All 17 Colorless Board Wipes in Magic Ranked

Last updated on January 12, 2024

Nevinyrral's Disk | Illustration by Steve Argyle

Hello planeswalkers! Welcome to another look into the cards and strategies that help you dominate your opponent. I don’t know if there’s a better feeling than playing a control deck and wiping the board clean of all your opponent's presence.

Board wipes are an essential part of lots of builds to take care of the aggro and midrange opponents. Today I’m looking at colorless wipes that might be able to take your Commander or Modern decks to the next level.

Whenever you’re playing an opponent with a heavy colorless presence, you know two things immediately. You’re playing against someone who knows the game well, and you should be ready for some game-changing cards or abilities.

If you want to be one of these players, let me introduce you to some board wipes that can change the game in your favor. Let’s be honest, it’s much more fun to clean the board in MTG than to clean anything in your home. So let’s get started!

What Are Colorless Board Wipes?

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon (Fate Reforged) | Illustration by Raymond Swanland

Colorless board wipes are cards that don’t have any specific color cost in their mana value and remove all or a lot of permanents on the battlefield. These cards use words like “all” or “each” and “exile,” “destroy,” or “remove” to take out your opponent’s strategy and board presence.

A lot of these cards fit into a multitude of decks because their colorless mana value is so versatile. These board wipes are strong in Commander because you can use colorless cards no matter what colors your commander allows, rather than the only options for colorless commanders. Colorless wipes can help your probability of getting to the cards you need the most in the end game in other formats.

#17. Apocalypse Chime

Apocalypse Chime is such an ancient card that it uses a mechanic that doesn’t exist anymore and targets a set that was released in 1995. This is an ultra-specific board wipe that buries (destroys) all permanents from the Homelands set. It’s way too specific to be good in a Constructed deck.

#16. Blast Zone

This is a colorless land that has a chance to remove your opponent’s pesky permanents. Blast Zone gives you the ability to get charge counters that can be removed to destroy each nonland permanent with the same mana value as the number of charge counters.

This is a decent land that has removal potential and is legal in most non-Standard formats.

#15. Fraying Line

I’m not a fan of cards that give opponents a chance to determine how its effects play out. Fraying Line has a slight benefit because you can place a rope counter first and for free, so you’re always one creature ahead of your opponent for the impending board wipe.

I’d avoid this card if you’re in the market for a board wipe.

#14. Engineered Explosives

Engineered Explosives is similar to Blast Zone for a much cheaper price. You get the “charge counters” from the number of different colors of mana you spend on this card. It’s a limited board wipe that only removes a certain mana value and should be relegated to a sideboard gamble.

#13. Boompile

Let’s gamble! You can destroy all nonland permanents if you win a coin flip with Boompile. This is a fun card that’s legal in Eternal formats and shouldn’t be used by any player that wants to take their MTG games so seriously. Heck, have some fun once in a while.

#12. Volatile Rig

Volatile Rig is a constantly attacking creature that lets you gamble with the fate of the other creatures on the board. This card has a chance to do four damage to every creature, and this might be able to neutralize most aggressive and midrange threats your opponent may have.

So swing away with Volatile Rig or use interesting combinations with cards like Esika's Chariot and Bullwhip.

#11. Leonin Bladetrap

Leonin Bladetrap isn’t a massive board wipe and has a small value in the Modern and Eternal formats. It can remove small and aggressive creatures, but the value is having a quasi-board removal with flash speed.

This is a sound sideboard card to take out the swarms of little creatures at instant speed.

#10. Ratchet Bomb

Ratchet Bomb is another charge counter card that can remove a specific mana value. The value of this card is that it’s cheap so you can start charging it up in the early game. It can have a big effect on your opponent’s board presence if paired with some other targeted removal and is also legal in most non-Standard formats, so let’s ratchet it up!

#9. Oblivion Stone

Oblivion Stone costs you to ensure victory. You have to pay a hefty four mana and tap to put a fate counter on a permanent to save it from your eventual board wipe.

All that said, if you can accumulate a few fate counters you can remove your opponent’s permanents at any time. The cost of Oblivion Stone is high, but the payoff could be huge.

#8. False Floor

False Floor is an unassuming but interesting card for Eternal formats. This card can slow your opponents down and is always a looming threat that has a strange effect on the game. You can also force your opponents into some awkward attacks to prevent their creatures from being exiled.

I like this card and all the interesting interactions that it can create and fit into.

#7. Karn’s Sylex

Karn's Sylex can be an ever-present reminder to your opponent that their fun might come to an end. I haven’t seen it in too many builds yet.

I believe that Karn's Sylex would work well with noncreature control or massive creature ramp decks.

#6. Coercive Portal

Who says we can’t be democratic in Magic? Coercive Portal allows each player to vote on the words carnage or homage at the beginning of your upkeep. If carnage gets more votes, you can destroy all nonland permanents.

I believe Coercive Portal is a fun card that can give you a little colorless card draw or be a big removal spell in Eternal formats.

#5. Perilous Vault

Along with lots of other artifacts on this list, Perilous Vault can pack some major value with its ability to be tapped during any turn. It sits on the board as a constant deadly reminder and deterrent for your opponent.

This is a great card for lots of Commander decks but might not have as much value in Modern as Nevinyrral's Disk.

#4. Calamity of the Titans

Calamity of the Titans is almost as good as All Is Dust, but not quite. It costs one less, but requires two colorless pips. It hits all creatures and planeswalkers, not all permanents, but that's often what you're hoping to get out of your board wipes anyway. It has some weaknesses, but it's still great!

#3. All Is Dust

All Is Dust is the dream card for a colorless deck builder. You get to keep your Gilded Lotus and smash your opponent with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger after removing all the colored obstacles in your way.

#2. Nevinyrral’s Disk

Nevinyrral's Disk is an absolute staple if you want a colorless removal card in a Modern or Eternal deck. The four mana value is relatively cheap and it’s a permanent instead of a spell, which means you can remove creatures, enchantments, and artifacts at any time after it’s untapped.

The fact that you can have a board wipe anytime you can pay one mana is bonkers!

#1. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Oh boy! I have lots of deep feelings about this card and I’m glad it’s nowhere near Standard anymore. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon is the colorless player's dream late-game card.

You can remove all nonland permanents that have at least one color and a specific mana value or less. Ugin is a planeswalker that should be considered for so many different decks in all the non-Standard formats, but it thrives in a colorless ramp or control build.

Wrap Up

Oblivion Stone (Iconic Masters) | Illustration by Gabor Szikszai

Well, there you have it! The versatile colorless cards that can wipe a board clean for your advancement. Whether you want to remove all your opponent’s colored cards with All Is Dust or just need a quick and wide damage card like Leonin Bladetrap, these colorless cards can fit into so many different builds. A lot of these cards are used in competitive decks, and I have to say that the longer I go without seeing Ugin, the Spirit Dragon the better.

What’s your favorite colorless board wipe? What do you think of my rankings? Let me know in the comment below or join the conversation over in the Draftsim Discord.

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