Revival // Revenge MTG Card


Revival // Revenge grants a valuable opportunity to reanimate creatures, essentially drawing a card from the graveyard. Its ability to adjust life totals can accelerate victory or provide a significant buffer for defense. While versatile, the card’s mana requirements and costs may limit its use to specific deck strategies.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Double your life total. Target opponent loses half their life, rounded up.


Cards like Revival // Revenge

Revival // Revenge is a versatile split card offering unique strategic flexibility within Magic: The Gathering. When compared to other cards like Unmake the Graves or Morbid Plunder, which also retrieve creatures from the graveyard, Revival stands out due to its lower mana cost and the addition of returning the creature directly to the battlefield.

Conversely, the second half, Revenge, echoes the effects of a doubled life total seen in Beacon of Immortality. However, Revenge targets an opponent as well, halving their life total which can be a significant swing in a player’s favor. Despite the higher mana cost, its impact can turn the tide of a game outright. Whereas Retry is often compared to classic reanimation spells, Revenge’s life-manipulating ability creates a unique niche, offering a combination of offensive and defensive capabilities.

Overall, the dual nature of Revival // Revenge carves a distinctive place for it in the MTG landscape. Its cost-effective revival option provides early game utility, while the potential late-game impact of Revenge cannot be overstated, making it a card that can influence the board in multifaceted ways.

Unmake the Graves - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions
Beacon of Immortality - MTG Card versions
Unmake the Graves - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions
Beacon of Immortality - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Revival // Revenge is a versatile card that can provide significant card advantage. With Revival, you can return a creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. This not only increases your board presence but essentially allows you to draw into a creature you’ve already played, offering a second chance to leverage its abilities.

Resource Acceleration: While the Revival side doesn’t directly accelerate resources, the Revenge half can shift the game’s tempo. Doubling your life total creates a cushion that gives you more time to draw into your resources, while halving your opponent’s can put you closer to victory. This “acceleration” towards winning the game can be just as crucial as mana acceleration.

Instant Speed: Though Revival // Revenge operates at sorcery speed, it compensates with the option to choose between two impactful abilities. The flexibility to cast the half that better suits the tactical needs of the moment means you can adapt quickly to the state of the game, making the most of your resources at the right time.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Revival // Revenge compels players to discard cards, presenting a potential drawback during resource-scarce scenarios within the game. This requirement can be particularly challenging when your hand is running low and each card holds significant value.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mana combination to cast either half. Revival necessitates both white and black mana, while Revenge requires a more substantial investment, including double of each color. This specificity can potentially restrict the card’s inclusion to only certain deck builds, limiting its versatility across the wider card pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Revenge’s six-mana cost, split among white and black, is on the higher side in terms of resource investment. This cost is notable when compared to other cards in the game that can cause a similar impact on the game state for a lower expense, potentially offering players a more cost-efficient alternative in their gameplay strategy.


Reasons to Include Revival // Revenge in Your Collection

Versatility: Revival // Revenge offers dual modes, enabling players to either reanimate a small creature with Revival or alter life totals significantly with Revenge. This split card can be a flexible addition to decks that focus on life manipulation or creature-based strategies.

Combo Potential: Revival can synergize with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or those that benefit from dying, while Revenge doubles the stakes in strategies that aim to manipulate life totals, working well with cards that offer payoffs for high life or win conditions based on life differences.

Meta-Relevance: Given a meta where graveyard strategies or life total shenanigans are prevalent, Revival // Revenge intersects nicely, providing a comeback mechanism or a swift shift in life totals that can turn the tide of games.


How to beat

Revival // Revenge can be a game changer in any MTG match with its versality and the options it offers for both revival and retribution. Facing this dual-sided card requires a precise strategy, considering its potential to bring creatures back from the graveyard or to halve an opponent’s life total. Denying your opponent’s graveyard access is key. Cards like Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace can render Revival ineffective by ensuring that no targets are available for its resurrection ability.

Alternatively, focusing on damage prevention and life gain can mitigate the impact of Revenge. Cards like Sphinx’s Revelation can bolster your life total, keeping you comfortably out of critical range. Moreover, spell counters such as Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto are excellent for directly countering Revival // Revenge, preventing it from resolving in the first place. In this way, you maintain control of the game’s pace and protect your strategic position.

It becomes apparent that the strengths of Revival // Revenge can be offset with thoughtful deck building and the inclusion of certain key cards. Strategic use of graveyard control, life gain, and counterspell tactics can effectively neutralize the threats posed by this powerful multicolored card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Whether you’re capitalizing on Revival // Revenge’s ability to turn the tide of a match with clever graveyard play or aiming to catch an opponent off-guard with its life-altering mechanics, there’s a depth of strategy to explore. From enhancing your creature-based tactics to implementing life-total shenanigans, this versatile card has a place in various deck styles. We encourage MTG players to consider the potential and the pivotal plays it can enable. If you’re keen on refining your gameplay and using Revival // Revenge to its fullest, visit BurnMana for insights, strategies, and more tips to sharpen your MTG acumen.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Revival // Revenge MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance and Ravnica Remastered, 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 Revival // Revenge and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Revival // Revenge Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Paul Scott Canavan.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 2282015SplitBlackPaul Scott Canavan
22024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 2412015SplitBlackPaul Scott Canavan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Revival // Revenge has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-01-25 If a card in a graveyard has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2019-01-25 To double a player’s life total, that player gains as much life as needed so that their life total is twice the number it was before. If their life total was negative, that player loses as much life as needed so that their life total is twice as far below 0 as it was before. Other effects interact with this life gain or loss accordingly.