Love them or hate them, board wipes are an essential part of Magic: The Gathering. Most decks win with Creatures, and as those Creatures get stronger, we need more ways to deal with them en masse before they take over the game.

Every Commander deck should run a few, and slower decks in competitive formats also want to run some to help stabilize and keep the game going. Among the five colors of Magic, White is typically seen as the best color for board wipes, but Black also has a ton of powerful options.

Today, I want to rank the top 20 mono-Black board wipes across formats.

The Top 15 Black Board Wipes in Magic

• 15. Black Sun's Zenith
• 14. Dead of Winter
• 13. Blasphemous Edict
• 12. Massacre Girl
• 11. Hellfire
• 10. Kindred Dominance
• 9. Nuclear Fallout
• 8. Day of Black Sun
• 7. Crux of Fate
• 6. Villainous Wrath
• 5. Deadly Cover-Up
• 4. Living Death
• 3. Damnation
• 2. The Meathook Massacre
• 1. Toxic Deluge

So, whether you're looking for some board wipes to play in your slower Black decks or playing a Creature-based deck and want to know what cards to play around, here are my picks for the best Black board wipes in Magic.

15. Black Sun's Zenith

The first of several X spells on this list, Black Sun's Zenith is a Sorcery that costs X and two Black mana, puts X -1/-1 counters on each Creature, then shuffles itself back into your library. Negative counters are a great way to kill Creatures, as they get around Indestructible, and it gives you a board wipe with extra synergy if you're playing a counters Commander like Auntie Ool, Cursewretch.

Unlike the other X spells on the list, it's a bit harder to make this card one-sided, as the counters will stick around on your Creatures too. However, it's great in a pinch, and if you need another board wipe later, you could redraw it after you shuffle it back into your deck.

14. Dead of Winter

Normally, a card that asks you to build around it wouldn't place well on a list like this, but Dead of Winter's deckbuilding requirement is fairly low and it pays off pretty well. This Sorcery has one of the lowest mana values on the list at just three mana, and it gives all non-Snow Creatures -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of Snow permanents you control.

All you need to do to make this card good is run snow-covered Lands instead of regular basic Lands, and as the game goes on this spell will get stronger.

13. Blasphemous Edict

Black's version of Blasphemous Act, Blasphemous Edict is a five mana Sorcery that can be cast for just one Black mana if there are more than 13 Creatures on the battlefield and forces each player to sacrifice 13 Creatures.

Unlike Blasphemous Act, the card doesn't get a cost reduction until there are 13 Creatures, but it also isn't as expensive to hard cast. It also gets around mass Indestructible effects and has extra synergy in decks looking to make opponents sacrifice Creatures.

There is a small downside, however, as while it will hurt decks that can consistently control more than 13 Creatures at a time, it won't fully deal with their boards. Even so, whittling away a huge chunk of their board can still keep you alive for a few more turns.

12. Massacre Girl

Black has a fair share of Creatures that can sweep the board, but while most of them can only kill small Creatures, few are able to rip boards apart quite like War of the Spark's Massacre Girl. This five-mana Legendary Creature has Menace and, when it enters, gives each other Creature -1/-1 until end of turn. Then, if any Creatures die that turn, other Creatures get an additional -1/-1 until end of turn.

Like most Creatures in Magic, this card is easier to recur than Instants and Sorceries, opening the door to repeated board wipes through blinking or reanimation. The only downside to Massacre Girl's ability is that if there are no Creatures with one toughness on the battlefield, you'll need to find another way to get a Creature to die that turn.

11. Hellfire

Hellfire was one of Magic's first board wipes, being printed all the way back in 1994's Legends. Even now, after more than 30 years of power creep, this card still holds up. For five mana, this Sorcery destroys all non-Black Creatures, dealing one damage to you for each Creature destroyed this way, plus three

The mana cost is reasonable, but being triple Black makes it harder to cast. That downside doesn't matter too much though, as this card shines best in a mono-Black or two-color deck where it is more likely to be one-sided. The life loss is also a pretty big downside, but in the right situations, Hellfire can completely turn the game in your favor.

10. Kindred Dominance

Kindred Dominance costs a whopping seven mana, but if it resolves you choose a Creature type and destroy all Creatures that don't have that type. This card is incredible in kindred decks like Elves and Vampires, often being a one-sided board wipe that allows you to start swinging out freely while your opponents scramble to reestablish their board states.

Unfortunately, this card doesn't really have a home outside of decks built around a specific Creature type. There may be niche cases where you want to spare your Commander or another valuable Creature by choosing one of its types, but you'd probably be better off choosing a more generic board wipe instead.

The other big downside to this card is its mana cost, as seven mana is a lot if you aren't actively ramping up to it. For some decks, this card might be better classified as a win condition than a bread-and-butter board wipe, where you wait until you have an overwhelming board and then clear all your opponents' blockers.

9. Nuclear Fallout

It wouldn't be one of my rankings without a Fallout card, and this one is pretty sweet. For, Nuclear Fallout gives all Creatures twice -X/-X until end of turn and gives each player X Rad counters, which force players to mill cards and take damage when nonland cards are milled this way.

As with the other X spells on this list, Nuclear Fallout gets bonus points for flexibility, as it can wrath away smaller Creatures while sparing any big Creatures you control. It also has extra utility in graveyard decks or mill decks, as Rad counters can fill your graveyard or help mill out your opponents.

Finally, like Exsanguinate or Torment of Hailfire, Nuclear Fallout can just kill your opponents outright with the damage Rad counters deal if you put a ton of mana into it.

8. Day of Black Sun

The newest addition to this list, Day of Black Sun is a Sorcery that costs and makes each Creature with mana value X or less lose all abilities until end of turn, then destroys those Creatures. The power to take away the abilities of Creatures is surprisingly relevant, shutting off death triggers, hosing sacrifice decks that win the game with Creatures like Blood Artist, and getting around spells or abilities that give your opponents' Creature indestructible.

The other thing that sets it apart is that unlike the other X spells on this list, it doesn't check power and toughness, so this card is especially good against Token decks where the bulk of their Creatures die when X is zero.

While it doesn't see a ton of play in Commander, it is high on this list because it sees a lot of play in Standard and Pioneer, where it is a great answer to the top aggro decks in both formats.

7. Crux of Fate

While I've talked about a handful of flexible board wipes thanks to X costs, Crux of Fate is the first and only truly modal card on this list. For five mana, you choose one: destroy all Dragon Creatures or destroy all non-Dragon Creatures. This card is at its best in a Dragon deck, where it will typically be a one-sided board wipe, but it still has a good home outside Dragon decks too.

While Dragons are very popular, especially in Commander, there are exponentially more non-Dragon Creatures in the format, and this card still gives you the option to destroy them. Plus, when you eventually run into one of those Dragon decks, your generic board wipe suddenly becomes a silver bullet.

6. Villainous Wrath

Marvel's Spider-Man may have been a controversial set, to say the least, but at least it gave us some powerful new toys. One of the stronger cards, Villainous Wrath, is a five-mana Sorcery that makes an opponent lose life equal to the number of Creatures they control, then destroys all Creatures.

Most board wipes punish players for controlling too many Creatures, and this card adds damage on top to really rub it in. It also has a reasonable mana value and doesn't require you to meet any extras conditions or pay extra resources to do its thing. Token decks beware, this card may straight-up kill you.

5. Deadly Cover-Up

If you've played Standard in the past year, you're probably familiar with this card. From the oft-maligned Murders at Karlov Manor set, Deadly Cover-Up is a five-mana Sorcery that destroys all Creatures. If you Collect Evidence as an additional cost, however, you also exile a card from a player's graveyard and exile all copies of that card from their hand, graveyard, and library.

Both effects are good in slower competitive decks, and the ability to clear the board while removing your opponent's win conditions makes it an excellent card in Standard's control decks. Right now, it's a staple of Dimir Excrutiator, where it helps the deck slow down its opponent while it waits to combo off.

4. Living Death

Another iconic Black card, Living Death is unique in that it's a board wipe that can also win you games. This five-mana Sorcery essentially forces each player to swap the Creatures in the graveyard with the Creatures on their board, getting around indestructible by making players sacrifice the Creatures in play.

This is one of the scariest cards in Commander, and if you find yourself sitting across from a graveyard deck, you should prepare for it. Also, while it isn't legal in many 1v1 formats, it sees a bit of play in Premodern midrange decks, and it was the inspiration behind Living End, a classic Modern card.

3. Damnation

Like its White counterpart, Wrath of God, Damnation is the gold standard for Black board wipes. Even after nearly 20 years, it still holds up today. For four mana, Damnation destroys all Creatures, and they can't be regenerated. It isn't fancy or splashy but it is reliable, costing a reasonable amount of mana and not asking you to pay any extra resources or jump through any additional hoops.

Today, it sees play primarily in Commander, but historically, it was also a very strong Modern card when the metagame was slower.

2. The Meathook Massacre

Just barely beating out Damnation, The Meathook Massacre is my pick for the second-best Black board wipe. This Legendary Enchantment costs X and two Black mana and, when it enters, gives each Creature -X/-X until end of turn. It also drains each opponent for one life when a Creature you control dies and gains you one life whenever a Creature your opponents control dies.

The Meathook Massacre does more than just clear away the board, also providing you a life buffer and a potential win condition.

While this card primarily sees play in Commander, The Meathook Massacre also boasts an impressive competitive pedigree. Not long after it was printed, it became one of the strongest cards in Standard, where it excelled at shutting down aggro decks and small Creatures. Destroying Creatures was one thing, but the life gain also helped slower decks restabilize and make control decks very resilient.

By late 2022, it had become one of the most-played cards in the format and had to be banned to slow down the Black decks. It also plays a key role in sacrifice decks in both Pioneer and Modern, although it fell out of favor in Modern as the speed of the format increased.

1. Toxic Deluge

Toxic Deluge is my pick for the best Black board wipe in Magic, and if you've played Commander, you know why. This three-mana Sorcery allows you to pay X life to give each Creature -X/-X until end of turn.

Honestly, there isn't much to say; this card isn't flashy or exciting, but it has one of the lowest mana costs among all board wipes and will always kill what you need it to kill as long as you have life to pay. It even gets around indestructible effects, shutting off the most common way to play around board wipes.

It fits into any Black Commander deck at just about any power level, and this has led it to become the most popular Black board wipe in the format and the third most popular board wipe among all colors. It is even seeing some play in Legacy to fight midrange decks built around Ocelot Pride.

Honorable Mentions

Massacre Wurm

If this list had a 16th card, it would've been my beloved Massacre Wurm. This six-mana 5/4 Creature gives all Creatures -2/-2 when it enters, then makes each opponent lose two life whenever a Creature they control dies. Like Massacre Girl, this card has all the upsides of being a Creature, like the ability to be reanimated or blinked, and it has a potential win condition stapled to it like Living Death and The Meathook Massacre.

Unfortunately, its board wipe mode doesn't always kill the most threatening Creatures on the board and doesn't scale up like many of the X spells on this list, making it much less reliable as a hard sweeper. It also has a more restrictive mana cost, requiring three Black mana. Plus, Black Sun's Zenith gained a lot more relevance with the popularity of Auntie Ool from Lorwyn, Eclipsed.

Withering Curse

Printed in the newly released Secrets of Strixhaven set, Withering Curse seems like a very strong board wipe, but I think it's too soon to say for sure. This three-mana Sorcery gives all Creatures -2/-2 until end of turn, but if you've gained life this turn, it destroys all Creatures instead.

It has a very low mana cost and the base mode can take care of small Creatures, and it helps that gaining life can be very easy if your deck is built to do it. This card has a lot of potential in both Standard and Commander and it's already seeing some play in both formats, but time will tell if it fully lives up to that potential.

Conclusion

Alright, I have now written the word "Creature" so many times that it doesn't feel like a real word, so I'm going to stop the list there.

I hope you give some of these cards a try, especially some of the ones lower on the list. If you want to read more about board wipes, check out this article on the best board wipes in Commander.