Table of Contents – Ultimate Guide to Kaldheim Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 1 - Top Commons for Prerelease and Limited
Chapter 2 - Top Uncommons for Prerelease and Limited
Chapter 3 - Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour
Chapter 4 - Guide to Playing Foretell
Chapter 5 - Guide to Building a Snow Deck
Welcome all to the Daily Dose of Kaldheim. It’s time for the Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour for Kaldheim. Anytime you are playing a new set, the biggest hurdle is knowing what to expect from your opponent. This guide is here to help you figure out what those spells are and how you can prepare yourself. You will see all the possible removal spells and combat tricks that you can use and that can be used against you. Once you have the knowledge of knowing the different spells, it will help you think of better lines to beating your opponent.
To make it easier, I’ve broken it down by colour so you can have an easier reference to what you’re looking for.
White Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Bound in Gold provides you with the usual Aura lockdown card that we have come to love from every set. This can be played to remove your only blocker against White, so watch out. There are only two instant removal cards you need to worry about for White and both are only when you are attacking or blocking. Iron Verdict can deal five damage to a combat creature while Sigrid, God-Favored can exile a combat creature at Flash speed. White does have a sorcery removal spell in Divine Gambit, but players might be unlikely to play it because of its potential high-cost drawback.
For enchantment/artifact removal, they do have Invoke the Divine that you’ll need to watch out for, but cards like this aren’t often played in Limited decks. This could see an increase though with the number of Sagas running around. The biggest removal you will need to worry about against White is the sweeper Doomskar. This can be played from exile on turn three, so be cautious if you see a turn two Foretelling of a card.
To end it off, White has three combat tricks to look out for. Kaya’s Onslaught can kill you out of nowhere with Double Strike. Wings of the Cosmos can be used to both get evasion and kill you or block one of your Flying creatures. If your opponent has gone wide with their creature threat though, Warhorn Blast could kill you instantly.
Blue Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
As normal, Blue has a bunch of counterspells that you need to worry about. Annul is one mana but can only counter artifact or enchantment spells. Disdainful Stroke is something to watch out for if you are casting a four-mana or higher spell. Saw it Coming is the only true counter all spell that you need to worry about from Blue. Bind the Monster is a strong one-mana Aura removal but will cost your opponent some life.
There are a bunch of instant spells that cause some issues with Blue. Depart the Realm can bounce a permanent during combat or return a threat to hand. Mists of Littjara can cause combat trading to be tricky. Run Ashore can be used to bounce two targets but costs six mana to cast, so you can avoid it most times. Ravenform is probably the best of the bunch as it can exile any creature or artifact at instant speed and only leave you with a 1/1 Bird.
After all that, you still need to worry about three Flash creatures in Blue. Brinebarrow Intruder does its best impression of Zulaport Duelist. Cosmos Charger is the only Flying Flash creature you need to worry about, while Undersea Invader can give it pseudo-haste with Flash, but can’t block as it enters the battlefield tapped.
Black Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Black is always loaded with removal and Kaldheim is no different. There are a couple of instant removal cards in the form of Feed the Serpent at common and Poison the Cup at uncommon. Both are cheap and can take out your best threat. Tergrid’s Shadow can take out two creatures at once at instant speed which can be deadly. Jarl of the Forsaken is a Flash creature that can eliminate an already damaged creature or planeswalker. The last instant spell to worry about that isn’t a combat trick is the creature producing Rise of the Dread Marn. Although it’s usually played after combat, it can be played before to potentially create some creatures.
Black does have a situational sorcery removal with Weigh Down which requires a creature to exile from the graveyard. Black has not one, but two sweeper cards to worry about. Crippling Fear can be a one-sided removal card under the right scenario. The other sweeper can be the most troublesome in Blood on the Snow. It can both clear the battlefield and bring something back if you have enough snow mana. Black only has one combat trick other than removal to worry about, and that’s the “return me to the battlefield” creature pump card, Demonic Gifts.
Red Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Red has a lot of cards to watch out for, starting with the creature Basalt Ravager that can pick off one of your creatures. Demon Bolt does four damage and can be cast for one mana from exile. Frost Bite is cheap at one mana and can deal up to three damage. Squash is the biggest though and can deal six damage at instant speed. Another instant speed damage spell is Provoke the Trolls. It is the only spell that can deal damage to a player and be used as a combat trick if needed.
At sorcery speed, Tundra Fumarole can deal four damage and potentially provide your opponent with some extra mana. Red’s only sweeper is the sorcery speed Crush the Weak. It can only do two damage to each creature, so it’s something you can play around. Smashing Success can destroy an artifact or land, but probably won’t see much play due to its limited value.
Red only has two other combat tricks to worry about. Run Amok can pump up and Trample over your blocker, while Open the Omenpaths threatens to surprise you with adding power across the battlefield.
Finally, in Red, there is a counterspell? Tibalt’s Trickery can be used to counter your biggest threat or counter their own spell so they can play the lottery and hope to hit something big off the top of their library.
Green Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
As usual, there aren’t many Green cards that you need to look out for. They do have two sorcery fight cards in the form of Blizzard Brawl and Struggle for Skemfar. Broken Wings returns as a reprint and gets slightly better with the inclusion of all the Sagas and Angels that will be Flying around the set. There are only two instant combat tricks to watch out for. Mammoth Growth can add four damage quickly while Snakeskin Veil can be used to counter any removal spell you might want to play against an opponents’ creature.
Multicolour Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
For Sagas, I’m only counting it as a removal card if the ability happens in Chapter one, otherwise you can see it coming for future Chapters when the Saga’s on the battlefield. Arni Slays the Troll provides a two-mana way to get some creatures to fight. If your opponent is playing Blue and Red, beware the sweeper Saga of Battle of Frost and Fire. It will deal four damage to everything and most likely clear off the battlefield. Waking the Trolls can take out a land, but it costs six mana to cast. Against Rakdos, watch out for Kardur’s Vicious Return, as it can deal three damage to any target.
There are plenty of planeswalkers that have some nice removal built-in. Kaya the Inexorable can exile any nonland permanent on the battlefield. Niko Aris can deal two damage to a tapped creature unless they can find a way to draw more cards before using the ability. Finally, at a whopping seven mana, Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor can exile cards from libraries, artifacts, and creatures.
I hope that this Kaldheim Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour will provide some value and insight into what to expect at your first Prerelease or Draft. Thanks again for reading Chapter 3 of the Ultimate Guide to Kaldheim Limited and Prerelease. Next up is Chapter 4 and the Guide to Playing Foretell.
Table of Contents – Ultimate Guide to Kaldheim Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 1 - Top Commons for Prerelease and Limited
Chapter 2 - Top Uncommons for Prerelease and Limited
Chapter 3 - Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour
Chapter 4 - Guide to Playing Foretell
Chapter 5 - Guide to Building a Snow Deck
