Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher | Art by Matt Stewart

Red gets speed, white gets resiliency. In cEDH, that's been the rule of thumb for a while now. Sure, red isn't defenseless - it has Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat, after all - but by and large the color is known for pushing wins hard and early, not for setting up a defensive stack. That's always been white's thing; from SilenceSilence and Grand AbolisherGrand Abolisher to Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory, white has been the color that made sure you're opponents had to just stop.

Well, thanks to Lorwyn Eclipsed, red just took a huge leap in the defensive arena. Let's take a look at Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher.

What Does Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher Do?

For , Hexing Squelcher is a 2/2 Goblin Sorcerer with ward - pay 2 life, and it grants that same ward ability to other creatures you control. Additionally, Hexing Squelcher can't be countered and makes all your other spells uncounterable.

The best comparison for this card is Voice of Victory, which costs and flat out prevents your opponents from casting spells during your turn. While this effectively makes your spells uncounterable during your turn, Hexing Squelcher is a bit more flexible in that it protects your instant-speed wins as well.

As such, the sequence of "Cast Squelcher, pass," is a pretty reasonable one, whereas passing post-Voice of Victory doesn't serve a defensive purpose in the same way.

What really matters for Hexing Squelcher, however, is simply its color identity. Many of cEDH's fastest decks don't run white, which means that SilenceSilence effects are out of the question. The best these decks have had access to has historically been the likes of Defense GridDefense Grid and, more recently, Spider-PunkSpider-Punk - both of which are symmetric effects that also protect other players and can lead to massive blowouts if used at the wrong time.

Hexing Squelcher rebuffs all of this, comfortably filling that same two-mana slot while protecting only your spells.

Why Removal Doesn't Cut It

Removal has always been sparse in cEDH. It's simply too inefficient for what it does, as most of the creatures that matter win the game as soon as they enter. ReanimateReanimate a Razaketh, the FoulbloodedRazaketh, the Foulblooded? Well, as much as you think that Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares will save you, odds are that Razaketh will just activate its ability with your Swords still on the stack.

Don't even get me started on Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle; once you see it, you're already dead.

Don't get me wrong, folks still run some removal (as they should), but this is almost always fired off at the value creatures that can create game-winning states over the course of the midgame. That being said, in a pod of four players there might be six total pieces of removal among them (if you're lucky), and nobody is going to be actively tutoring for it.

As a numbers game, banking on drawing removal is a losing bet. Removal just isn't useful enough, frequently enough, to justify playing it in high numbers.

So, here's the question: will one more Grand AbolisherGrand Abolisher in every red deck suddenly be the impetus for players to run more interaction? Probably not; cEDH players are pretty greedy and turbo is in an upswing. Folks will just try and win faster and faster.

Which brings us to Hexing Squelcher's consequences.

The Consequences of Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher

Alrighty folks, time to talk about flash again.

Despite not having an enters-trigger, Hexing Squelcher is a creature that is immediately valuable in the same end-the-game way as Razaketh. Thanks to the bevy of flash enablers and instant-speed combos in cEDH, a resolved Hexing Squelcher might as well also be a Voice of VictoryVoice of Victory in the way it defends your turn. Even if your opponent happens to have held onto a Swords to Plowshares to cast as soon as Hexing Squelcher resolves and priority is passed, it doesn't matter - just cast your Borne Upon a WindBorne Upon a Wind and win on top of the Swords.

Competitive Commander has been getting faster and faster recently. Games are ending earlier, turbo is crowding out midrange, and the ability to present a win at instant speed has become a decisive advantage for decks across the format. Hexing Squelcher is another step in exactly that direction: rewarding players who push for wins as quickly and as powerfully as possible.

After all, if there's a two-drop creature in the format's premier speed color that effectively can guarantee that your win gets through uninterrupted, then the only way to counter that is to simply win on top.

Wrap Up

Hexing Squelcher is a simple, powerful, and deceptively dangerous creature. Will every red deck pick it up? Probably. Blue Farm may be too crowded for slots considering it's a midrange deck that already has blue and white, but outside of exactly that deck I wouldn't be surprised to see this two-drop Goblin everywhere.