We’re nearing the end of Duskmourn: House of Horror’s first full week out in the wild. While the recent Commander drama may have taken center stage somewhat, nothing could overshadow Duskmourn’s new cards from impacting constructed formats. Most of these are on the flashy side, like Valgavoth and the new Overlords. Oftentimes in Magic, however, it ends up being the simple bread-and-butter cards that define a format. That’s almost certainly the case for Nowhere to Run, an up-and-coming MTG removal spell from the set.
Nowhere To Run MTG
- Mana Value: 1B
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Card Text: Flash. When Nowhere to Run enters, target creature an opponent controls gets -3/-3 until end of turn. Creatures your opponents control can be the targets of spells and abilities as though they didn’t have hexproof. Ward abilities of those creatures don’t trigger.
Looking at this card, it’s incredible that it didn’t get more fuss during preview season. This is effectively two cards in one, at a rate that feels pushed even by modern Magic standards. First of all, giving a creature -3/-3 at instant speed for two mana is very solid. Aggro is the most problematic deck in both Standard and Pioneer at the moment, and this is excellent for dealing with anything those decks put out. Flash also lets you interrupt Haste creatures and maintain tempo.
On the other side of this pseudo-split card, things get really interesting. Nowhere to Run isn’t just a removal spell; it’s also an anti-protection card. While it’s in play, both Hexproof and Ward are turned off for your opponents. This means you can target them freely with any spells or abilities you have to hand. Since Nowhere to Run’s removal effect triggers on entry, this passive will come into effect before you choose a target, so it benefits from this effect too.
Hexproof isn’t particularly common in modern sets, but Ward certainly is. For that reason, the second ability on Nowhere to Run is more than just a situational benefit. Even if it was, getting this kind of extra value on a removal spell is largely unheard of in Magic. You can cast Nowhere to Run early to deal with an aggressive threat, and it’ll sit around for the rest of the game exerting a negative effect on your opponent. The fact that it’s an enchantment also supports Eerie strategies and lets you recycle the removal effect via Nurturing Pixie and the like.
Deconstructing Constructed
Thanks to all of this power and flexibility, Nowhere to Run is already seeing play in multiple MTG formats. In Standard, a ton of different lists are trying it out already, both in the main deck and sideboard. These include new spins on Golgari Midrange and Orzhov Enchantments.
For the current Standard, this makes perfect sense. As mentioned above, the boogeyman of the format is Gruul Prowess at the moment. This is a deck full of creatures that die to a -3/-3 debuff in their base states. Many can rise to four toughness with the help of one combat trick or another, but they won’t be swinging in for much with three less power. These decks often use Snakeskin Veil as protection, which Nowhere to Run easily dances around.
The anti-Ward aspect of this card is surprisingly relevant in Standard, too. Not only does it save you some mana against those pesky Innkeeper’s Talent Golgari decks, but it also makes hot new reanimation target Valgavoth, Terror Eater much less scary to take down. If these cards grow in popularity, which looks likely based on their strong performance so far, then Nowhere to Run will get even better.
In Pioneer, worryingly similar decks to Standard are also sitting in the top spot. Rakdos Aggro is a similarly speedy deck to Gruul Prowess, with similar potential for a combo win. Nowhere to Run does just as well in that matchup, taking down every creature in the deck including Dreadhorde Arcanist. It’s not quite as effective against the likes of Azorius Control or Izzet Phoenix, but it’s good enough against the top dog to earn a spot in several sideboards so far.
Commander’s Bane
Nowhere to Run is great in constructed, but it’s even better in Commander. With the majority of Magic at their disposal, players have many more options when it comes to Hexproof. Often these cards prove troublesome to deal with, to the point where cards like Arcane Lighthouse have been printed to address them. Nowhere to Run lets you do the same thing on a more permanent basis, and can kill off a mana dork to boot.
It’s hard to overstate how prevalent protection keywords like this are in the Commander format. Swiftfoot Boots is an absolute staple for keeping your Commander safe. Many of the best new Commanders, like Sauron, the Dark Lord and Voja, Jaws of the Conclave have infuriating Ward costs on them, too. There are also plenty of mass Hexproof granters like Heroic Intervention that see regular play, serving as counterspells against the plentiful removal in the format.
Nowhere to Run pushes all of that aside, giving the table free rein to remove any problem creatures. The best part? It’s asymmetrical. You still get to enjoy the benefits of Hexproof and Ward on your own creatures, while your opponents don’t get the same pleasure. This makes your creatures much less likely to catch removal since your opponents will have an easier time dealing with each other than with you. It’s almost like a removal version of Goad. Overall Nowhere to Run is absolutely stellar in Commander, and should be a staple in many a black deck for the rest of the format’s lifespan.
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