Awaken the Erstwhile MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Awaken the Erstwhile provides a unique form of card advantage by converting your hand into Zombie tokens. This transforms potential into immediate board presence, turning even low-value cards into threats.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a traditional acceleration tool, this card indirectly ramps your strategy by filling the board with creatures for each card in your hand. More creatures can mean more power and influence over the pace of the game.

Instant Speed: While Awaken the Erstwhile doesn’t operate at instant speed, its sorcery-level intervention is a strategic counterpoint, allowing a well-timed sweep during your turn that can disrupt opponent plans and set you up for dominance.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Awaken the Erstwhile forces each player to discard all the cards in their hand, which can backfire if you’re not set up to benefit from a mass discard situation. Ensuring you’re the one gaining the advantage is key with this card, otherwise, you might end up hurting your own gameplay rather than disrupting your opponent’s.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that specifically requires two black mana and three generic mana, Awaken the Erstwhile has a restrictive casting cost that may not easily fit into multicolored or mana-intensive decks. This specificity can sometimes hinder the card’s playability, especially in decks that can’t reliably produce the needed black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At five total mana, the cost to cast Awaken the Erstwhile can be steep, especially considering other options available for disrupting opponents’ hands or creating board presence. Players often weigh the cost against the potential impact on the game, and sometimes, cheaper alternatives that affect the board immediately can take precedence over this sorcery.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Awaken the Erstwhile introduces an interesting dynamic, serving as an unexpected tactical option in decks that manipulate the discard mechanic, and also shining in strategies centered on graveyard play. Its ability to fill graveyards across the board makes it an adaptable spell in various gameplay scenarios.

Combo Potential: This card’s unique effect of replacing all players’ hands with 2/2 Zombie tokens opens the door for numerous symbiotic plays. When combined with cards that thrive off of creature death or quantity, such as Vindictive Vampire or Liliana, Dreadhorde General, the potential for sweeping game-altering combos is high.

Meta-Relevance: Given that some of the most prominent decks rely on a well-constructed hand to drive their strategy, Awaken the Erstwhile can disrupt opponents at critical moments. Its relevance is inherent in its capability to equalize the playing field, making it a strong sideboard candidate against hand-sensitive archetypes.

How to beat

Awaken the Erstwhile is a unique card in MTG that can dramatically alter the state of the game. Understanding its effects is crucial to countering its potential to disrupt your strategy. This card forces both players to discard their hands and then creates a 2/2 Zombie token creature for each card discarded this way. It can turn the tide in games, especially when used in decks built around graveyard strategies or token generation.

To effectively counter this card, maintain hand advantage by playing cards that allow you to draw or holding onto instants that can be played in response to Awaken the Erstwhile. Cards with ‘flash’ allow you to wait until the last moment to play your spells, preserving your hand size. It’s also effective to have graveyard removal spells or effects that can exile cards from the graveyard to prevent your opponent from benefiting from their discarded cards.

By carefully managing your hand and being prepared with responsive plays, you can mitigate the impact of Awaken the Erstwhile, protecting your game plan and setting up a stronger position for yourself on the battlefield.

BurnMana Recommendations

Awaken the Erstwhile is a fascinating card that merits attention in certain MTG decks, particularly those that thrive in the realm of graveyard maneuvering and token generation. It’s a nuanced tool capable of disrupting opponent strategies while accelerating your game plan. Mastery of this card involves keen understanding of timing and the current state of play. If you’re intrigued by the complex interplay between hand manipulation and board control that Awaken the Erstwhile offers, join us in a deeper dive. Learn how to optimize this potent sorcery for an undeniable edge in your MTG encounters.