Witch's Vengeance 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
Creatures of the creature type of your choice get -3/-3 until end of turn.
Complete guide
Witch's Vengeance is a powerful three-mana sorcery that serves as a precision tool for clearing the battlefield of specific threats. Unlike traditional board wipes, this spell relies on creature types to determine its victims, making it a staple against tribal strategies. Because it does not target, it bypasses many common defenses used to protect creatures.
Choosing Your Victim
When you cast Witch's Vengeance, you do not name a creature type immediately. The choice happens only as the spell resolves. This is a critical tactical advantage because your opponents cannot respond once you have made your choice. You must pick an existing creature type from the official Magic: The Gathering list, such as Elf, Warrior, or even Brushwagg. You cannot choose other card categories like 'Artifact' or 'Legendary,' nor can you combine types like 'Human Soldier' into one choice; you must pick either 'Human' or 'Soldier'.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you pay the mana cost and put the spell on the stack. Once both players pass priority and the spell begins to resolve, you choose the creature type. Immediately after the choice is made, every creature on the battlefield with that type—including your own—gets -3/-3 until the end of the turn. Because the spell does not target, it successfully affects creatures with Hexproof, Shroud, or Protection from Black. However, it only checks the battlefield at that specific moment; any creatures of that type that enter the battlefield later in the turn will not be affected.
Strategic Timing
This card is most effective when your opponent has committed multiple creatures of the same type to the board. It is particularly strong against decks focused on tokens, which often share a type like Soldier or Zombie. Since it only costs three mana, it allows you to wipe the opponent's board while still having mana left over to develop your own position or hold up interaction.
Interaction examples
Demonic TutorIf your opponent has an army of 1/1 Goblins and you need a way to clear them, you can use Demonic Tutor to search your library for Witch's Vengeance. After putting it into your hand and shuffling, you can immediately cast Witch's Vengeance. Upon resolution, you choose 'Goblin,' and all Goblins currently on the field get -3/-3 and are destroyed by state-based actions.
Toxic DelugeWhile Toxic Deluge can hit every creature on the board by paying life, Witch's Vengeance is more selective. If you control a large Dragon and your opponent controls several Elves, Witch's Vengeance allows you to choose 'Elf' to clear their board without damaging your own Dragon or costing you any life. Toxic Deluge, by contrast, would affect your Dragon as well unless you carefully managed the value of X.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Witch's Vengeance
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You choose a creature type as Witch's Vengeance resolves, not as you cast it. No player may take actions between the time you choose a creature type and the time those creatures get -3/-3.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
To choose a creature type, you must choose an existing creature type, such as Human or Knight. You can't choose multiple creature types, such as “Human Knight,” but choosing “Human” is enough to affect a Human Knight. Card types such as artifact can't be chosen; nor can supertypes such as legendary; nor can subtypes that aren't creature types, such as Vehicle.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Witch's Vengeance affects only creatures of the chosen type that are on the battlefield at the time it resolves. This includes creatures you control, creatures with hexproof, and creatures with protection from black. Creatures that enter the battlefield or become the chosen type later in the turn won't get -3/-3.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Witch's Vengeance
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