20+ MTG Black Enchantment Removal Spells

One of the biggest weaknesses in a mono black MTG deck is black enchantment removal spells. Each color in MTG has its strengths and weaknesses and that is no different when it comes to black. While black excels at many things such as creature removal and forcing opponents to discard, enchantment removal is another story.

To be able to reliably run black enchantment removal in MTG, you will need to gravitate towards black’s strengths. Black is arguably the toughest color when it comes to removing enchantments opponents have on the battlefield, so utilizing black’s ability to discard and force opponents to sacrifice is going to be key, among other threats as well. This full black enchantment removal guide will walk you through everything so your black decks are prepared for removing enchantments!

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Why is Black Enchantment Removal So Bad?

As stated above, enchantment removal is just not within black’s strengths. If every color was good at doing everything, there would be no variation. And variation is one of Magic’s core gameplay mechanics and what makes MTG so great. The advantage of playing a mono colored deck is that you will have zero problems getting your one color; no need to color fix.

The disadvantages come in regards to what the mono color’s weaknesses are. In this case, the weakness of black enchantment removal. But don’t let that stop you from playing mono black. This article will go over plenty of ways to handle your black enchantment removal woes. A good deck is prepared for all kinds of situations. So let’s get your prepared with some decent black enchantment removal strategies.

Black Enchantment Removal

Black enchantment removal is a tough nut to crack, but that nut is not indestructible (I’m so pun-ny). It is going to be an uphill battle but with a little creative thinking, hopefully you can win the battle. The different types of black enchantment removal we will be discussing in depth are:

• Destroying enchantments
• Forcing opponents to sacrifice enchantments
• Handhate (discard effects)
• Removing enchantments from an opponent’s deck
• Teaming up with politics

There is even a little bonus section at the end for janky reserved list cards!

Black Enchantment Removal by Destroying Enchantments

By far, the best black enchantment removal spell is Feed the Swarm. It is one of the very few non-creature spells that allows you to unconditionally remove target enchantment. Though, Feed the Swarm does have the downside of also losing life equal to the enchantment’s mana value. Almost on the same level as Feed the Swarm, if not even better, comes this gem from Duskmourn: House of Horror. This set has given us a 3 mana creature OR enchantment INSTANT removal spell with Withering Torment.

Imp’s Mischief borrows a bit from red and blue in that it is a black spell that allows you to redirect a spell with a single target and then choose a new target. The idea here is to wait for an opponent to cast an enchantment removal spell and then using Imp’s Mischief, redirect that spell to destroy the enchantment you want removed! This card is amazing. It should be in every mono black deck. The only issue is that it is a bit pricey. Hopefully it will get reprinted to drive the price down and make it much more accessible and affordable.

• Feed the Swarm
  • Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls and you lose life equal to that permanent’s mana value
• Withering Torment
  • Destroy target creature or enchantment. You lose 2 life
• Ghastly Death Tyrant
  • A 6/5 creature that when it enters the battlefield, you choose one
    • Destroy target enchantment an opponent controls and you lose life equal to its mana value
    • Creatures you control get deathtouch until end of turn
• Imp’s Mischief
  • Change the target of target spell with a single target and you lose life equal to that spell’s mana value
• Shatter the Oath
  • Destroy target creature or enchantment
  • Create a Wicked Role token attached to up to one target creature you control

Black Enchantment Removal by Forcing Opponents to Sacrifice Enchantments

Another decent black enchantment removal strategy is to utilize black’s strength of sacrifice. These cards will force opponents to sacrifice permanents, with enchantment type being an option. While most of these cards will force the opponent(s) to sacrifice an enchantment, it won’t be target enchantment of your choosing. It is not ideal, but being in black, this is the best we can get with the limited amount of black enchantment removal spells.

Target Opponent

This collection of cards will force an opponent of your choice to sacrifice an enchantment. Every card makes an opponent sacrifice an enchantment of their choosing, not yours, unfortunately. But, these cards are pretty good because they give you different choices for different scenarios, minus Invoke Despair. That works a bit differently in that it will potentially hit multiple permanent types, including an enchantment, so the tradeoff is decent. Anyone who plays MTG Arena is well aware of how powerful Invoke Despair is.

• Debt to the Kami
  • Choose one
    • Target opponent exiles a creature
    • Target opponent exiles an enchantment
• Extract the Truth
  • Choose one
    • Target opponent reveals their hand and you choose a creature, enchantment or Planeswalker card for them to discard
    • Target opponent sacrifices an enchantment
• Invoke Despair
  • Target opponent sacrifices a creature, enchantment and Planeswalker. For each type they cannot sacrifice, they lose 2 life and you draw a card
• Pharika’s Libation
  • Choose one
    • Target opponent sacrifices a creature
    • Target opponent sacrifices an enchantment

Each Opponent

Similar to the cards above, this collection forces opponents to sacrifice enchantments. except these force each opponent! Mire in Misery will be very hit or miss since it requires opponents to sacrifice a creature or an enchantment. Best believe if an opponent has a powerful enchantment out, they will opt to sacrificing a creature rather than the enchantment you’re hoping for.

• Baleful Beholder
  • A 6/5 creature that when it enters the battlefield, you choose one
    • Each opponent sacrifices an enchantment
    • Creatures you control get menace until end of turn
• Mire in Misery
  • Each opponent sacrifices a creature or enchantment
• Torment of Hailfire
  • While this card is more of a finisher than anything else, it can potentially remove opponent’s troublesome enchantments. It has ‘X’ in the casting cost
    • Repeat the following process X times: each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent or discards a card

Black Enchantment Removal with a Little Handhate

Handhate, or discard effects, are advantageous for black. There are plenty of black discard effects out there, so why not pair those with your black enchantment removal package? Using spells to force opponents into discarding is a great way to eliminate a threat before it ever has a chance to land on the battlefield. While you can most certainly use these cards to remove enchantments, what’s even better is forcing an opponent to discard their most powerful card in their hand, enchantment or otherwise.

• Blackmail
  • Target player reveals three cards from their hand and you choose one of them for that player to discard
• Duress
  • Target opponent reveals their hand and you choose a noncreature, nonland card for that player to discard
• Encroach
  • Target player reveals their hand and you choose a nonbasic land card for that player to discard (can hit non-basic lands!!)
• Grief
  • A 3/2 creature with Evoke (Evoke cost is exile a black card from your hand)
  • When it enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals their hand and you choose a nonland card for that player to discard
• Inquisition of Kozilek
  • Target player reveals their hand and you choose a nonland card from it with mana value 3 or less for that player to discard
• Mire’s Toll
  • Target player reveals a number of cards from their hand equal to the number of Swamps you control and you choose one of them for that player to discard
• Thoughtseize
  • Target player reveals their hand and you choose a nonland card for that player to discard – you lose 2 life
• Unmask
  • Exile a black card from your hand rather than pay this spell’s mana cost
  • Target player reveals their hand and you choose a nonland card for that player to discard

There are tons and tons of Black discard effects in MTG. If you want to add more, feel free. Other cheap (price-wise) examples would be Pilfer, Concealing Curtains // Revealing Eye, Dread Fugue, Distress, etc. Go hog-wild!

Black Enchantment Removal by Searching Opponents’ Deck

Another clever way to deal with black enchantment removal is using cards that allow you to search an opponent’s deck to remove a card before they are even able to draw it. Most of the cards on this list require you to name a card and then search target opponent’s hand, graveyard and library for all copies of the named card. If found, they get exiled. The other type are much better since you can search and find whatever card you’d like!

Search for a Card Then Exile It

Cards such as Bitter Ordeal, Praetor’s Grasp and Sadistic Sacrament are top notch as they let you search an opponent’s deck for any card/s and exile it/them without having to name the card/s beforehand. Bitter Ordeal has Gravestorm meaning you get a copy of Bitter Ordeal for each permanent put into a graveyard the turn you play it!

Imagine casting a board wipe and then playing Bitter Ordeal… you will be able to pluck so many threats out of your opponents’ decks. For Praetor’s Grasp, you get to play the exiled card, if you have the colors for it – hello, Treasure Tokens! And Sadistic Sacrament lets you find 3 cards to exile, or 15 cards if the spell is kicked!

• Bitter Ordeal
  • Search target player’s library for a card and exile it and that player shuffles
  • Gravestorm – create a copy of Bitter Ordeal for each permanent that has entered a graveyard this turn
• Praetor’s Grasp
  • Search target opponent’s library for a card and exile it face down and that player shuffles. You may look at and play that card for as long as it remains exiled
• Sadistic Sacrament
  • Kicker of 7 generic
  • Search target player’s library for up to 3 cards, exile them, then that player shuffles. If this spell was kicked, instead search that player’s library for up to 15 cards, exile them, then that player shuffles.

Name a Card and Search Hand, Graveyard and Library Then Exile It

While these are probably better in regular formats and not singleton formats like Commander, they can still be useful. These cards have you name a card and then search an opponent’s hand, graveyard and library for the named card and exile it (and any other copies). For example, if you’re playing against a blue player, maybe name Rhystic Study and exile it before it ever makes it into their hand.

For a white player, how about Smothering Tithe? Playing against a powerful Planeswalker deck? Try naming Doubling Season and toss that trash in the bin! These also work well for against anyone playing a Rat Colony deck or any ‘you can have as many copies’ type cards. Be creative.

• Cranial Extraction
  • Is an Arcane spell
  • Choose a nonland card name and search target player’s graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with that name and exile them
  • Then that player shuffles
• Lost Legacy
  • Choose a nonartifact, nonland card name and search target player’s graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them
  • That player shuffles, then draws a card for each card exiled from their hand this way
• Memoricide
  • Choose a nonland card name and search target player’s graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them
  • Then that player shuffles
• Necromentia
  • Choose a card name other than a basic land card name and search target opponent’s graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them
  • That player shuffles, then creates a 2/2 black Zombie creature token for each card exiled from their hand this way

Achieve Black Enchantment Removal by Teaming Up

Playing in black, you have the ability to use a few cards to allow an opponent and yourself to search for a card from your libraries. This can be a powerful tool in multiplayer formats by making a deal with an opponent to handle an infuriating enchantment for you. Basically, be political and find an opponent who has access to enchantment removal and allow them to search their library for the removal.

This works best if another opponent is having troubles with the same enchantment you are having troubles with. Then that opponent would be more inclined to make a deal. Black enchantment removal aside, these are just fun cards outright.

• Scheming Symmetry
  • Choose two target players and each of them searches their library for a card, then shuffles and puts that card on top
• Wishclaw Talisman
  • Enters the battlefield with 3 wish counters on it
  • Tap and pay 1 generic to remove a wish counter from it and search your library for a card, put it into your hand, then shuffle
  • Then an opponent gains control of it – activate only during your turn

Bonus Black Enchantment Removal: Reserved List

Before we begin this bonus section of black enchantment removal, I must say that the only ‘non-jank’ card in this list is going to be Word of Command. And truth be told, it is still kinda jank lol. Ironically, Word of Command is also the most expensive card on this list as well. In regards to Dystopia and Forbidden Ritual, chances are you are not going to get the desired enchantment you want removed, removed with these cards. They are super janky, but hey, it is technically possible – so they make the list!

Word of Command basically says chose a target opponent to reveal their hand and you chose a card from it. You control that player until Word of Command finishes resolving. You must play the chosen card, if able and while playing the chosen card, you can use land’s mana abilities from the opponent you are controlling to activate other land’s mana ability or to use mana to play the chosen card. If the chosen card is cast, you control the chosen player while the chosen card is resolving.

Phew… Essentially, in regards to black enchantment removal, target some who is most likely to have enchantment removal (the green or white player) and hope they have one in their hand and choose that card. Then as you’re controlling them, cast that card to destroy the enchantment you want eliminated and proceed with the game.

• Dystopia
  • Cumulative upkeep—Pay 1 life
  • At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a green or white permanent
• Forbidden Ritual
  • Sacrifice a nontoken permanent. If you do, target opponent loses 2 life unless that player sacrifices a permanent or discards a card.
  • You may repeat this process any number of times.
• Word of Command
  • Look at target opponent’s hand and choose a card from it.
  • You control that player until Word of Command finishes resolving.
  • The player plays that card if able.
  • While doing so, the player can activate mana abilities only if they’re from lands that player controls and only if mana they produce is spent to activate other mana abilities of lands the player controls and/or to play that card. If the chosen card is cast as a spell, you control the player while that spell is resolving.

Final Thoughts

If you found this article helpful and are considering purchasing some cards to beef up your black enchantment removal strategies, please consider using the links provided throughout. It lets TCGplayer know you found this information helpful, and this site receives a small commission to keep the lights on and all that. Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything extra!

With that being said, unlike green and white, black enchantment removal is going to take a few hoops to jump through in order to accomplish your desired outcome. This full guide went over destroy effects for black enchantment removal, forcing opponents to sacrifice enchantments, discard effects, searching and removing enchantments from opponents decks, and using mutual tutor cards to politic for enchantment removal.

Every black deck MUST include Feed the Swarm. Even if there isn’t an enchantment in sight, you can still use Feed the Swarm to remove a pesky creature. I’d also recommend including a few handhate cards in your deck as well. Discard effects can disrupt an opponent’s plan from out of know where if you force them to discard their biggest threat.

I hope this information has helped give you some ideas to bolster you black enchantment removal package. Feel free to let me know what your favorite black enchantment removal spells are, or if I missed any good ones in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy deck building!

The Invoke Despair artwork was done by Olivier Bernard from Kamigawa Neon Dynasty.