Erode was THE card from Secrets of Strixhaven that piqued my interest…and I wasn’t the only one.
An instant, one-mana, flexible solution to many of Legacy’s biggest threats with amazing artwork from Florian Herold.
How many times have you had the wrong type of removal in hand against an opponent’s threat?
Swords to Plowshares against an already flipped Tamiyo?
Fatal Push against Murktide Regent? Lightning Bolt against Endurance?
It’s the price we pay for playing such powerful removal spells…so what’s the price for this one?
Mana.
Not just access to mana, but access to a mana source that’s going to be very hard, if not impossible, for some decks to interact with.
The cost of mana-ramp is a big one, especially for a deck like Maverick that’s typically trying to do the opposite – keep your opponent off mana and apply pressure till your opponent breaks.
The question is, do you still have a plan even if your opponent has access to a basic land?
Path to Exile has been additional copies of Swords to Plowshares for over a decade for Legacy decks like Maverick and Death & Taxes. It’s a card that typically goes against their mana-denial strategies, but one that answers threats the archetypes otherwise couldn’t.
The most common situation that arises with cards like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy is having to deal with a threat when your opponent is missing land drops or access to an entire colour. There are many feel-bad moments like this, but there are also some great ones.
What would you rather do: lose the game, or allow your opponent to have an additional land?
I will say, there’s nothing better than your Lands opponent thinking the worst is gaining 20 life when they attack in with their Marit Lage, only to find they won’t be gaining life, but instead will be searching for a basic land and losing the game on the next combat step.
So if Path to Exile has been played before, and is still played in some lists, surely this is a straight upgrade?
Yes, but it’s also a point in time where players who’ve been sleeving up Path to Exile can have a look at all of the removal at their disposal and see if this type of effect is still what they’re after in 2026.
Snuff Out and Dismember are two highly flexible removal spells I’ve been playing around with. Both fantastic in reach (in terms of targets) while also being very mana efficient.
https://x.com/DougesOnTwitch/status/2048914277789311469
I Tweeted the other night to see who’s been testing Erode in Legacy and how they’ve been finding it. It’s been really interesting seeing not only the comments and thoughts on the card, but also the range of decks players have been testing it in.
Force of Phil has been testing it in Miracles (shout out to the Eternal Durdles podcast)
This is where I think the other side of the question should be answered. Yes, it’s new removal for Maverick to try out, but what about decks having access to more removal for our creatures?
A typical Maverick list has between 2–3 basics. If you’re playing against a URx Control opponent, a card like Back to Basics might be on your radar and you might have already fetched out your basic(s). How good is Erode against you now?
That’s obviously a niche situation. Potentially, after seeing the first Erode, you can rule out Back to Basics being in their deck
It’s great to see what Erode looks to do in terms of filling holes other decks in the format currently have. Yorgos above describes how it gives them a real out to lock pieces such as Karn, the Great Creator. That’s a threat I can 100% agree is worth giving a basic up for.
There’s no doubt Prismatic Ending has been a great removal spell to add to Maverick’s stock, but in recent metagames it’s not the greatest removal spell for popular threats such as Murktide Regent, Barrowgoyf and Kaito. Guess what is?
It..it’s Erode. Erode is better.
Instant speed is also a huge upgrade when comparing the two.
Pro tip: Outside of Kaito, the best time to Path your opponents threat is most likely at the end of their draw step. This way, there’s a chance they drew their basic for turn and after Erode resolves, may not have another basic to find. This also means they most likely aren’t getting value from their threat before you deal with it, but of course be wary of creatures that are no longer summoning sick (Wight of the Reliquary is a great example of just deal with it before they untap with it).
Another key interaction which, if you’ve played Path to Exile, you’ll know, is that there are moment’s where it’s just correct to Erode your own creature or ‘walker. Blood Moon coming down out of nowhere? Really need to hit that extra mana to win the following turn? I’ve done it countless times and honestly can be a great last-minute save.
Conclusions:
Is this going to replace Swords to Plowshares? No.
Is it a nice addition to the arsenal of removal spells Maverick has at its disposal? Yes.
It’s up there with Prismatic Ending, which of course can take care of artifacts & enchantments we care about in the format.
I’ll be testing out a few in the board in the coming weeks. I’ve typically played two copies in metagames with more Eldrazi or UR Delver. However, it can be an awkward way to deal with early threats against grindy decks like Death & Taxes and Cradle Control.
I’m slowly starting to get more time back for Magic content, so keep an eye out on the stream & YouTube channel.
Take care, play fair,
Douges
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