MTG Wilds of Eldraine’s unique board wipe is an auto-include in Limited

A new Magic: The Gathering board wipe from the Wilds of Eldraine spoilers on Aug. 16 called Specter of Mortality is coming to the Standard format and is likely one of the most powerful Rares in the Limited Draft and Sealed format. 

Scheduled to drop into local game stores through prerelease events starting on Sept. 1, the Wilds of Eldraine (WOE) set returns to the Multiverse fairy tale plane of Eldraine under very different circumstances. The Phyrexian war has ended but a sleeping curse has engulfed the plane. Strange things are brewing on Eldraine, like Specter of Mortality, a five-drop creature with Flying that is also a potential board wipe. 

Specter of Mortality WOE spoiler

A Specter in MTG is an undead creature, which appears before the residents of Eldraine when they are doomed. Previous versions showcased an ability that forced an opponent to discard a card when a Specter creature dealt combat damage. But Specter of Mortality changes up what a typical Specter type in Magic can do. 

• Casting cost: 3BB
• Type: Creature—Specter
• Rarity: Rare
• Stats: 3/3
• Keyword: Flying
• Ability: When Specter of Mortality enters the battlefield, you may exile one or more creature cards from your graveyard. When you do, each other creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where “X” is the number of cards you exiled this way

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Control and Tempo Standard builds will likely experiment with Specter of Mortality as a board wipe that leaves a 3/3 Flying creature behind. The only downside to the Specter is that the board wipe is reliant upon creatures in your graveyard. An average mid to late-game creature has a toughness of four or more, meaning the controller of Specter of Mortality will potentially need at least four or more creatures in the graveyard. And the upside to Specter of Mortality is that the board wipe isn’t targeted removal.

Within the Limited WOE Draft and Sealed format, though, Specter of Mortality is a Rare bomb. The average toughness in Limited for creatures is around three to four, and most players will have at least two to three creatures in the graveyard come turn five in a Limited format. 

Specter of Mortality may also find success in formats like Commander and Pioneer. The Black creature creates a cool combo with Syr Konrad, the Grim. The Flying creature also has potential in Aristocrat Drain and Gain builds, along with Black and Green self-mill decks. 

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Players can test out Specter of Mortality at prerelease events that start on Sept. 1 or when Wilds of Eldraine has its digital launch on Sept. 5.