Return to Dust or Heliod's Intervention?

Commander Deck Help forum

Posted on Jan. 13, 2020, 6:19 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

I have a copy of Return to Dust in several of my EDH decks, but I am considering replacing it with Heliod's Intervention , because, while exiling permanents is usually better than destroying them, the versatility of the newer card should more than make up for that, in my mind.

What does everyone else here say about this? Should I replace Return to Dust with Heliod's Intervention ?

Swim_ish says... #2

Personally I’d go with Heliod's Intervention just because it has the potential to be a one sided board wipe at instant speed (think a Cyclonic Rift but for enchantments/artifacts) on a lesser but more controlled scale

January 13, 2020 6:27 p.m.

DrukenReaps says... #3

I would generally want a board wipe over heliod's intervention. Austere Command , Merciless Eviction , and Hour of Revelation , imo, are much better for taking out large amounts of artifacts/enchantments. Yes you will lose some of your stuff to them but if you really want to take out more than a few things board wipes are always the way to go.

Generally I only use spot removal on linchpin type cards. Every deck has a few cards that it really revolves around. They can function without them but these few really make the deck tick. Return to Dust does a better job of getting rid of those linchpins. And Austere Command does a better job of getting rid of 4 or 5 or 10 or 100 artifacts or enchantments.

All that said if any of those decks want lifegain then heliods intervention could be worth while by doing double duty there. But it should be a deck that have payoffs for gaining life.

January 13, 2020 6:36 p.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #4

DrukenReaps, all of those cards are great cards, but mana curve is a major consideration for me, so I wish to keep the mana curves of my decks low whenever possible. And I do have ways to take advantage of gaining life in any of my decks have have a strong focus on gaining life.

January 13, 2020 6:49 p.m.

shadow63 says... #5

Unless you need three exile effect in your meta I'd say intervention is almost strictly better

January 13, 2020 6:58 p.m.

Drakorya says... #6

One thing to keep in mind in favour of Return to Dust is if anyone in your meta runs any of the Theros Gods as commanders. In the cases where you have to remove a Kruphix, God of Horizons or Xenagos, God of Revels I would want Return to Dust over Heliod's Intervention .

But if you don't face any of those commanders (or don't feel the need to remove them very often), then Heliod's Intervention is probably the way to go.

January 13, 2020 7:55 p.m.

triproberts12 says... #7

I like a split of Crush Contraband and Heliod's Intervention . I think instant-speed is most important, followed by raw efficiency (e.g. X-for-1), followed by flexibility regarding additional targets are most important.

January 14, 2020 10:50 p.m.

pablitocz says... #8

You can't cast Heliod's Intervention off a Sunforger, if it's any relevant.

January 28, 2020 7:16 a.m.

Please login to comment