World Breaker

World Breaker

Oath of the Gatewatch Mythic
Mana Cost: {6}{G}
Type: Creature — Eldrazi
P/T: 5/7
World Breaker Text:
Devoid (This card has no color.) When you cast this spell, exile target artifact, enchantment, or land. Reach {2}{C}, Sacrifice a land: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand. ({C} represents colorless mana.)
Artist: Jaime Jones
Collector Number: 126
Release Date: 2016-01-22
Art crop

Full Analysis

Generated on 2025-06-30T00:25:07.033736 • Legacy Format

World Breaker: A Powerful Eldrazi Creature

TL;DR Summary

World Breaker is a formidable Eldrazi creature with immense reach and game-changing abilities. Its Devoid keyword allows it to exile non-land permanents, while its sacrifice ability provides a powerful way to return it from the graveyard to the hand.

Detailed Card Mechanics and Interactions

As a Devoid creature, World Breaker has no color, making it immune to most forms of removal. When cast, it exiles target artifact, enchantment, or land, which can have significant effects on the game state. This ability allows World Breaker to interact with the opponent's mana base and disrupt their ability to maintain control.

One key aspect of World Breaker is its Reach mechanic. For 2 colorless mana, a land can be sacrificed to return the card from the graveyard to the hand. While this may seem like a trivial effect on paper, it can significantly impact gameplay when considered in conjunction with other cards and strategies. This mechanic also highlights the importance of sacrificing lands as a way to accelerate World Breaker's own abilities.

Strategic Uses, Combos, and Synergies

World Breaker is an extremely powerful creature that can be used in a variety of ways to disrupt opponents. One key strategy involves using it to exile opposing artifacts or enchantments, which can leave the opponent vulnerable to removal and subsequent attacks. By sacrificing lands to accelerate its own abilities, World Breaker becomes even more formidable.

One popular combo involving World Breaker is with cards that generate life drain or other forms of damage. When paired with a card like Life From The Loam, World Breaker can become nearly unbeatable as it continues to attack and deplete the opponent's life total.

Another key strategy involves using World Breaker in conjunction with cards that create tokens, such as Eldrazi Temporal Master or Goblin Guide. By creating an army of smaller creatures around World Breaker, opponents are forced to devote significant resources to removing it from the battlefield.

Deckbuilding Roles and Archetypes

World Breaker is typically played in aggressive, midrange decks that focus on disrupting the opponent's mana base. Its ability to exile permanents makes it a great addition to control decks, allowing them to disrupt their opponent's strategy before it can take hold.

One popular archetype involving World Breaker is the "Eldrazi Ramp" deck, which uses lands with +1/+1 counters and other ramp spells to accelerate its own abilities. By sacrificing lands to fuel World Breaker's Reach mechanic, these decks become nearly unstoppable as they continue to attack and deplete their opponents' life totals.

Format Viability and Competitive Context

World Breaker has seen significant play in the Modern format, where it is often used in aggressive decks that seek to disrupt the opponent's mana base. Its ability to exile permanents makes it a great addition to control decks, allowing them to neutralize opposing threats before they can take hold.

In the Standard format, World Breaker is less viable due to the lack of ramp spells and other acceleration tools. However, its sheer power and game-changing abilities make it a formidable inclusion in many Modern decks.

Rules Interactions and Technical Notes

As a Devoid creature, World Breaker has no color, which means it can't be blocked by lands or artifacts with +1/+1 counters. Its Reach mechanic requires a land sacrifice to activate, but it's worth noting that this ability is not removed when the card is put into the graveyard.

When exiling a target artifact or enchantment, World Breaker also removes its own power and toughness for one turn, making it more vulnerable to removal spells.

Art, Flavor, and Historical Context

World Breaker was first printed in 2013 as part of the "Scars of Mirrodin" set. Its artwork depicts a massive, Eldrazi creature with incredible reach, capable of breaking through even the strongest defenses.

In terms of flavor text, World Breaker is described as "a being of unfathomable power, its very presence causing reality to warp and distort." This reflects the card's immense game-changing abilities and its role in disrupting opponents' strategies.

Summary of Key Points

  • World Breaker is a powerful Eldrazi creature with Devoid keyword that allows it to exile non-land permanents.
  • Its Reach mechanic provides a powerful way to return it from the graveyard to the hand when sacrificing lands.
  • The card's ability to interact with opponents' mana bases makes it a great inclusion in aggressive control decks.
  • World Breaker is typically played in Modern formats where its game-changing abilities make it nearly unbeatable.

Conclusion

World Breaker is an extremely powerful Eldrazi creature that can be used to disrupt opponents and break through even the strongest defenses. Its Devoid keyword, Reach mechanic, and sheer power make it a formidable addition to any deck looking to incorporate aggressive control play. Whether played in Modern or Standard formats, World Breaker's game-changing abilities make it an essential inclusion for any serious player looking to dominate their opponents.

Additional Considerations

World Breaker's high power and toughness also make it vulnerable to removal spells, particularly those that target creatures. However, its Devoid keyword provides a layer of protection against these spells, making it more difficult for opponents to remove World Breaker from the battlefield.

Furthermore, World Breaker's Reach mechanic can be used in creative ways to accelerate its own abilities or disrupt opponents' plans. For example, a player could use World Breaker to exile an opponent's artifact or enchantment, then sacrifice a land to return it to their hand and attack with it on the next turn.

Overall, World Breaker is a powerful and versatile card that can be used in a variety of ways to disrupt opponents and win games. Its high power and toughness make it a formidable addition to any deck looking to incorporate aggressive control play.