Table of Contents – Ultimate Guide to Innistrad Crimson Vow Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 1 - Top Commons for Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 2 - Top Uncommons for Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 3 - Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour
Chapter 4 – Guide to Blood Tokens
Chapter 5 – Limited Deck Archetypes
Welcome all to the Ultimate Guide to Innistrad Crimson Vow Limited and Prerelease. It’s time for the Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour. Each set brings new challenges when it comes to instant speed tricks. First, you must consider what lands they have untapped, followed by how many cards they have in their hand and what spells they’ve already cast in this game. If they had card X in their hand, would they have played it already when they had a chance on a previous turn? The hand management of your opponent is a crucial part of the game, and this guide will give you the knowledge of what cards your opponent might still have in their hand. Hand management goes both ways and can be used as a tool against your opponent. Tricks like keeping a certain colour mana open turn after turn might make your opponent think you have a certain card in your hand when you don’t.
To make it easier, I’ve broken the combat tricks and removal cards down by colour so you can have an easier reference. Once you have the information from this guide you can learn to change the order of your spells and mana spending to outwit your opponent.
White Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
White starts off with a couple of enchantments that can be used as removal. Circle of Confinement can exile a smaller permanent while Sigarda’s Imprisonment will allow you to shut down any creature from combat.
White has no shortage of instant removal spells in Crimson Vow. Fierce Retribution can be used early or late in the game depending on when you need to use it. Lantern Flare also has some versatility and will help you gain some life as a bonus. Piercing Light will take out a small threat while providing you some information on the top of your library. Valorous Stance doubles as a situational removal spell and a nice combat trick that can save one creature. Speaking of combat tricks, Adamant Will can also give a creature indestructible while also pumping up its stats.
There are a couple of flash spells that you need to watch out for. Cemetery Protector can be a strong surprise 3/4 blocker. Supernatural Rescue can be cast with flash sometimes and can function as a permanent combat trick.
Sanctify is a sorcery speed way to remove an annoying enchantment or artifact.
Finally one of the most powerful removal spells for White is the sweeper By Invitation Only. If you aren’t careful this can clear your side of the battlefield while your opponent can still be left with some creatures.
Blue Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Blue starts off with a couple of bounce spells at instant speed with Alchemist’s Revival and Lunar Rejection. Beware of the mega bounce spell Consuming Tide that can clear off the battlefield of all but one nonland permanent on each side.
As usual, Blue has a multitude of counterspells to play with. Both Geistlight Snare and Syncopate force you to spend extra mana to cast a spell. Syphon Essence acts as a situational removal spell being able to counter a creature or planeswalker. The one true counterspell is Wash Away.
There is one other way that a spell can be countered and that is if you exploit a creature with the Flash creature Overcharged Amalgam. That isn’t the only Flash creature to watch out for in Blue. The mighty Hullbreaker Horror will ruin any game and is one of the largest creatures in the set.
Blue does have two combat tricks that it can use as well. Cradle of Safety is a Flash enchantment that can be used to pump up a creature and give it hexproof to counter a removal spell. The only other combat trick is Serpentine Ambush that can turn a creature’s base power and toughness to 5/5.
Black Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
As usual, Black is full of removal spells. At instant speed, you get three different removal spells in Black. Bleed Dry will exile any creature on the battlefield for four mana. Parasitic Grasp can damage a smaller threat while gaining you some life at the same time. The best creature or planeswalker removal in the set though goes to the return of Hero’s Downfall.
There are a couple of sorcery speed removal spells in the form of the situational Zombie exiling Aim for the Head. Grisly Ritual can also destroy any creature of planeswalker like Hero’s Downfall but it'll cost you six mana.
Black has three creatures with nice enter the battlefield removal abilities. Graf Reaver can exploit a creature to kill a planeswalker. Skulking Killer can give a creature -2/-2 but only under a situation where your opponent has no other creatures. Cemetery Desecrator can exile a card from a graveyard to kill a creature when it both enters the battlefield and dies.
The final removal spell for Black is the versatile sweeper card Path of Peril. For three mana you can clear out creatures with mana value two or less and, later in the game at six mana, the whole battlefield.
The only combat trick in Black to watch out for is Undying Malice. It will allow a destroyed creature to return to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Red Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Red has surprisingly few combat tricks and removal cards in Crimson Vow. Red has four spells at instant speed that can damage a creature. Abrade returns as a common and either deals three damage to a creature or destroys an artifact. Red can deal two damage for one mana with Flame-Blessed Bolt and five damage for three mana with Rending Flame. Vampires' Vengeance acts as an instant speed mini-sweeper that can damage all non-Vampires.
At sorcery speed, Lacerate Flesh can deal four damage to a creature.
Another mini sweeper that Red has access to is End the Festivities that can deal one damage to each creature and planeswalker your opponent controls for one mana.
The only combat trick to watch out for against Red is Sure Strike which can add three power to a creature and give it first strike.
Green Combat Tricks and Removal Cards
Green doesn’t have too many cards you need to look out for, but it does have three combat tricks you must be aware of. Massive Might is a cheap one mana pump spell that also gives a creature trample. Witch’s Web might be the better combat trick as it gives better stats and untaps the creature it targets. Wolf Strike is the only spell in Green for this set that can deal damage to another creature.
Green ends it off with a couple of situational removal cards. Crushing Canopy can destroy an enchantment or creature with flying. Sawblade Slinger is a creature that can destroy an artifact or Zombie when it enters the battlefield.
I hope that this Crimson Vow Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour will provide some value and insight into how to manage expectations of what spells can be cast from your opponent. Thanks again for reading Chapter 3 of the Ultimate Guide to Innistrad Crimson Vow Limited and Prerelease. Next up is Chapter 4 and the Guide to Blood Tokens. If you’ve missed any of the other chapters for this guide, click below to check them out.
Table of Contents – Ultimate Guide to Innistrad Crimson Vow Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 1 - Top Commons for Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 2 - Top Uncommons for Limited and Prerelease
Chapter 3 - Guide to Combat Tricks and Removal Cards by Colour
Chapter 4 – Guide to Blood Tokens
Chapter 5 – Limited Deck Archetypes
