I’m looking for a one mana white removal card that isn’t Path to Exile. What’s your favorite?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on July 18, 2023, 11:02 a.m. by lespaul977
Hi everyone! I’m still pretty new to playing modern, so I’m hoping you could help me answer the question in the title.
I’m running a budget mono-white humans deck with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and hardly any noncreature spells. I’m currently running 4 copies of Fateful Absence, which I like very much since it handles both creatures and planeswalkers with little drawback, but I know exiling is better than destroying. Also, it costs two mana to play, which gets bumped up to three when Thalia is out.
The reason I don’t like Path to Exile is that in games where it’s been played against one of my creatures, I’ve ended up winning because of the mana ramp. I think giving your opponent the opportunity to get an extra land out is way too high of a cost, and I don’t think it’s the card for me.
The only other decent removal option I have is On Thin Ice, but I don’t have a full play set, and I’m not sure if it’s worth playing all snow lands just for that card.
What is your favorite budget-friendly one-drop creature removal card in modern? Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts!
lespaul977 says... #3
Hi Balaam! Both of these pretty cool. I’m playing a mono-white deck, so I don’t think Chained to the Rocks would work for me, but Soul Snare could be cool. Thank you!
July 18, 2023 11:42 a.m.
If you’re willing to go up to 2 mana, there’s also Reprobation. While not technically removal, it renders a creature essentially worthless.
July 18, 2023 12:23 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #7
Hi TypicalTimmy! I just checked the MTG Companion app, and it looks like Swords to Plowshares is still illegal in modern. I wish that wasn’t the case because I love that card and have a couple copies I could use.
July 18, 2023 1:43 p.m.
FormOverFunction says... #8
I came here to sing the praises of Chained to the Rocks as well. Good effect on an AMAZINGLY flavorful card. One of the best.
July 18, 2023 2:07 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #9
FormOverFunction, Chained to the Rocks would be one of the cards I’d grab first if I was playing a Boros deck. It’s pretty cool. Thanks for stopping by!
July 18, 2023 2:22 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #11
Hi wallisface! Lay Down Arms looks as close to Swords to Plowshares as I’ve ever seen. Have you ever run into issues with not having enough Plains down in order to remove a more expensive creature with it?
July 18, 2023 3:15 p.m.
Great call wallisface, I hadn’t seen that one before either.
Edit-also, @lespaul977: I’m not sure if by mono white you mean ‘playable in mono white’, or ‘I’m confining all cards herein to mono white as a personal choice’. If it’s the latter, disregard this, but Dismember might be useful. Phyrexian mana makes it playable in an all Plains deck, and it handily sneaks around pesky technicalities like ‘Indestructible’.
July 18, 2023 3:26 p.m. Edited.
lespaul977 says... #13
Balaam__, sorry for the confusion in my question. I was focused on cards that could be played in my mono-white deck, but I completely forgot about playing cards with Phyrexian mana. Good call on that. Dismember could take out a good sized creature.
July 18, 2023 3:41 p.m.
wallisface says... #14
lespaul977 in answer to ”Have you ever run into issues with not having enough Plains down in order to remove a more expensive creature with it?” - i think 99% of the time this won’t be an issue. Mono-White decks typically play midrange/grindier games where their land count is similar or above whatever the opponents deck has. Meaning that the spell will only ever fail in the cases where your opponent can cheat a creature into play without paying its ordinary casting cost. Conveniently, white is also the colour capable of stopping all of these cheaty tactics - so in practice Lay Down Arms should be able to hit any creature on the board with ease.
The only real drawback to the card is its Sorcery speed - but even this issue comes up a LOT less than you’d expect.
July 18, 2023 4:43 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #15
wallisface, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences about Lay Down Arms. It’s a cool card, and I love that it has some similarity to Swords to Plowshares.
July 18, 2023 5:11 p.m.
I really like Portable Hole It may not be the best removal strictly speaking, but there are a lot of ways to recur it if you wanted to, and that can be really depressing for your opponents : ) Plus every now and then it can hit something really bizarre in the noncreature space.
July 19, 2023 7:34 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #17
Niko9, I also love Portable Hole. I keep a couple copies in my sideboard just in case I need a little extra removal for small stuff. Plus, I love that it’s from Forgotten Realms since I’m such a D&D nerd. Excellent call!
July 20, 2023 12:55 a.m.
I have no idea if it's modern playable, but Dispatch comes to mind.
July 22, 2023 10:31 p.m.
lespaul977 says... #19
DaWubber, it looks like Dispatch is modern legal, and I think it would be a great addition for decks running a lot of artifacts. Thank you!
July 23, 2023 1:32 p.m.
If you wanted something without an immediate drawback, Temporal Isolation is pretty underrated and can thwart reanimation.
Oust is worth a mention as enemy spot removal can’t free the creature sooner. It deals with a threat immediately and forces the opponent to miss a drawstep later. Also, it has a pretty spicy interaction with Path to Exile if you ever run both.
Balaam__ says... #2
There are things like Chained to the Rocks and Soul Snare although their effectiveness is dependent on certain factors. They’re inexpensive though, which is a plus.
July 18, 2023 11:32 a.m. Edited.