliable removal spell in various scenarios.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One limitation of the Eradicate card is that it demands discarding another card to unleash its effect. This requirement can often backfire, particularly in situations where your hand is already dwindling, and sacrificing any card could be a substantial setback.

Specific Mana Cost: Eradicate’s mana cost is specifically black. This could pose a challenge in multicolored decks that might struggle with mana consistency. Decks not heavily invested in black mana may find it tricky to cast Eradicate when it is most needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Eradicate has a potent effect, its four-black mana cost is relatively steep compared to similar removal options available in the game. This cost may result in a slower gameplay pace, hindering your ability to deal with threats efficiently in the early to mid-game phase.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Eradicate offers a broad utility in disrupting opponents’ plans. Its ability to exile a creature and then search for copies ensures that decks relying on specific creatures can be significantly weakened.

Combo Potential: When paired with ways to view opponents’ hands or decks, Eradicate can be a strategic part of a combination that dismantles key components of your opponent’s strategy before they’re even played.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creatures with indistinguishable copies or decks built around particular creature combos prevail, Eradicate can serve as an effective countermeasure, maintaining its relevance in various competitive scenarios.

How to beat

Eradicate is a potent removal card that can drastically alter the state of a Magic: The Gathering match by not only destroying a targeted nonblack creature but also exiling all other copies of it from the opponent’s hand, library, and graveyard. Its ability to comprehensively eliminate threats from the game can make it seem like an insurmountable obstacle. To counter this, savvy players must adopt a mixed strategy – diversifying creature color as a first line of defense. Adding creature protection, like hexproof or indestructible abilities, can effectively neutralize Eradicate’s impact.

Another effective method is to employ instant-speed spells that can save or regenerate your creatures in response to Eradicate. This adds an element of surprise and preserves your board presence. Moreover, by including versatile counterspells in your deck, you can directly target and cancel Eradicate, maintaining the integrity of your strategic setup. Finally, a proactive approach using discard effects can strip this spell from an opponent’s hand before it can be cast, thus ensuring your creatures’ safety and your command of the game.

Understanding your opponent’s potential plays and being prepared with various countermeasures can significantly undermine the effectiveness of Eradicate, allowing you to maintain a strong standing throughout the duel.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eradicate MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and Betrayers of Kamigawa, 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 Eradicate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Eradicate Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2005-02-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1999-06-07	Urza's Destiny	UDS		60	1997	Normal	Black	Kev Walker
2	2005-02-04	Betrayers of Kamigawa	BOK		65	2003	Normal	Black	Glen Angus

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eradicate has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Eradicate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Does not exile other cards of the same name that are on the battlefield. Just from the graveyard, hand, and library.
2004-10-04	If a copy card is targeted by this effect, you get to look for another copy of the card it is copying. This is because a copy card actually takes on the name and initial characteristics of what it copies.
2004-10-04	Use the name of the card as it leaves the battlefield.
2005-02-01	If you manage to turn a land (such as a Forest or Stalking Stones) into a creature, you can indeed use this effect on that basic land type. Eradicate’s exile effect only looks for cards by name, not type.
2005-02-01	The copies must be found if they are in publicly viewable zones. Finding copies while searching private zones is optional.
2012-05-01	A face-down creature has no name, so no card can possibly share a name with it (not even other cards with no name). If you Eradicate a face-down creature you will still search its controller’s library, but you won’t be able to exile any cards from that library.