Cleansing Nova
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Destroy all creatures.
• Destroy all artifacts and enchantments.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Core Set 2019 Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1229
Cleansing Nova is one of the most flexible board wipes in white — five mana to destroy all creatures or all artifacts and enchantments at your discretion, no coin flip, no downside mode. The modal choice is what separates it from Wrath of God and makes it a staple rather than a slot; Zedruu the Greathearted decks that donate permanents love the enchantment sweep, and Avacyn, Angel of Hope turns the creature mode into a one-sided reset that no opponent can answer on the stack.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Avacyn, Angel of Hope makes all your permanents indestructible, so Cleansing Nova's creature wipe hits only the table while your board survives untouched — it's the cleanest one-sided reset the deck can run, which is exactly why nearly half of all Avacyn lists include it.
Kangee, Sky Warden
Kangee, Sky Warden is a tribal bird build that goes wide in the air and has no interest in a creature wipe — Cleansing Nova earns its slot by obliterating the artifacts and enchantments that shut down flying damage, like Propaganda and ghostly prison effects, without touching Kangee's own flock.
Kyler, Sigardian Emissary
Kyler, Sigardian Emissary stacks counters on humans and snowballs fast, so the deck needs to clear blockers and problem permanents without wasting the board state it built; Cleansing Nova's modal flexibility lets Kyler pilots choose creature sweep when behind or artifact-and-enchantment sweep when the humans are winning.
Ranar the Ever-Watchful
Ranar the Ever-Watchful cares about foretelling and flickering, and Cleansing Nova's five-mana cost slots cleanly into the curve after Ranar is established — the enchantment mode handles the pillowfort pieces opponents assemble to stall flicker-value engines, buying Ranar room to close.
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed accumulates spell-cast triggers and typically runs a spell-heavy list that doesn't want to lose its own enchantments; Cleansing Nova's creature mode fills the board wipe slot without threatening the enchantment infrastructure Y'shtola builds around herself.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Cleansing Nova does its best work, and the reason is the modal clause — in a four-player game where one opponent has a Smothering Tithe and another has a Blightsteel Colossus, being able to pick your target type in the same card is a genuine edge over split-purpose answers. In competitive Constructed formats like Modern and Pioneer, Cleansing Nova is legal but too slow at five mana; decks that need a board reset there reach for cheaper options and Cleansing Nova sees essentially no play. Legacy and Vintage have access to it as well, but the same speed problem applies and the format's combo density makes a sorcery-speed five-drop wipe largely unplayable. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander format where Cleansing Nova is worth considering, particularly in white signature-spell shells that run a slow, controlling game plan.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Zedruu the GreatheartedNine LivesCleansing Nova
Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Nine LivesHarmless OfferingCleansing Nova
Target opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Nine LivesFractured IdentityCleansing NovaAngel's Grace
Each opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Nine LivesFractured IdentityCleansing NovaPlatinum Angel
Each opponent loses the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Cleansing Nova isn't available in the current feed, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the live number. Historically it has been a low-to-mid-range staple — widely printed enough to stay accessible, in-demand enough not to bottom out — so it's generally an easy pick-up at most price points.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.