Grave Birthing MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Abilities	Devoid
Released	2015-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Battle for Zendikar
Set code	BFZ
Number	93
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Craig J Spearing

Key Takeaways

Offers card advantage by drawing and exiling an opponent’s graveyard card.
Generates Scion tokens at instant speed for mana ramp or blocking.
Has some restrictions due to mana cost and discard conditions.

Text of card

Devoid (This card has no color.) Target opponent exiles a card from his or her graveyard. You put a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token onto the battlefield. It has "Sacrifice this creature: Add to your mana pool."Draw a card.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grave Birthing helps to sustain card flow by enabling you to exile a card from your opponent’s graveyard and draw a card, ensuring you maintain a hand well-stocked with options.

Resource Acceleration: By creating a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token that can be sacrificed for mana, Grave Birthing provides a subtle form of resource acceleration that can be pivotal for powering up your plays or ramping into larger threats.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Grave Birthing means you can respond swiftly to game actions, keeping your strategy flexible and adaptive while disrupting your opponent’s graveyard synergies at the most opportune moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike other instant spells in the MTG universe, Grave Birthing necessitates that your opponent discards a card. In scenarios where the opponent’s hand is already empty, this requirement turns Grave Birthing into a less optimal play, essentially stripping it of its potential card advantage benefit.

Specific Mana Cost: Grave Birthing is uniquely structured with a colorless mana cost but also requires one black mana. This cost might not be an issue in two-color or more decks, but it does mean that the card cannot be slotted into colorless-only or decks that do not run black mana, thus limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at three mana, including one black, Grave Birthing may have a steeper investment compared to other spells within the same mana range. When evaluating the return on investment, players might find other options that either generate more creatures, draw more cards or affect the board in a more impactful manner for the same or a lower mana cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Grave Birthing isn’t just a one-trick pony; it’s a multifaceted card that fits snugly into numerous deck archetypes. Whether piloting a control deck that needs to disrupt graveyard strategies or an aggressive deck searching for a bit of draw, this card slots in neatly to keep your game plan moving smoothly.

Combo Potential: With the ability to produce a Scion token that taps for mana, Grave Birthing can be more than just graveyard hate. It aligns well with decks that leverage creature tokens for sacrifice or mana acceleration, making it a subtle but potent enabler for various combo finishes.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where opponents frequently utilize their graveyard as a resource, Grave Birthing can serve a dual purpose. It not only interferes with their strategies by exiling a card but also keeps your hand stocked, ensuring you maintain the upper hand in resource competition—essential for staying one step ahead in the current meta.

How to beat

Grave Birthing can pose unique challenges for players in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. This colorless instant not only provides its caster with an additional card and a Scion creature token, which can be a valuable blocker or a resource for mana generation, but it also forces a slightly detrimental effect on the opponent by exiling a card from their graveyard.

When facing Grave Birthing, it’s imperative to minimize the card’s impact. Playing cards with graveyard synergies or those that can replenish the graveyard quickly can help negate the exile effect. It’s also advisable to keep a keen eye on your token removal spells and effects which can sweep away the Scion token before it’s used to ramp or chump block an important attack. Additionally, running a deck with instant speed responses allows you to disrupt or at least partially neutralize the advantage gained by your opponent.

With these strategies, you can effectively contain and surpass the utility Grave Birthing provides, keeping the edge in your favor as you navigate through the ebb and flow of the game.

Cards like Grave Birthing

Grave Birthing stands out in the realm of creature token generation and card draw in Magic the Gathering. It finds its peers in cards like Sultai Emissary, which also creates a creature token; however, Grave Birthing has the upper hand with its additional benefit of drawing you a card. Unlike Emissary, Grave Birthing exiles a card from an opponent’s graveyard – a subtle yet impactful way to disrupt graveyard strategies that are often prevalent in the game.

Moving on to Call the Scions, both cards summon creature tokens and cost three mana, but Call the Scions forgoes the draw and exile mechanics, instead opting to create two tokens. This difference reflects Grave Birthing’s versatility, balancing board presence and hand advantage. Additionally, the spawn token from Grave Birthing serves as a flexible asset due to its ability to be sacrificed for colorless mana, integrating well with decks that capitalize on such synergies.

Ultimately, Grave Birthing offers a unique blend of utility, providing a creature token, thinning out an opponent’s graveyard, and replenishing the hand – functions that, when combined, give it an edge in the right deck compositions.

Cards similar to Grave Birthing by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grave Birthing MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Grave Birthing and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grave Birthing has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2015-08-25	A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost.
2015-08-25	Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play.
2015-08-25	Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield.
2015-08-25	Eldrazi Scions are similar to Eldrazi Spawn, seen in the Zendikar block. Note that Eldrazi Scions are 1/1, not 0/1.
2015-08-25	Eldrazi and Scion are each separate creature types. Anything that affects Eldrazi will affect these tokens, for example.
2015-08-25	If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid.
2015-08-25	Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless.
2015-08-25	Sacrificing an Eldrazi Scion creature token to add to your mana pool is a mana ability. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to.
2015-08-25	Some instants and sorceries that create Eldrazi Scions require targets. If all targets for such a spell have become illegal by the time that spell tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t get any Eldrazi Scions.
2015-08-25	The target opponent chooses which card to exile as Grave Birthing resolves.
2015-08-25	You can cast Grave Birthing targeting an opponent with an empty graveyard. Even though that player won’t exile a card from their graveyard, you’ll still get an Eldrazi Scion and draw a card.