Ever got ultra-wrecked by a board wipe? Tired of sitting on the sidelines waiting for everyone else to do their thing while your board was deleted? Say no more – we got you. Here are our 10 best options for board wipe protection that you should consider running in EDH.
Table of Contents
Boros Charm
Boros Charm needs no further introduction. Granting indestructible to all your permanents (including lands) at instant speed is no joke. Reprinted multiple times, you can pick these up on the cheap!
Dauntless Escort / Selfless Spirit
Granting your creatures indestructible on a body at instant speed is very strong. Having these on the field will make opponents think twice before casting board wipes. There are many decks that prefer creatures over instants and love these two.
Chance for Glory
You don’t play Boros to be conservative, do you? Granting your creatures indestructible AND an extra turn can be a huge blow out. Of course you need to be in a position to make the next turn and combat count, but surely this will be your main plan anyway in these colors.
Second Sunrise
This effect negates most board wipes, but keep in mind this is a symmetrical effect. However, if you are running an ETB matters deck then chances are you will be gaining a lot of advantage over your opponents with Second Sunrise cast in response to a board wipe.
Heroic Intervention
The classic. Protects all permanents (including lands, mind you) by granting both indestructible and hexproof. Gives board wipe protection as well as protection from targeted spells for only 2 mana in green. A true staple board wipe protection spell for any EDH deck that’s in green.
Ghostway / Eerie Interlude
Although these options only save creatures we do feel these are getting better. Wizards is not shy printing mass Exile effects (looking at you, Farewell), and cards like Ghostway / Eerie Interlude will save your precious creatures while the mana cost is reasonably low. If you happen to run creatures with ETB effects, these cards get significantly better.
Guardian of Faith
In the same vein as Ghostway / Eerie Interlude – the Guardian protects your creatures from mass Exile effect as well any other type of board wipes. We have ranked this guy a bit higher however, as you can bounce / reanimate this creature back to your hand to enable this effect again. Great value.
Spell Queller
A creature that hates on spells mana cost 4 or less. Mind the way this Spirit is worded. Spells in general, meaning that it does not care what’s on the stack, it can also exile creatures. Although this creature does not stop the more costly board wipes, a lot of them are mana value 4 and under. Do note that if Spell Queller leaves the battlefield then the exiled card can be cast without paying its mana costs by its owner. Still, this card provides great versatility – both on the defense and offence -, which is why we rank it quite high.
Gaddock Teeg
Don’t be fooled by his size. Gaddock Teeg is a brutal hatebear and will prevent almost all boardwipes. Only non creature spells of 3 mana value or less will get under him. Currently, only Toxic Deluge does this. Also, this guy hates on X spells like a madman. Really efficient hate piece for a low mana value of 2
Faith’s Reward
Holding up 4 mana for an effect like this is a tall order. However, note that Faith’s Reward protects all your permanents (including lands) and returns all of them from the graveyard to the battlefield. If you cast this in response to an Akroma’s Vengeance, you will be ahead by MILES, (especially when you receive nice ETB triggers again). We don’t see this card a lot but everytime we do, we note its power.
Teferi’s Protection
Is there anything we can say about Teferis protection that has not been said already? Teferis Protection is the golden standard of dodging nasty board wipes, destroy- or exile effects – it does not matter. Teferi’s protection also grants complete immunity from damage / loss of life until your next turn, making it such an important tool in surviving late game turns in EDH. (A cheeky tip from us – you can still mill the opponent who cast it to death on their next turn…J)
Conclusion
These are just a selection of noteworthy cards you can run to avoid being blown out by board wipes. This is not an exhaustive EDH board wipe protection list by any means but it covers most of the options we see in our playgroup.
Of course most counterspells will stop a board wipe just as easily – don’t forget. However, almost all of the cards on this list provide a one sided advantage for you when a board wipe does resolve, which could swing the game in your favor!
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