Sweep Away
Instant
Return target creature to its owner's hand. If that creature is attacking, you may put it on top of its owner's library instead.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #22002
Sweep Away bounces any creature — including flying ones that dodge most ground-based removal — back to hand or on top of library, at instant speed for two mana plus one blue. It's a clean, cheap tempo play, but the library mode is what separates it from a generic bounce spell when you need to strand an opponent's best threat for a full turn.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Sweep Away earns its slot in blue tempo and spellslinger lists that want cheap interaction — resetting a commander to the top of the library is a meaningful tax, and the flying clause matters in a format full of Consecrated Sphinxes and dragon commanders. In Pauper, it's a legitimate role-player in tempo shells where bouncing a blocker at instant speed can close games. Legacy, Modern, and Vintage have access to far more efficient countermagic and permanent answers, so Sweep Away doesn't compete at those tables. Pioneer is its soft ceiling — playable in casual contexts but outclassed by format staples.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Sweep Away is deep bulk — you're paying pennies for a functional instant with a genuinely useful mode. Price stability is essentially guaranteed at this floor; there's no meaningful downside to picking up copies whenever you need them.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.