Magic: The Gathering’s set is taking players inside the mob mentality of the plane New Capenna, and nothing speaks to that lifestyle like taking out your enemy.
With five crime families associated with Streets of New Capenna, there is a new cycle of five rare removal spells to match the crime families’ three-color combinations.
Each of the removal spells requires that players have mana for all three colors associated with the crime family, and being rare, you’ll have a difficult time getting them consistently in limited formats.
Here are all five removal spells associated with the crime families in Streets of New Capenna:
Endless Detour
The Brokers’ rare removal spell is only three mana, but requires Green, White, and Blue. In typical control-style fashion, this removal spell takes a tempo approach to removing spells by putting it on the top of a player’s library instead of destroying it.
Though it’s a removal at heart, it also has the flexibility of being able to take a card in a graveyard and put it on top of a player’s library as well. This gives the card added utility because you can use it on your own permanents that may have been destroyed and get them back in your hand with your next draw.
Void Rend
The Obscura removal spell requires just one White, Black, and Blue mana, but it’s especially powerful. Not only can it not be countered, but it can take out any nonland permanent. It will likely find its way into any Esper control decks of all formats.
While it doesn’t have the two-for-one ability that a card like Maelstrom Pulse does, being able to play it at instant speed will make Void Rend useful for any deck that plays the Obscura color combo.
Hostile Takeover
This rare sorcery is associated with the Maestros and cost you five mana to cast in total. It has the potential to be used as a board wipe, dealing three damage to all creatures, but if you happen to have a creature of your own that you’d like to save from the damage, you get the option to make a creature a 4/4.
If used before combat, this Grixis spell could also pump one of your creatures power up a notch while clearing out potential enemy blockers.
Unleash the Inferno
The Riveteers removal is an instant spell that deals damage to a creature or planeswalker. Costing a total of four mana, you will need to have access to Black, Red, and Green to cast it. In many formats, this spell, while powerful, will cost just a little bit too much to be used regularly.
In many situations, the seven damage it deals will be excess, giving players the ability to destroy an enchantment or artifact of their opponent as well. In these specific situations, Unleash the Inferno will be a powerful two-for-one for four mana.
Incandescent Aria
The Cabaretti removal is similar to Hostile Takeover, but instead it costs less mana and requires Red, Green, and White. The Naya color-combo spell is a slight spin on Anger of the Gods, which is regularly played in constructed formats. The only downside to it compared to Anger of the Gods is that it doesn’t damage creature tokens and has a more stressful color requirement.
