Green is loved (and hated) by many for its abundant ramp. Green is not very good at removing creatures in general, but there are some noteworthy exceptions. When it comes to removing artifacts and enchantments, Green is very good. Below you will find our top 10 best spot removal options for Green in EDH.
This article lists out the best spot removal cards, check this article if you are looking for the best board wipes in EDH.
Table of Contents
1. Beast Within
Beast Within tops our list, as its versatility is unmatched. An instant for an agreeable mana cost of 3 to destroy any permanent, including lands. What more can you ask for? If you run Green then usually Beast Within is an auto include (unless there are significant flavor -or mechanical reasons not to run it, for instance).
2. Force of Vigor
Its floor is already fine. Paying four mana for an instant that destroys up to two artifacts and / or enchantments is agreeable. However, what sends this card over the top is the ability to pitch a green card instead of paying its mana cost. Cheating mana costs is insanely powerful in EDH as we all know. Force of Vigor is always sweet to have in your hand and comes through when needed!
3. Nature’s Claim
Efficiency is king in EDH. Paying just one mana for an instant that destroys an artifact or enchantment offers great versatility for such an efficient cost. The drawback of granting 4 life to an opponent is usually negligible. Unlike Force of Vigor, Nature’s Claim does not destroy your wallet either, which is an additional upside. When in Green run this card, you will never look back.
4. Song of the Dryads
Song of the Dryads is an aura, and therefore is bound to sorcery speed. However, it targets any permanent and turns it into a Forest. The implications of this spell should not be underestimated. If your commander is turned into a land, you cannot sacrifice it to return to the Command Zone usually. Song of the Dryads gets rid of any permanent and it is very hard to negate its effect, unless you spend resources to remove this enchantment. We consider this card better than Imprisoned in the Moon as it hits more targets.
5. Barrier Breach
Ever sat across a Purphoros, God Of The Forge on the board with no ways of dealing with him? That Athreos, God Of Passage really annoying the table? Yeah, we have all been there. Your Nature’s Claim in your hand does nothing except causing rising salt levels. Barrier Breach does not care for any of this and sweeps those enchantments clean off the board for you, exiling up to three enchantments for 3 mana AND offers card draw via Cycling when needed. Granted, it is somewhat of a meta call, but we feel this card deserves more praise!
6. Kenrith’s Transformation
Although not as powerful as Song of the Dryads, Kenrith’s Transformation is still an efficient piece of green removal for EDH. Turning an opponent’s commander into an Elk is quite annoying if they do not have any ways of sending it back to the Command Zone. Also, this spell grants card draw on cast and therefore replaces itself.
7. Return to Nature
This instant is a strictly better version of Naturalize, which by itself is far from bad. The additional ability to exile a card from a graveyard at instant speed can really mess up reanimator game plans. A great budget addition to any Green deck.
8. Ram Through
For decks that run large creatures, this instant is great. Getting rid of other creatures is nice but of course there are many fight effects in Green already (see 10). However, Ram Through provides additional upside when the creature has trample, making the excess damage a real threat.
9. Krosan Grip
We feel that Krosan Grip has suffered a lot from power creep – paying 3 mana for an effect that Nature’s Claim does for 1 mana is not really what you want. However, in some cases the split second does provide enough upside to earn a spot on this list. When you need to stop combo’s in your meta, Krosan Grip is still a worthy include.
10. Tail Swipe / Prey Upon
Green deals with other creatures by way of its Fight mechanic. These options offer this for just one green mana. If your deck runs large creatures these options can definitely wreak some havoc on your opponents.
Conclusion
As you will see, Green is quite efficient at spot removal these days. Although creature removal is still somewhat more restricted (as it should be, Green already does so much) there are still sufficient options. Enchantments and artifacts are not problem if you are in Green. Thanks for taking a look at our take on today’s best green removal spells in EDH. Shoot us a message if you think we missed a spot removal option that should be on our list!
