Merciless Eviction MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. The card’s flexibility to target creatures, artifacts, enchantments, or planeswalkers tailors to various threats.
  2. While it’s a six mana spell, the comprehensive exile effect provides a strong board reset option.
  3. Its presence in a collection enhances deck adaptability and meta-game relevance against diverse strategies.

Text of card

Choose one — Exile all artifacts; or exile all creatures; or exile all enchantments; or exile all planeswalkers.

"I once saw the Obzedat moved to action. Since that day, I've been thankful that they're mainly lazy, and dead." —Aurelia, to Gideon Jura


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Merciless Eviction provides significant advantage by offering the flexibility to exile all creatures, planeswalkers, or other types of permanents based on the situation. This versatility ensures you can address a wide array of threats, maintaining board control.

Resource Acceleration: While Merciless Eviction itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, the comprehensive removal of your opponent’s assets effectively sets them back, slowing their resource acceleration and indirectly benefiting your position in the game’s economy.

Instant Speed: Merciless Eviction is cast at sorcery speed, but when used strategically, its impact is similar to that of an instant-speed board wipe due to its unparalleled ability to reset the board. This makes for a dramatic shift in the game’s momentum, often catching opponents unprepared and securing a tempo advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While playing Merciless Eviction, there’s no direct discard requirement, but it’s important for players to consider the opportunity cost. Casting this spell often means foregoing other potential plays, making the decision to use this sweep a strategic pivot point, especially when trying to keep up the pressure or maintain defenses.

Specific Mana Cost: Merciless Eviction’s mana cost is specifically tuned for Orzhov decks, requiring both white and black mana. This cost can present a deck-building challenge because it necessitates a commitment to dual colors, potentially limiting its inclusion in decks that cannot reliably produce both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing six mana with two of those being colored requirements, Merciless Eviction sits at a higher casting cost when compared to other board wipes in the game. In fast-paced matches, it might arrive too late or consume an entire turn’s resources, potentially giving opponents an opening or time to recover and counter-attack.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Merciless Eviction stands as an adaptable solution that commands a spot in any deck looking to manage threats across various types. Its ability to exile all artifacts, creatures, enchantments, or planeswalkers makes it a robust and flexible answer to a multitude of in-game situations.

Combo Potential: The strength of this card goes beyond single-turn utility. It synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on opponents losing their crucial permanents. Whether it’s reactivating graveyard abilities or triggering death-related effects on your own permanents, its combo potential is vast.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that evolves continuously, staying relevant is key. Merciless Eviction’s capacity to cleanly handle a range of permanent types keeps it perpetually useful, especially in a meta that is dense with creature-based strategies or planeswalker-heavy decks.


How to beat

Merciless Eviction is a powerful board wipe in Magic: The Gathering, known for its flexibility to exile all creatures, artifacts, enchantments, or planeswalkers depending on the choice made upon casting. To overcome the potential setback this card represents, a good strategy employs baiting, diversification of permanents, and timing your plays wisely.

Maintaining a diverse range of card types on the battlefield can dilute the impact of Merciless Eviction since your opponent can only target one card type at a time. Additionally, smart resource management becomes critical. Holding back on playing out your hand and only committing to the board what is necessary can force an opposing player to use Merciless Eviction sub-optimally. Lastly, instant-speed effects and flash creatures can quickly repopulate your board, minimizing the downtime caused by a well-timed eviction.

Understanding when to extend your resources and when to hold back is key. Being able to repopulate the board efficiently after Merciless Eviction has resolved will often put you right back in the game. After all, MTG games are frequently won by the player who best manages their cards before and after big plays.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering that game-preserving finesse in MTG is all about the right card choices. Merciless Eviction epitomizes strategic flexibility and board control, clearing the way for your victory march. Yet its high mana cost and color specifics mean it’s not a one-size-fits-all. In the ever-shifting landscape of MTG, where adaptation leads to domination, continuously learning and optimizing your deck is vital. Elevate your gaming experience and ensure your collection remains cutting-edge with our in-depth insights on dynamic card play. Join the community, enhance your strategies, and secure your triumphs with BurnMana as your guide to MTG excellence.


Cards like Merciless Eviction

Merciless Eviction stands out as a pivotal sweeper in Magic: The Gathering, inviting comparisons with other board-clearing heavyweights. Its versatility is its forte, allowing players to exile all artifacts, creatures, enchantments, or planeswalkers depending on the situation at hand. This multifaceted capability makes it somewhat analogous to Austere Command, a card that also provides options to control the board, albeit at a less flexible mana cost.

We also observe the similarities with Wrath of God or Damnation, the classic destroy-all-creatures cards. While these powerhouses command four mana and impact the battlefield instantly, they do not handle other permanent types and merely destroy without exiling, potentially leaving some room for graveyard strategies to retaliate. In contrast, Merciless Eviction’s exile effect ensures a thorough cleanse of the board from whatever permanent type threatens your game plan.

Comparatively, the six mana cost of Merciless Eviction situates it on the higher end of the spectrum, but the comprehensive resolution it delivers, devoid of any escape for the opponent’s key resources, validates its place in the arsenal of control players within Magic: The Gathering. The added benefit of exile makes it a feared card in any format where it’s legal.

Austere Command - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Damnation - MTG Card versions
Austere Command - Lorwyn (LRW)
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Damnation - Planar Chaos (PLC)

Cards similar to Merciless Eviction by color, type and mana cost

Naughty // Nice - MTG Card versions
Pyrrhic Revival - MTG Card versions
Identity Crisis - MTG Card versions
Start // Finish - MTG Card versions
Grind // Dust - MTG Card versions
Consecrate // Consume - MTG Card versions
Rise of Extus - MTG Card versions
Covetous Elegy - MTG Card versions
Naughty // Nice - Happy Holidays (HHO)
Pyrrhic Revival - Eventide (EVE)
Identity Crisis - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Start // Finish - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
Grind // Dust - The List (PLST)
Consecrate // Consume - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)
Rise of Extus - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)
Covetous Elegy - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Merciless Eviction MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash and Commander 2016, 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 Merciless Eviction and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Merciless Eviction Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2013-02-01 and 2023-02-03. Illustrated by Richard Wright.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12013-02-01GatecrashGTC 1772003normalblackRichard Wright
22016-11-11Commander 2016C16 2112015normalblackRichard Wright
32017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1792015normalblackRichard Wright
42018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 1602015normalblackRichard Wright
52020-08-07Double Masters2XM 2112015normalblackRichard Wright
62022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 1602015normalblackRichard Wright
72023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 1202015normalblackRichard Wright

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Merciless Eviction has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-01-24 You choose the mode as you cast the spell.

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