Mortify? Unmake? What are they? Seriously, Vindicate is spectacular, practically an auto 4-of in any WB deck in the right formats.
Equinox523
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(11 votes)
The single most powerful piece of spot removal ever. Maelstrom Pulse is good, but in BW this is better. Ironically, it's even better now due to the ability to kill planeswalkers.
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(15 votes)
*** Smackdown And The Artwork Is Spectacular Wow I Love This Card And Black White Rules
theDAYtheMUSICdied
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(14 votes)
This is the sexiest card in Magic.
Gilgiga
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(12 votes)
If in a few sets turns out Yagmoth isn't dead (that keeps happening) it'll become my goal if he sees print to hit him with this, at least once in my life.
darkfury
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Gilgiga, your dream may come true, Phyrexia and Mirrodin are preparing for war.
GrimjawxRULES
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(13 votes)
Epic card. Honestly, this is probably the best B/W card ever printed. Sure, it's a 4-of in all B/W decks, but there's one problem: Vindicate ain't cheap. The cheapest I've seen this go for was 13$ :S
spacechaser0001
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
5/5 nuff said
Hokeymon
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
1st time I saw it and I was like "Woah!"
Franconomicon
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I want 4th of this T_T
Guthbrand
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
well stygimoloch, one thing unmake and mortify have on this is that they are instants where as this is just a sorcery. Vindicate is still better for its versatility.
Leonopteryx
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
My favorite card. The only set that I did, and would spend tons of $$$ on.
Silverware
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I love this card, it almost always will be usefull and it is fairly cheap considering.
Gets rid of:
Creatures,Enchantments,Artifacts,Planewalkers, and even lands!
Average creature and land removal usally costs three cmc anyways, as well as enchantment and artifacts averaging at about 2 cmc, and I can't say I know of much removal for planeswalkers so that makes this card all the better.
AXER
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(6 votes)
POWERFUL, VERSATILE, & CHEAP!!! Best card in MTG.
jetzine
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Vindicate is king.
GooberSnotpants
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Sometimes, you see a card and just go "Wat?!" This is that card.
faisjdas
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(16 votes)
If you can, you run this card.
uberschveinen
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Forget that it set the standard for sorcery-speed removal for a decade. Forget the enormous flavour of this card, one of the best of a supremely flavoursome set. The stylishness alone makes it stand out. The simplicity and elegance of the card is inspiring. Cards like these are why I play Magic.
I almost wish it cost more to cast so my set hadn't set me back so much.
SleetFox
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card is just so awesome. If they can print Mortify as an instant, they can reprint this. I wish they would.
I'd also like to see an "exile target permanent" instant. It'd probably cost at least 4 in 2 colors, unfortunately.
markarmor
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
There is simply no reason not to have this in any deck that can cast it.
redshoesrock
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(9 votes)
Quite possible one of the best cards ever printed that isn't banned or restricted in any format. For a mere 3-drop it gets rid of ANYTHING (creature, enchantment, artifact, land, or planeswalker). Worth splashing black in your white deck and vice versa, even for just this card alone.
apollogod
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(11 votes)
This is the most beautiful and elegant removal spell ever printed. It's a little strange, but I always feel "safe" with one of these in my hand. I know I'll be able to handle almost anything my opponent throws in my direction.
Vindicate is and will always be the best removal spell ever printed.
daemonfrog
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I absolutely love the flavor.
WhiteyMcFly
★☆☆☆☆ (1.1/5.0)(17 votes)
It's a good card. I'll give it that. However, the sorcery speed kills the card. I'd run doom blade over this any day. Or Maelstrom Pulse. The versatility is nice, but how often are you going to need to kill anything BUT a creature?
Request
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(8 votes)
@ WhiteyMcFly There are many cards I would use this on over a simple creature. for Example, almost any Planeswalker, Maze of Ith, Grave Pact, Crucible of Worlds, In the case of Doom Blade vs This, any creature not just nonblack ones.
and those are just ones off the top of my head. there is so many more things that make me happier to see this over a worthless Doomblade.
Hovercraft
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
No one seems to have pointed out that this can destroy basic lands. Being able to splash this into a black deck with Scrublands and blow up cards like Moat is obviously amazing. but then to be able to redundantly annihilate your opponent's lands is the icing on the cake. You play first you maybe Duress someone then your opponent grumbles plays a land passes their turn and you Sinkhole them. Then they play another land and they pass and for the heck of it you Vindicate their next only land. You now have 4 lands they have 0. This is obviously very silly. Black cannot actually destroy enchantments. Nor can it do much about Artifacts.
Among the best cards of a high-powered block. Were it an instant, it would be among the top 10 of all time.
achilleselbow
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
So this is the card that officially ends a years-long storyline that spanned 5 blocks. How freaking epic is that.
nvirus63116
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Best b & w card ever! Gets rid of planeswalkers, and just about everything else but "indestructible" and those pesky white and black knights. Still, this card has won more games than it has sat idle in a hand.
knob_goblin
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
!this card kills 98% of all cards, doom blade? gtfoI
Gavrilo
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Vindicate is the answer for everything. And with this tragically-heroic quote... i just can't think of better card in whole magic, because this one accomplishes all without being broken.
JStoermer
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
@WhiteyMcFly
Do you know how to play this game?
Enemy_Tricolor
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(10 votes)
Excellent card, and in my two favorite colors. The only problem I have is a weird mental thing where I always think of Barney Gumble saying "don't cry for me, I'm already dead" whenever I read the flavor text.
mlanier131
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(8 votes)
Quote gets me everytime
Sour_Diesel
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(9 votes)
People should check out the DCI version online. The flavor text isn't as epic, but the artwork is kick a.s.s.
I watched my buddy get toasted by this card today. While playing RDW he had a mountain Vindicated once per turn for four turns IN A ROW starting on turn 3. It was sad. And amazing.
Hayw00d0909
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(6 votes)
lol @ Gerrard in a tie-fighter suiciding into Yawgmoth FTW.
Since when is clearing someone of blame or proving something right a destruction effect? That destroys ANYTHING?
Nukeleo
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Tie Fighters own. What can I say? And some day... some day... I'll own a set...
Zoltantf
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
One of the best removal spells of all MTG! So good! I wish it was instant speed, but that is just being greedy. Reading the other comments, I see that many agree that this card is great. For all the haters, they probably never played against vindicate, or don't understand the game. Happy vindicating.
Superfrasse
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Fair.
BlackKWYte
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is definitely the removal card ever printed but despite all the praise it has one fatal drawback, the price. I'd like to see everyone who just gave it 5 stars and "OMGS" drop 30+ bucks per vindicate.
Stray_Dog
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Flavour text from the DCI version: Some convictions are so strong that the world must break to accommodate them.
Sounds pretty appropriate.
NeoKoda
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Whitey is a Super Timmy, if he thinks Creatures are the biggest threat in the game.
Guest742242900
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Most elegantly designed cards in all of MTG. White destroys artifacts and enchantments. Black destroys creatures an lands. Elegant, cheap, powerful, and most importantly- balanced.
EpicBroccoli
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Boom.
badmallocx
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card is so awesome. The coolest card in magic? When are they gonna reprint this?? I want one. Four.
Condor_96
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Shinigami: Sorcery =/= instant
001010011100101110
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
It's official, the Judge Gift Program version of Vindicate has the best art in all of magic.
acemanner
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(23 votes)
Destroy target wallet.
CuriousThing
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(12 votes)
Judging by the TIE Fighter in the art I'm guessing someone just used Vindicate on the Death Star. That's how good this card is.
Lueseto
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
first turn bird of paradise, means that your opponent doesn't have lands and you have 2 and a bird dawg
Why is it that the most simple cards often have the most expensive prices on the secondary market?
Great card. Very timely, and in the environment it was printed it a little more difficult to use than it is now. Very few people played B/W competitively back in the day. Of course, I'd argue that printing this card was one of the contributing factors towards the (continuing) rise of splashing, so maybe it wasn't all that well thought out.
Still, can't argue with results. This card does one thing and does it well. Probably the best permanent removal spell out there. 5/5.
Sharu
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(35 votes)
I have a problem. I can't decide what my favourite thing about this card is. The effect- best removal ever. The art- agonising demise of the fearful Yawgmoth. The flavour- the culmination of the legacy, the final defeat of the multiverse's greatest villian (not you, Bolas). The flavour text- Gerrard at his most awesome ever. Or the simplicity- "Destroy target permanent." That's it.
This card is actually beautiful. As near as perfection can be, to me at least. Versatility, power, flavour, amazing.
I should have bought these in 2005 when I first had my eyes on them- at only $10 each :-P
Also- don't count on this seeing a reprint, aside from the promo foil and a possible From the Vault/Premium Deck version. This card has been in demand for over 10 years, and it hasn't been reprinted in sets which emphasize opposing color power (Guildpact, Eventide, Alara Reborn, Dark Ascension), so if you want these, I would buy them now, before they get even pricier.
I wouldn't be surprised if Maelstrom Pulse follows a similar lifespan, and as such, I'm snapping some up now before they cost $30, as well.
dlgn
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
My brother got one of these. A guy came up to him and gave him boxes full of magic cards. He also got Vedalken Shackles and Rishadan Port, and we haven't even looked up the prices for all of them. I'm so jealous.
N3wtn
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This card isn't on the reserve list, so why hasn't it been reprinted?
ParallaxtheRevan
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Pew! Pew! :D
j_mindfingerpainter
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Epic.
pedrodyl
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Not to mention, flavortext=awesomesauce Reprint in Return to Ravnica?
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"you know, I hope this new card 'X' doesn't blow up in our faces, but EVEN if it does, thank God we printed that 'Break Glass Here' card back in Apocalypse. We should totally reprint that in the Return To Ravnica set. Everyone would go nuts, and it would keep the failsafe online through Modern for a LONG time." You wanna know who's a permanent, kiddies? Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Yeah.
EDIT: Oh, my mistake. Apparently Wizards kinda-sorta-wanted to reprint this, and just had a change of heart about the Color Pie ness of it. Honestly, that's all to the good. White already has all the removal it needs. Green has some removal, but not enough. It's difficult to correctly design green removal without upsetting Vorthos:
When I first read this flavor text, I felt like weeping. It's SO-BLOODY-EPIC!
Dezconocido
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Genial carta, multifuncional 100% una de las mejores del Magic
Gcrudaplaneswalker
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Looking forward for some Orzhov in Gatecrash :)
snickerpuss
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(6 votes)
Good against decks that use permanents.
Gib_Cram
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@snickerpuss: best comment ever.
Shiizu
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
The one thing they missed on this card is that they didn't center its text like on wrath of god. Other than that, this card is excellent.
Nigrescence
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
For some reason, even though I really didn't want it to happen, I expected that this card would be reprinted in Gatecrash since Orzhov is a themed part of the set. There's always Dragon's Maze.
MCcreator
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Is that a space battle? 5/5
MacBizzle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't always cast Vindicate.
But when I do, I prefer to target lands.
FourEx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
just amazing. would be printed at mythic these days. can ruin tempo, can take out planeswalkers, is malleable for any format and any strategy. fully deserving of all 5 stars.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
What makes this "unfair" is blasting your opponents only land on T2. Other then that this card is a masterpiece.
Zoah
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(9 votes)
Lets speak some blasphemy! I actually really hate this card's art and flavor. It has the single least self-contained story of any card. Without having read the book (or the wiki page) you would never know what was happening here, and I'm still having trouble. Are there two explosions? What's that silhouette? Where exactly is Yogmoth in this picture? What is Gerrard talking about? It took the culmination of the Legacy to cast a 1WB spell? Vindicate means to clear someone of blame or to justify something, so what or who are they actually vindicating?
Aquillion
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This is the one card where it makes sense that it actually can kill planeswalkers.
blurrymadness
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
The thing about a card like this is it's a no-brainer. -It's never dead. -It plugs the holes in whatever you're missing. You have enchant removal? Who cares, this hits all that other stuff! You have creature removal? Never fear, have some more and btw kill anything else that bothers you! -The color combination is powerful to begin with.
Some may argue every color combo has had it's heyday, but I'd argue: -W/B hits everything (Hand, every permanent type, graveyard) -has every kind of Kill spell (wipes, sacrifice, targetted up the yin-yang) -has recursion -has all of this on EtB effects (making it quite relevant against Show and Tell)
This card is the epitome of the color combination; it is to W/B as Maelstrom Pulse is to G/B
Without any other color, it can counter every strategy without thinking hard at all; which, IMO, makes it *the* color combination. G/B can do most of that and I think time has proven that combination is about on par. Without relying on counterspells, that's about as good as you can get for coverage.
Tamerlein
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is so powerful you cannot rate it anything below a five.
Man-O-Megrim
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I do miss the old days. 5/5
troll_berserker
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
At the very *worst* it's a Stone Rain in BW, and Wizard's stopped printing that card because it was too powerful for modern day magic. At the best, it's an answer to any enchantment, artifact, creature, or planeswalker you need to get rid of. That should tell you something about the power level of this card.
yuvalg
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Stop calling it a TIE fighter! The ship in the picture is the one and only Skyship Weatherlight
It makes me sad that no one knows the old canon anymore :-(
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It'd be much better if it had no flavour text.. Those three words are meaning enough.
democidist
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Probably one of the most, need to be reprinted, cards ever.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
reprint plz!
JarieSuicune
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"There are few problems that can't be solved by putting a hole in the world." -Lux Cannon (Easily able to do this... faster and as much as you want.)
Nowadays, we don't have to use powerful one-shot cards. We use re-usable ones that SEEM like they have been limited enough to be balanced... but aren't.
To note something actually nice with this though: Panoptic Mirror. Blast one permanent every following turn.
SirLibraryEater
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Every time I look at this I go back and forth about whether that's a TIE fighter or not. Oh, and I guess the effect's good too. Combos with Quicken. I can see this being reprinted at instant speed for {2}{W}{B}. I'd like to see that.
FlashCaster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Someone could say this was the coolest card ever and honestly I don't think I would try and argue with them.
There are quite a few targeted removals better than this in the tournament sense to include Swords to Plowshares, Terminate, Mortify, and Putrefy, but none of them are even close to as cool as this card.
The only card like this that I might think could be cooler would be one that read "Exile Target Permanent" but such a card just doesn't exist (yet). Even if they did print that card it would need to have an epic name, sick art, and cool flavor text to compete with this bad boy in that way.
Someone else here said "Vindicate is and will always be the best removal spell ever printed" but in the tournament sense this just isn't true, I am sorry. The best targeted removal from a tournament playability standpoint is easily Swords to Plowshares, which is why you see it played in tons of big events at the top 8 level and Vindicate not really at all.
As easy a 5/5 as they come, and quite possibly my favorite card ever.
TexasDice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa5OkdP3-r8
Quotations
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i am going to be the odd one out and say, i like the sorin one more... its the judge promo, and oh boy is sorin awesome. ya urza is cooler, but this card has a GARRARD quote.
Pongdok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I played this once targeting a creature. It regenerated. I frowned, put Vindicate in the graveyard, and resolved to not overestimate cards based on their reputations. Just as bad as underestimating them. Still an easy 5/5. Who doesn't want to "Destroy target permanent"? Awesome.
gunkookshlinger
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I see people complaining about the price of this card... Maybe for a casual player, but in legacy (which is where this card gets played) it's actually pretty reasonable considering you're spending $1000-2000+ on lands alone in most competitive decks. Underground Sea is like $250 right now! And that's for one that's been played a bunch... I think paying $25 and 3 mana to destroy target permanent isn't too bad, or am I crazy? We all might be, since we're just trading paper (money) for other pieces of paper (magic cards). Whatever, it's definitely cooler and more intellectually stimulating than most crap people are into now.
FelixKam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's funny how three words can say so much. Just an "I Love You" or "Destroy Target Permanent".
dakkon_moxerson
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've played Magic since it's inception and this card is amazing. I typically favor 'generic' removal spells in my decks, such as disenchant, removal spells with optional targets, because they are the best kind, imo. Swords to Plowshares being one of the few exceptions. For the simple reason that if you never use a card you draw, that is a waste of a draw and very likely a complete turn, whereas a card that can target multiple types has the best chance to have a valid target and the best chance to be playable. Vindicate has a valid target virtually 100% of the time. The sorcery speed of it is a drawback, but more than made up for by it's versatility. Any deck than can, should play 4 vidicates, with a sideboard of 2 swords and 2 disenchant.
Comments (100)
Gets rid of:
Creatures,Enchantments,Artifacts,Planewalkers, and even lands!
Average creature and land removal usally costs three cmc anyways, as well as enchantment and artifacts averaging at about 2 cmc, and I can't say I know of much removal for planeswalkers so that makes this card all the better.
I almost wish it cost more to cast so my set hadn't set me back so much.
I'd also like to see an "exile target permanent" instant. It'd probably cost at least 4 in 2 colors, unfortunately.
Maelstrom Pulse is good, but what if I need to take care of a Tolarian Academy or some other nuisance land?
Vindicate is and will always be the best removal spell ever printed.
There are many cards I would use this on over a simple creature.
for Example, almost any Planeswalker, Maze of Ith, Grave Pact, Crucible of Worlds, In the case of Doom Blade vs This, any creature not just nonblack ones.
and those are just ones off the top of my head. there is so many more things that make me happier to see this over a worthless Doomblade.
Do you know how to play this game?
-yawgmoth
Sounds pretty appropriate.
Great card. Very timely, and in the environment it was printed it a little more difficult to use than it is now. Very few people played B/W competitively back in the day. Of course, I'd argue that printing this card was one of the contributing factors towards the (continuing) rise of splashing, so maybe it wasn't all that well thought out.
Still, can't argue with results. This card does one thing and does it well. Probably the best permanent removal spell out there. 5/5.
I can't decide what my favourite thing about this card is.
The effect- best removal ever.
The art- agonising demise of the fearful Yawgmoth.
The flavour- the culmination of the legacy, the final defeat of the multiverse's greatest villian (not you, Bolas).
The flavour text- Gerrard at his most awesome ever.
Or the simplicity- "Destroy target permanent." That's it.
This card is actually beautiful.
As near as perfection can be, to me at least.
Versatility, power, flavour, amazing.
5/5, and I wish I could give it more.
I should have bought these in 2005 when I first had my eyes on them- at only $10 each :-P
Also- don't count on this seeing a reprint,
aside from the promo foil and a possible From the Vault/Premium Deck version.
This card has been in demand for over 10 years,
and it hasn't been reprinted in sets which emphasize opposing color power (Guildpact, Eventide, Alara Reborn, Dark Ascension),
so if you want these, I would buy them now, before they get even pricier.
I wouldn't be surprised if Maelstrom Pulse follows a similar lifespan,
and as such, I'm snapping some up now before they cost $30, as well.
Reprint in Return to Ravnica?
EDIT: Oh, my mistake. Apparently Wizards kinda-sorta-wanted to reprint this, and just had a change of heart about the Color Pie ness of it. Honestly, that's all to the good. White already has all the removal it needs. Green has some removal, but not enough. It's difficult to correctly design green removal without upsetting Vorthos:
Abrupt Decay: Black Green, Kill a Thing.
But when I do, I prefer to target lands.
It has the single least self-contained story of any card. Without having read the book (or the wiki page) you would never know what was happening here, and I'm still having trouble. Are there two explosions? What's that silhouette? Where exactly is Yogmoth in this picture? What is Gerrard talking about? It took the culmination of the Legacy to cast a 1WB spell? Vindicate means to clear someone of blame or to justify something, so what or who are they actually vindicating?
-It's never dead.
-It plugs the holes in whatever you're missing. You have enchant removal? Who cares, this hits all that other stuff! You have creature removal? Never fear, have some more and btw kill anything else that bothers you!
-The color combination is powerful to begin with.
Some may argue every color combo has had it's heyday, but I'd argue:
-W/B hits everything (Hand, every permanent type, graveyard)
-has every kind of Kill spell (wipes, sacrifice, targetted up the yin-yang)
-has recursion
-has all of this on EtB effects (making it quite relevant against Show and Tell)
This card is the epitome of the color combination; it is to W/B as Maelstrom Pulse is to G/B
Without any other color, it can counter every strategy without thinking hard at all; which, IMO, makes it *the* color combination. G/B can do most of that and I think time has proven that combination is about on par. Without relying on counterspells, that's about as good as you can get for coverage.
It makes me sad that no one knows the old canon anymore :-(
-Lux Cannon (Easily able to do this... faster and as much as you want.)
Nowadays, we don't have to use powerful one-shot cards. We use re-usable ones that SEEM like they have been limited enough to be balanced... but aren't.
To note something actually nice with this though: Panoptic Mirror. Blast one permanent every following turn.
Oh, and I guess the effect's good too. Combos with Quicken.
I can see this being reprinted at instant speed for {2}{W}{B}. I'd like to see that.
There are quite a few targeted removals better than this in the tournament sense to include Swords to Plowshares, Terminate, Mortify, and Putrefy, but none of them are even close to as cool as this card.
The only card like this that I might think could be cooler would be one that read "Exile Target Permanent" but such a card just doesn't exist (yet). Even if they did print that card it would need to have an epic name, sick art, and cool flavor text to compete with this bad boy in that way.
Someone else here said "Vindicate is and will always be the best removal spell ever printed" but in the tournament sense this just isn't true, I am sorry. The best targeted removal from a tournament playability standpoint is easily Swords to Plowshares, which is why you see it played in tons of big events at the top 8 level and Vindicate not really at all.
As easy a 5/5 as they come, and quite possibly my favorite card ever.
As good a card as you can get.