Mortuary Mire MTG Card


Saving a draw by placing creatures on top can strategically bolster your next turn in MTG. Mortuary Mire’s utility hinges on black mana reliance, situational to deck synergy. Despite slowing tempo, its graveyard utility can shape your board state and turn outcomes.
Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
RarityCommon
TypeLand

Text of card

Mortuary Mire enters the battlefield tapped. When Mortuary Mire enters the battlefield, you may put target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.: Add to your mana pool.


Cards like Mortuary Mire

Mortuary Mire makes for an intriguing option among land cards in Magic the Gathering that offer more than just mana generation. Its nearest relative might be Witch’s Cottage, which also has the potential to return a creature from your graveyard to the top of your library. However, Witch’s Cottage requires you to control a certain number of swamps before it’s able to trigger its ability, making Mortuary Mire a preferred choice for decks with fewer swamps.

Comparatively, we have cards like Volrath’s Stronghold which offer similar graveyard retrieval but with greater flexibility, allowing you to put the creature back on top of your library at any moment by using its ability. Stronghold’s activation cost and the fact that it doesn’t enter the battlefield tapped like Mortuary Mire does give it an edge in certain strategies, although it’s often more costly in terms of deck building due to its more stringent color identity and price point.

In essence, Mortuary Mire provides a balance by being a land that comes with an upside without extra costs or conditions, settling into an advantageous spot amongst its kin that can set up future plays and maintain a steady land drop.

Witch's Cottage - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Witch's Cottage - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mortuary Mire by color, type and mana cost

Swamp - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Spawning Pool - MTG Card versions
Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt - MTG Card versions
Lake of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Crypt of Agadeem - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Salvage - MTG Card versions
Bojuka Bog - MTG Card versions
Ifnir Deadlands - MTG Card versions
Barren Moor - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Swamp - MTG Card versions
Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn - MTG Card versions
Polluted Mire - MTG Card versions
The Black Gate - MTG Card versions
Barad-dûr - MTG Card versions
Thriving Moor - MTG Card versions
Swamp - MTG Card versions
Volrath's Stronghold - MTG Card versions
Spawning Pool - MTG Card versions
Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt - MTG Card versions
Lake of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire - MTG Card versions
Cabal Coffers - MTG Card versions
Crypt of Agadeem - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Salvage - MTG Card versions
Bojuka Bog - MTG Card versions
Ifnir Deadlands - MTG Card versions
Barren Moor - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Tower - MTG Card versions
Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince - MTG Card versions
Snow-Covered Swamp - MTG Card versions
Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn - MTG Card versions
Polluted Mire - MTG Card versions
The Black Gate - MTG Card versions
Barad-dûr - MTG Card versions
Thriving Moor - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Mortuary Mire. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
FamiliarsFamiliars PauperFamiliarsPauper Challenge 64 2024-04-28
UBUB VintageVintage Preliminary 2024-04-30
UW FamiliarUW Familiar PauperFamiliarsMonthly Tournament #38 @ Paper Pauper Magic Discord

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mortuary Mire provides a strategic benefit by allowing you to put a creature card from your graveyard on top of your library. This recovers valuable resources and can swing the tide by giving you access to your best creatures when you need them the most.

Resource Acceleration: While it’s not directly comparable to producing Treasure tokens, Mortuary Mire does accelerate your resources in a different way. It effectively saves you a draw when you’re in need of creatures and can be considered a slow but valuable form of card economy.

Instant Speed: Although Mortuary Mire’s ability doesn’t work at instant speed, the land itself can be played at any time you could play a land, meaning it can be strategically placed to maximize your turn or respond to graveyard disruption without having to use up valuable mana during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mortuary Mire’s ability to return a creature card from your graveyard to the top of your library can sometimes feel like a forced draw. If you’re in need of a different kind of card to respond to board threats or to fulfill your strategy, having a creature placed on top can limit your upcoming draws.

Specific Mana Cost: Mortuary Mire comes with a specific black mana in its activation cost. This can be restrictive for decks that are not focused on black mana or multicolor decks that may struggle with mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Entering the battlefield tapped means you trade immediate mana access for its graveyard ability. While setting up future turns, this can put you behind, especially when speed is essential, and other lands or cards could provide you with more immediate benefits or less restrictive conditions.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mortuary Mire is a land card, ensuring it easily slots into any black-inclusive deck without taking up precious spell slots. Its ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard adds value to decks focusing on reanimation strategies or those simply looking to recycle key creatures.

Combo Potential: This card provides synergistic interactions with graveyard-centric decks, enabling combos by retrieving powerful creatures for repeatable effects, or setting up the graveyard for larger plays. Its nonbasic land status also may play well with cards that capitalize on land types or enter-the-battlefield triggers.

Meta-Relevance: Given that many competitive formats frequently involve strategies that put creatures in the graveyard, having a card like Mortuary Mire can be crucial to disrupt opponents’ plans or to recover from board wipes and removal, maintaining your board presence.


How to beat

Mortuary Mire is a land card that can add an interesting dynamic to a Magic the Gathering game, with its ability to return a creature card from the graveyard to the top of its owner’s library. To effectively counter Mortuary Mire’s potential, it’s essential to keep graveyard manipulation in check. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can completely nullify the benefit that Mortuary Mire provides by removing cards from the game rather than sending them to the graveyard.

Moreover, controlling the board with counter spells or land destruction can be highly effective. By using cards such as Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, you can target Mortuary Mire directly and force it out of play. This proactively halts your opponent’s plan to reuse their key creatures. Additionally, utilising targeted discard effects like Thoughtseize can pre-emptively remove threats from an opponent’s hand before they get the chance to use Mortuary Mire to return them.

Beating Mortuary Mire demands a strategy that minimizes its advantages, focusing on exile effects, land removal, or hand disruption tactics. With these approaches, the impact of Mortuary Mire on the game’s outcome can be significantly diminished.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mortuary Mire MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar and Commander 2018, 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 Mortuary Mire and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mortuary Mire Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 2402015NormalBlackJames Paick
22018-08-09Commander 2018C18 2662015NormalBlackJames Paick
32019-08-23Commander 2019C19 2602015NormalBlackJames Paick
42020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2892015NormalBlackJames Paick
52021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 2492015NormalBlackJames Paick
62021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1762015NormalBlackJames Paick
72022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 9002015NormalBlackJames Paick
82022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 8172015NormalBlackJames Paick
92024-03-08FalloutPIP 8002015NormalBlackZuzanna Wużyk
102024-03-08FalloutPIP 2722015NormalBlackZuzanna Wużyk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mortuary Mire has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal