Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
No Witnesses: Hidden Combos for Victory
White has a long arc of efficiency and restraint in MTG, and No Witnesses from Murders at Karlov Manor leans into a clever, board-wipe twist. For 4 mana total (2 generic and 2 white), you cast a sorcery that invites you to leverage the board state before a reset. The spell’s core twist is Investigation—the kind of mechanic that rewards careful counting and timing. Specifically, each player who controls the most creatures investigates, then the spell wipes away all creatures on the battlefield. The flavor text—“When cunning fails, there’s always violence.”—isn’t just mood; it’s a hint that the real power lies in what you can squeeze out of the aftermath: card parity via Clue tokens and a refreshed grip on the game. 🧙♂️🔥💎
To make No Witnesses sing, you don’t just stack bodies for the sake of it. You craft a plan that turns the imminent board wipe into card advantage and tempo, all while leaving you with options on the next draw. The white color identity gives you a natural path toward token generation, efficient tutoring, and artifact/clue synergies that keep you in the game even after the legendary “no more creatures” moment hits. Let’s dive into five practical, flavorful combos that maximize the spell’s true potential. ⚔️🎨
Combo 1 — The Clue Engine: Invest, Draw, Rebuild
Core idea: pre-build a modest army to ensure you control the most creatures, then cast No Witnesses to trigger investigation and spawn Clues, and finally leverage those Clues for fuel after the wipe. When Doubling Season or a similar effect is in play, the number of Clues doubles, turning one Investigate into multiple draw opportunities. After the wipe, you can use your Clues to draw into a new board state, refill your hand, and reassemble swiftly. The flow is elegant: a careful board presence → Investigate → Clue treasure → draw → rebuild. 🧙♂️
Practical notes: include a few inexpensive draw engines that pair with Clues (Mentor of the Meek is a classic example in white shells) and consider token generators to expand the creature count without overcommitting on high-cost threats. In multiplayer matches, the “most creatures” clause becomes a delicate dance; you may want to time No Witnesses when you’re in the lead or when you can force ties that still benefit you with multiple Investigates. This path rewards planning and patience, not brute force. 🔥💎
Combo 2 — Token Flood Before the Wipe: Secure the Wastes + No Witnesses
Idea: flood the board with an army of inexpensive creatures before you cast No Witnesses. A big, token-rich battlefield makes it more likely you’ll hold the most creatures, triggering the Investigate clause for yourself (and any other players who co-lead). The board wipe then clears the field, but your Clue tokens remain—each Clue is a doorway to card draw that can accelerate your comeback. It’s a classic “smash, reset, refill” loop that white does best when you’re counting your margins. Order matters here: you want the mass of creatures stable enough to secure the lead, then No Witnesses resets the stage while you profit from the post-wipe reloading. 🧙♂️🎲
Combo 3 — Doubling the Value: Doubling Season or Similar Effects
Prediction-friendly and deliciously crunchy, this combo hinges on doubling any token or clue-generation effects you trigger via Investigate. Doubling Season doesn’t directly multiply No Witnesses’ effect itself (you don’t get twice the spell), but it doubles the number of Clues you create when Investigate happens, and it doubles token generation from other sources in your deck. That means more draw power, more fuel for your next plays, and a safer path to victory in long games. It’s a strategic upgrade that rewards planning and a bit of mana efficiency. Just remember: the real win is how well you leverage the post-wipe re-surgence. ⚔️💎
Combo 4 — Mentor-Driven Value: White Auras, ETB Creatures, and Clue Draw
Incorporate a few card-drawing engines that love a steady stream of entering-the-battlefield creatures. A card like Mentor of the Meek (or white equivalents that reward on creature entry) turns every creature you play into an additional draw during the game’s fragile middle. With No Witnesses setting up the board, you can stack your draws from Clues and ETB triggers, buying time to recall your key finishers and keep you ahead after the wipe. The synergy feels thematic for a white-leaning strategy: you build a resilient foothold, weather the cleanup, and emerge with enhanced resources. 🧙♂️🎨
Combo 5 — Lore-Driven Timely Play: Thematic Timing and Board Presence
Beyond raw cards and numbers, No Witnesses is a narrative choice. The set Murders at Karlov Manor centers on cunning, intrigue, and dramatic reversals—perfect soil for a “timed wipe, richer draw” plan. Build a small, resilient board; trigger an Investigate moment by holding the most creatures; then execute a timely wipe. The moment after the dust settles, your hand is likely better stocked, your options are broader, and your opponent’s tempo rhythm has shifted. The flavor lands as strongly as the mechanics: violence and wit in equal measure. And yes, you can sprinkle in a few white-border jokes about “no witnesses” while you craft your victory path. 🧙♂️🔥💎
“When cunning fails, there’s always violence.” No Witnesses isn’t just a spell; it’s a moment to read the room, count your creatures, and turn a wipe into a toolkit for the next turn. 🧭
As with any dedicated MTG strategy, the beauty lies in how you weave No Witnesses into your broader plan. It’s not just a one-shot: it’s a doorway to Clue-driven draw engines, token-rich boards, and clever timing that keeps you two steps ahead. The card’s white mana cost and rare status in Murders at Karlov Manor are a reminder that sometimes the most elegant solutions come from a single thoughtful play, not from a flood of cheap spells. And if you’re a fan of the game’s art and lore, the flavor text seals the deal—a sly nod to the patience and precision that define true MTG mastery. 🧙♂️🎲
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No Witnesses
Each player who controls the most creatures investigates. Then destroy all creatures. (To investigate, create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
ID: f98db67a-c39c-45a8-ae21-85133be46ed5
Oracle ID: 0639bd82-084f-47d5-b158-05dfc29efa40
Multiverse IDs: 646590
TCGPlayer ID: 533141
Cardmarket ID: 751194
Colors: W
Color Identity: W
Keywords: Investigate
Rarity: Rare
Released: 2024-02-09
Artist: Michele Giorgi
Frame: 2015
Border: black
EDHRec Rank: 11683
Penny Rank: 9428
Set: Murders at Karlov Manor (mkm)
Collector #: 27
Legalities
- Standard — legal
- Future — legal
- Historic — legal
- Timeless — legal
- Gladiator — legal
- Pioneer — legal
- Modern — legal
- Legacy — legal
- Pauper — not_legal
- Vintage — legal
- Penny — legal
- Commander — legal
- Oathbreaker — legal
- Standardbrawl — legal
- Brawl — legal
- Alchemy — not_legal
- Paupercommander — not_legal
- Duel — legal
- Oldschool — not_legal
- Premodern — not_legal
- Predh — not_legal
Prices
- USD: 0.11
- USD_FOIL: 0.18
- EUR: 0.13
- EUR_FOIL: 0.34
- TIX: 0.02
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