Something for the Commander/EDH players: a comprehensive list of all “Wrath” effects in Magic: the Gathering. This is more useful than it sounds: a lot of wraths, some of them very good, won’t show up in the obvious Gatherer searches.

Here are some details about the list that you can freely skip:

What exactly counts as a wrath? I had to draw the line somewhere. I ended up with a bunch of rules, which were chosen with Commander in mind. A “wrath” must match all of them. An “honourable mention” is allowed a bit more leeway in one of them. I’ve been generous with the corner cases.

It must affect “most” creatures; or at least 6 creatures; or at least 4 creatures per opponent; or all but one creature per opponent. (Honourable mention: about half the creatures; or at least 4 creatures; or at least 2 creatures per opponent.)

It must affect at least 2 opponents. (HM: not necessary.)

It must “neutralize” the creatures “permanently”. (HM: for one whole turn, or until undone by e.g. killing a certain permanent.)

If it kills creatures through damage or -X/-X, X should be at least 5. (HM: 4.)

It cannot cost more than 12 mana in a single turn. (Also true for an honourable mention.)

All the destruction must happen in a single turn. (Also true for an honourable mention.)

Although they technically have the same outcome, I’ve chosen to exclude tutor effects and cards that straight-up kill someone or win the game. (For honourable mentions, however, I’ve chosen to include tutors from other players’ libraries or graveyards, because I want this list to be useful to Commander players and they often forget this option when hunting for wrath effects.)

As lines in the sand go, that’s pretty close to the sea, so there are a few very very bad wraths that still made the list. Luckily, I’ve also given each card a star rating (based on how good they are at being wraths in Commander). The more situational cards are assumed to be in an appropriate deck; don’t run Warp World if you won’t have a lot of permanents on the board. One could quibble about some of my choices, but as long as you stick to the 3+ stars you’ll do fine.

: one of the best cards in Commander, period.

: excellent value for the mana. Will bring a smile to your face when you draw it.

: good value for the mana. The Wrath of God standard.

: does the job, but not very well.

: pretty much unplayable as a wrath.

The list is meant to be comprehensive, so please do tell me about any card I’ve missed.

Last update: 15/03/2014 (up to Born of the Gods)

Colourless

All is Dust

Oblivion Stone

Nevinyrral’s Disk

Worldslayer

Colourless (honourable mentions)

Contagion Engine

Grinning Totem

Volatile Rig

White

Terminus

Austere Command

Hallowed Burial

Fated Retribution

Balance (banned in Commander)

Planar Cleansing

Akroma’s Vengeance

Final Judgment

Phyrexian Rebirth

Cataclysm

Catastrophe

Rout

Wrath of God

Day of Judgment

False Prophet

Martial Coup

March of Souls

Winds of Rath

Myojin of Cleansing Fire

Elspeth Tirel

Solar Tide

Mass Calcify

Kirtar’s Wrath

Magus of the Disk

Soulscour

Hour of Reckoning

Sunscour

Divine Reckoning

Planar Collapse

Scourglass

Gideon, Champion of Justice

Mageta the Lion

Harsh Mercy

Balancing Act

Restore Balance

White (honourable mentions)

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

Humility

Sunblast Angel

Dimensional Breach

Retribution of the Meek

Blue

Curse of the Swine

Ixidron

Sway of the Stars (banned in Commander)

Blue (honourable mentions)

Diluvian Primordial

Cyclonic Rift

Upheaval (banned in Commander)

Chancellor of the Spires

Spelltwine

Knowledge Exploitation

Devastation Tide

Kederekt Leviathan

Meishin, the Mind Cage

Cultural Exchange

Wash Out

Evacuation

Whelming Wave

Inundate

Distorting Wake

Alexi, Zephyr Mage

Black

Toxic Deluge

Decree of Pain

Living Death

Mutilate

Damnation

Black Sun’s Zenith

Plague Wind

Death Cloud

Kagemaro, First to Suffer

Hythonia the Cruel

Dread Cacodemon

Reiver Demon

Bane of the Living

Life’s Finale

Hex

Planar Despair

Pestilence Demon

Crypt Rats

Thrashing Wumpus

Pestilence

Havoc Demon

Killing Wave

Hellfire

Ichor Explosion

Forced March

Kuro, Pitlord

Last Laugh

Dregs of Sorrow

Sickening Dreams

Living End

Black (honourable mentions)

Sudden Spoiling

Overwhelming Forces

Barter in Blood

Consume the Meek

Praetor’s Grasp

Rain of Daggers

Red

Blasphemous Act

Apocalypse

Warp World

Starstorm

Jokulhaups

Decree of Annihilation

Rolling Earthquake

Obliterate

Devastation

Pyrohemia

Worldfire (banned in Commander)

Chain Reaction

Bloodfire Colossus

Ashling the Pilgrim

Scourge of Kher Ridges

Destructive Force

Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

Inferno

Disaster Radius

Chandra, the Firebrand

Flowstone Slide

Volcanic Wind

Firestorm

Kindle the Carnage

Devastating Dreams

Red (honourable mentions)

Ryusei, the Falling Star

Jiwari, the Earth Aflame

Molten Disaster

Magmaquake

Mizzium Mortars

Lavaball Trap

Slice and Dice

Wildfire

Burning of Xinye

Crater Hellion

Balefire Dragon

Sudden Demise

Mogg Infestation

Skirk Fire Marshal

Earthquake

Fault Line

Thieves’ Auction

Puppet’s Verdict

Chandra Nalaar

Bonfire of the Damned

Alpha Brawl

Lord of Shatterskull Pass

Cerebral Eruption

Torrent of Lava

Swirling Sandstorm

Heart of Bogardan

Street Spasm

Scrambleverse

Green

Green (honourable mentions)

Arashi, the Sky Asunder

Tornado Elemental

Silklash Spider

Whirlwind

Hurricane

Squall Line

Tropical Storm

Windstorm

Corrosive Gale

Gale Force

White/Blue

Supreme Verdict

Worldpurge

White/Blue (honourable mentions)

Godhead of Awe

Mirrorweave

Blue/Black (honourable mentions)

Memory Plunder

Wrexial, the Risen Deep

Soulquake

Black/Red

Phyrexian Purge

Black/Red (honourable mentions)

Din of the Fireherd

Malfegor

Rakdos the Defiler

Red/Green

Savage Twister

Green/White

Novablast Wurm

White/Black

Merciless Eviction

White/Black (honourable mentions)

Culling Sun

Black/Green

Pernicious Deed

Gaze of Granite

Plague Boiler

Red/White

Razia’s Purification

Desolation Giant

Red/White (honourable mentions)

Brightflame

UBR (honourable mentions)

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

Jeleva, Nephalia’s Scourge

BRG (honourable mentions)

Lavalanche

WUBRG

Child of Alara