Merciless Eviction is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Choose one — • Exile all artifacts. • Exile all creatures. • Exile all enchantments. • Exile all planeswalkers.
Complete guide
Merciless Eviction is a powerful Orzhov sorcery that offers unparalleled flexibility for clearing the battlefield of specific threats. Unlike standard board wipes, it removes permanents permanently by exiling them, ensuring they cannot be easily returned from the graveyard. It is a staple for control decks looking to handle diverse permanent types with a single card.
What It Does
Merciless Eviction allows you to choose one of four distinct modes: exile all artifacts, exile all creatures, exile all enchantments, or exile all planeswalkers. Because it exiles rather than destroys, it bypasses keywords like Indestructible and prevents 'death triggers' or 'dies' abilities from triggering, as the cards never hit the graveyard.
How It Resolves
First, you must choose the mode as you cast the spell. Once the spell begins to resolve, every permanent of the chosen type currently on the battlefield is moved directly to the exile zone simultaneously. Players cannot wait to see the outcome before responding; all responses must happen while the spell is still on the stack after the mode has been announced.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is trying to choose multiple modes; unlike cards that allow multiple selections, you may only pick one. Another mistake involves timing: because the choice is made upon casting, an opponent knows exactly what is being targeted and can respond by activating abilities or sacrificing permanents of that type before the exile effect occurs.
When to Play It
This card is best used when one specific card type dominates your opponent's board state. It is particularly effective against 'Superfriends' decks heavy on planeswalkers or artifact-based strategies where destruction is insufficient. It serves as an excellent safety valve in Commander games where diverse threats are common.
Interaction examples
Austere CommandIf your opponent controls creatures with Indestructible, Austere Command will fail to remove them because it uses the keyword 'destroy.' However, by choosing the creature mode on Merciless Eviction, those creatures are exiled, successfully removing them regardless of their protection.
FarewellWhile Farewell allows you to exile multiple categories at once (artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and graveyards), Merciless Eviction is limited to exactly one mode. If you need to hit both creatures and enchantments, you would need to cast two separate Merciless Evictions, whereas Farewell could handle both with a single cast.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Merciless Eviction
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You choose the mode as you cast the spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Angel's Grace + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Angel's Grace by paying
. - 2Cast Fractured Identity by paying
, exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it. - 3Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Angel's Grace.
- 4Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 5When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Platinum Angel + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 2Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Platinum Angel.
- 3Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 4When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Herald of Eternal Dawn + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 2Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Herald of Eternal Dawn.
- 3Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 4When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + The Book of Exalted Deeds + Merciless Eviction
- 1Activate The Book of Exalted Deeds by paying , tapping and exiling it, putting an enlightened counter on an Angel you control.
- 2Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 3Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to the Angel with the enlightened counter on it.
- 4Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 5When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Gideon of the Trials + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 2Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Gideon of the Trials's emblem.
- 3Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 4When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + The Golden Throne + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 2Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to The Golden Throne.
- 3Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, destroying all enchantments.
- 4When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Courageous Resolve + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Courageous Resolve by paying
. - 2Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 3Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Courageous Resolve.
- 4Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 5When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Nine Lives + Fractured Identity + Cloudsteel Kirin + Merciless Eviction
- 1Cast Fractured Identity by paying , exiling Nine Lives and causing each opponent to create a token copy of it.
- 2Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, however you cannot lose the game due to Cloudsteel Kirin.
- 3Cast Merciless Eviction by paying its mana cost, exiling all enchantments.
- 4When each opponent's Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, they each trigger, causing each opponent to lose the game.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Merciless Eviction
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