Casualties of War

Strategy & Gameplay

Casualties of War is a versatile and powerful removal spell that stands out in the Rakdos and Golgari color combinations across multiple Magic formats. This four-mana sorcery from the Brothers' War set offers unprecedented flexibility by allowing you to choose one or more permanents to destroy from five distinct categories: artifacts, creatures, enchantments, lands, and planeswalkers. What makes this card particularly exceptional is its modular nature, enabling you to tailor the spell to whatever threats your opponent has deployed while also providing flexibility in how many modes you select based on board state and strategic needs. The gameplay value of Casualties of War extends far beyond simple creature removal. In Commander and other multiplayer formats, the ability to hit multiple permanent types makes it an excellent answer to go-wide strategies while simultaneously addressing problematic artifacts or enchantments that might otherwise lock down your game plan. Whether you're destroying a mana rock, a planeswalker ultimate threat, and a land to disrupt ramp, or simply taking out a single problematic permanent, the card scales beautifully with the situation. Its legality across pioneer, modern, legacy, and vintage formats ensures accessibility for players at competitive and casual tables alike. For anyone building removal-heavy control decks, midrange strategies, or even aggressive lists that need flexible answers, Casualties of War provides the kind of comprehensive threat management that wins games.