Cremate MTG Card


Disrupts opponent’s graveyard strategies while allowing players to cycle and draw efficiently. Instant speed casting offers flexibility and strategic response during gameplay. Although restricted by black mana, it remains a choice option for adaptable deck inclusion.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Text of card

Remove target card in a graveyard from the game. Draw a card.

Death's embrace need not be cold.


Cards like Cremate

Cremate stands out in the Magic: The Gathering arena as an efficient spell for both disrupting your opponent and replenishing your hand. This instant allows a player to exile a card from a graveyard and draw a card for just one black mana. This effectiveness is comparable to cards like Purify the Grave, which also exile target cards from a graveyard but without the card draw advantage.

Tormod’s Crypt is another card that touches on graveyard interaction, allowing a player to exile an entire graveyard at no mana cost. While Cremate targets a single card and offers draw, Tormod’s Crypt can be a game-changer against graveyard-centric decks but does not directly contribute to hand advantage. Moreover, Faerie Macabre provides a similar utility by exiling up to two cards from graveyards, with the added benefit of being a creature with flying. However, it lacks the draw component that makes Cremate so efficient for its cost.

In conclusion, while multiple cards offer graveyard interaction, Cremate’s low cost and immediate card draw make it a unique and valuable tool for players looking to subtly disrupt their opponent while maintaining card flow in Magic: The Gathering.

Purify the Grave - MTG Card versions
Tormod's Crypt - MTG Card versions
Faerie Macabre - MTG Card versions
Purify the Grave - MTG Card versions
Tormod's Crypt - MTG Card versions
Faerie Macabre - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Cremate by color, type and mana cost

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Howl from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
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Darkness - MTG Card versions
Marsh Gas - MTG Card versions
Gravebind - MTG Card versions
Misinformation - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Tutor - MTG Card versions
Dredge - MTG Card versions
Vendetta - MTG Card versions
Coffin Purge - MTG Card versions
Defile - MTG Card versions
March of Wretched Sorrow - MTG Card versions
Fatal Push - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Fade from Memory - MTG Card versions
Duh - MTG Card versions
Aesthetic Consultation - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cremate provides players with a quick cycle to draw a card after exiling a target creature card from a graveyard. This can be especially useful in disrupting opponent strategies that rely on graveyard recursion, while also preserving the flow of drawing into your deck.

Resource Acceleration: While Cremate doesn’t directly generate mana or tokens, the act of cycling and drawing a card can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by drawing into more lands or mana-producing cards, ensuring your game progresses smoothly.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Cremate at instant speed gives you the flexibility to react to your opponents’ moves. This advantage allows you to wait for the precise moment to exile a critical creature card from their graveyard, preventing potential threats from returning to the battlefield and optimally timing your card draw.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Some players regard the necessity to discard a card as a cost for Cremate’s ability as a setback, especially when their hand is already lacking key pieces or options.

Specific Mana Cost: The Cremate card requires black mana, which could constrain its inclusion in decks that do not have a heavy black mana base or in multicolored decks that prioritize other colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though its mana cost is not exorbitant, Cremate’s single black mana can be viewed as a non-negligible expense for the instant-speed exiling effect it provides, particularly when alternative lower-cost cards could potentially fill the same role more efficiently.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cremate serves an essential function in almost any black deck by allowing a quick response to graveyard strategies—an aspect prevalent in many formats. Its low mana cost and instant speed make it a highly adaptable piece for controlling your opponent’s graveyard.

Combo Potential: Not only does Cremate disrupt opponent’s plans, but it also offers card draw, which can synergize with decks that capitalize on casting spells or drawing cards. This enhances strategies tied to having a certain amount of cards in hand or spells cast in a turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where graveyard recursion and other graveyard-dependent strategies are common, Cremate stands out for its ability to interfere with these tactics, making it a relevant choice for current play styles.


How to beat Cremate

Cremate stands out as a versatile spell in the Magic: The Gathering landscape, offering more than just an ordinary card draw. Its ability to target a card in a graveyard and exile it can strategically disrupt your opponent’s plans, particularly in formats where graveyard manipulation is key. This simple yet effective instant often finds its place in sideboards, ready to counter strategies reliant on recursion or delving into the grave for resources.

Consequently, to outmaneuver Cremate you need a multi-faceted approach. It’s wise to diversify your threats so that reliance on the graveyard isn’t your sole strategy. Incorporate cards that benefit from being in the graveyard or use graveyard exile as a cost, thereby making Cremate less impactful. By leveraging redundancy within your deck and presenting multiple must-answer threats, you dilute the effectiveness of cards like Cremate. Moreover, cards that give you hexproof can entirely negate Cremate’s targetability, ensuring your graveyard remains intact against such tactics.

Ultimately, understanding Cremate’s role within Magic: The Gathering’s diverse metagame helps in crafting strategies that either mitigate its influence or exploit its presence. Adaptability and foresight are keys to overcoming targeted graveyard hate such as Cremate.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG players seek to refine their deck strategies, understanding the versatility and impact of cards like Cremate becomes crucial. This card’s ability to exile a target creature card from graveyards while providing card draw makes it an excellent tool for disruption and maintaining momentum. It’s wise to consider how Cremate could strengthen your gameplay against graveyard-reliant decks. So whether you’re aiming to optimize your black deck or need to bolster your sideboard against specific matchups, remind yourself of the importance of adaptability and strategic decision-making in MTG. Dive deeper into our insights and explore how Cremate might just be the card to elevate your game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cremate MTG card by a specific set like Invasion and Guildpact, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Cremate and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cremate Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2012-10-05. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-10-02InvasionINV 961997NormalBlackAndrew Goldhawk
22006-02-03GuildpactGPT 452003NormalBlackPaolo Parente
32012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 592003NormalBlackCynthia Sheppard

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cremate has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Cremate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2012-10-01 If the target card is no longer in the graveyard when Cremate tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t draw a card.
2012-10-01 You must be able to target a card in a graveyard to cast Cremate.