Remove Soul MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 15 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Denying opponents’ creatures, Remove Soul upholds card quality, providing decisive control over the board.
  2. With its low mana cost and instant speed, this counter is a cost-effective tool for strategic gameplay.
  3. Suitable for any deck seeking to disrupt, it is valuable for controlling MTG metas dominated by creatures.

Text of card

Counter target summon spell.

Nethya stiffened suddenly, head cocked as if straining to hear some distant sound, then fell lifeless to the ground.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Remove Soul doesn’t provide card drawing capabilities, it ensures your hand maintains superiority by denying opponents their crucial creature spells, effectively preserving your card quality on the board.

Resource Acceleration: While Remove Soul doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it efficiently utilizes mana to disrupt opponent strategies. By requiring only two mana—one blue and one of any kind—it’s a cost-effective method to pace the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: Remove Soul’s greatest asset is its instant speed, allowing you to respond swiftly to an opponent’s threats. This reactive capability ensures that you maintain tempo and have the element of surprise, often leading to advantageous board states and maintaining control over the game’s flow.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though not applicable to Remove Soul as the card does not require a discard, players should be acutely aware of potential disadvantages when playing cards that do necessitate discarding, potentially impacting their hand and resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Remove Soul necessitates blue mana, making it less versatile since it can only be optimally utilized in blue or blue-inclusive decks. This characteristic can limit deck-building options and strategic diversity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Remove Soul isn’t considered overly expensive, it does require two mana for a single spell negation. Players may find that other cards offer similar effects for a lower mana investment, allowing for a more efficient mana-to-effect ratio in their gameplay.


Reasons to Include Remove Soul in Your Collection

Versatility: Remove Soul offers a straightforward yet effective function: it counters a creature spell. This utility makes it a compelling choice for any deck that aims to control the board and disrupt opponent strategies, fitting seamlessly into blue-focused control setups.

Combo Potential: By negating key creature spells, Remove Soul can work in tandem with other counters and removal to create a layered defense. This can protect critical combos in your own deck while stopping opponents from executing theirs.

Meta-Relevance: Creature-based decks remain a constant in many MTG metas, making Remove Soul a relevant tool for controlling the battlefield. Its presence can act as a deterrent, forcing opponents to play around the possibility of their creatures being countered.


How to beat

Remove Soul stands as a classic reactive tool in the arsenal of blue Magic: The Gathering decks. This card specifically counters creature spells, which can pose a significant obstacle for players aiming to establish a formidable board presence. A successful casting of Remove Soul can blunt the momentum of creature-heavy strategies, making it a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

To outmaneuver Remove Soul, the key lies in diversifying your strategy beyond a reliance on creatures. Utilize spells that are not creatures, such as enchantments, sorceries, instants, and planeswalkers, to circumvent this card’s reach. Alternatively, baiting out Remove Soul with less critical creatures before casting your high-value targets can mitigate the impact. Additionally, consider running counterspells of your own or abilities that grant your creatures uncounterable status, to ensure their successful summoning onto the battlefield. By integrating these tactics, you’ll be better positioned to navigate past the defensive bulwark that Remove Soul presents in your MTG matches.


Cards like Remove Soul

Remove Soul holds a classic position as a staple counterspell within Magic: The Gathering. When evaluating its effects against other cards within the counterspell category, we can observe interesting comparisons. For instance, Essence Scatter is another functional contender, also costing two mana to counter a creature spell. The critical difference lies in the naming; Remove Soul embodies an earlier era of MTG, while Essence Scatter is its modern equivalent.

There are other analogues, such as Negate, which also counters for two mana but focuses on non-creature spells, offering a tailored answer to a different side of the game’s threats. Mana Leak offers a broader stroke by countering any spell unless its caster pays three additional mana, but it loses efficacy as the game progresses and players accumulate more resources.

Looking closely, each card casts a distinct shadow with nuanced differences in application, making Remove Soul a reliable choice for players who prefer a straightforward approach to countering creatures, essential in maintaining a balanced and strategic gameplay dynamic.

Essence Scatter - MTG Card versions
Negate - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Essence Scatter - Magic 2010 (M10)
Negate - Morningtide (MOR)
Mana Leak - Stronghold (STH)

Cards similar to Remove Soul by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Vision Skeins - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)
Vision Skeins - Commander 2013 (C13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Remove Soul MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Chronicles, 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 Remove Soul and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Remove Soul Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2009-09-07. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 721993normalblackBrian Snõddy
21995-07-01ChroniclesCHR 251993normalwhiteBrian Snõddy
31997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 1171997normalwhiteMike Dringenberg
41999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 941997normalwhiteMike Dringenberg
51999-07-01Starter 1999S99 491997normalwhiteMike Dringenberg
62001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 951997normalwhiteAdam Rex
72001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 95★1997normalblackAdam Rex
82002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351302003normalblackMike Dringenberg
92003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 952003normalwhiteAdam Rex
102003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 95★2003normalblackAdam Rex
112005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 93★2003normalblackAdam Rex
122005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 932003normalwhiteAdam Rex
132007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1002003normalblackAdam Rex
142009-01-01Magic Player Rewards 2009P09 52003normalblackMike Dringenberg
152009-09-07Masters Edition IIIME3 471997normalblackBrian Snõddy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Remove Soul has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-04-01 A “creature spell” is any spell with the type Creature, even if it has other types such as Artifact or Enchantment. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature spells.

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