Stroke of Midnight (FDN)

Instant

Destroy target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a 1/1 white Human creature token.

Reliable removal for white-based control and midrange decks. Stroke of Midnight offers efficient creature and artifact removal at instant speed while leaving behind a token that can block or trade later. The three-mana cost is reasonable for the flexibility, though it doesn't answer resolved threats as cleanly as unconditional removal like Swords to Plowshares. Solid in Commander and Pioneer where the token has more utility, but Modern and Legacy players often prefer faster or more permanent answers.

Foundations — Uncommon