Buried Alive MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Exploits graveyard resources to build powerful, game-altering strategies and setups for comeback plays.
  2. Restrictive mana cost and deck requirements may hinder its usage in diverse deck builds.
  3. Remains a staple in formats that benefit from deep graveyard mechanics and creature recursion.

Text of card

Search your library for up to three creature cards and put them into your graveyard. Shuffle your library afterwards.

"Is it worse to walk while dead, or to be buried alive? I have witnessed both." —Crovax


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Buried Alive offers a strategic edge by allowing you to search your library for up to three creature cards and put them into your graveyard. This sets you up for potent graveyard synergies and recurring effects, leveraging your graveyard as a resource.

Resource Acceleration: This card effectively accelerates your gameplay by setting the stage for powerful reanimation spells or enabling combos. By filling your graveyard, you are setting up your resources for impending plays that can pivot the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: While Buried Alive operates at sorcery speed, its impact is so significant that it can dictate the pace of the match. It allows for immediate graveyard setup, often catching opponents off-guard and preparing the path for high-impact maneuvers in subsequent turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One aspect of Buried Alive that might deter players is that it places cards directly into the graveyard without providing an immediate board presence or card advantage in hand. This can be disadvantageous in situations where maintaining a hand presence is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Buried Alive, with its specific black mana requirement, demands a commitment to black mana sources. This restricts the card primarily to mono-black or black-heavy decks, potentially limiting its versatility across various MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three black mana, Buried Alive can be seen as having a high mana investment for the early game. Considering the pace of MTG, investing this mana in the early turns without affecting the board could potentially put a player behind, especially when facing more aggressive strategies.


Reasons to Include Buried Alive in Your Collection

Versatility: Buried Alive stands out with its ability to search your library and send any three creatures straight to your graveyard. This utility makes it an asset in decks capitalizing on graveyard strategies, such as reanimation or delve.

Combo Potential: With Buried Alive, the stage is set for powerful combinations. It can set up game-ending plays by assembling the perfect creatures for a reanimator spell or synergize with mechanics like flashback or threshold.

Meta-Relevance: Within the shifting sands of competitive play, Buried Alive maintains its edge. It’s a consistent choice in formats where graveyard manipulation can dictate the pace and outcome of the match, carving a niche in many combo and control decks.


How to Beat Buried Alive

Buried Alive is a potent tool for any player aiming to stuff their graveyard with creatures, essentially serving as a library-to-graveyard tutor. To outplay this card, grave hate is your ally. Consider running cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Grafdigger’s Cage which can exile or control graveyard activity. Responding quickly to Buried Alive is key in hindering an opponent’s strategy.

Another strategy is to keep close watch on what creatures get buried. If they rely on certain combos or reanimation targets, extract those creatures with targeted graveyard removal like Scavenging Ooze or surgical extraction spells. Time your disruptions after Buried Alive resolves to maintain the element of surprise and dismantle your opponent’s planned sequences.

Lastly, countering this card outright with spells like Negate can prevent the graveyard from becoming a resource pool. Always consider your deck’s weaknesses and have sideboard options ready. By doing so, you’re setting up a defensive line that can handle the recursive threats Buried Alive poses, ensuring you remain in control of the match.


BurnMana Recommendations

With the strategic advantages and potential drawbacks of Buried Alive in mind, your MTG expertise is the real game-changer. Remember, mastering your deck’s synergies with graveyard mechanics can unlock a new level of play. Delve deeper into the intricacies of the game with us, from fine-tuning your strategies to outsmarting opponents. Elevate your MTG knowledge by understanding the nuances of every card like Buried Alive. Join our community of dedicated players and gather insights that transcend the typical gameplay experience. Let’s advance your strategic edge together on this enthralling journey through MTG.


Cards like Buried Alive

The appeal of Buried Alive in MTG stems from its powerful utility in graveyard-based strategies. It closely resembles Entomb, another efficient graveyard tutor. While Entomb places any one card into your graveyard at instant speed, Buried Alive allows you to select three creature cards but at sorcery speed, offering greater volume for longer-term setups.

Additionally, Intuition is a card with a similar feel as it permits searching for three cards and giving opponents the choosing power, ultimately placing one in your hand and the rest into the graveyard. Although Intuition provides immediate value, Buried Alive’s guarantee of stocking the graveyard makes it ideal for decks aiming to reanimate creatures or benefit from graveyard synergies.

Finally, Grisly Salvage stands as a noteworthy alternative, allowing a look at the top five cards of your library, and then picking a creature or land card among them, with the rest going to the graveyard. While it doesn’t offer the tutor precision of Buried Alive, it does have the advantage of being at instant speed and also the potential to immediately affect board state with a land drop.

When comparing the tactical advantages and deck synergy enhancement, Buried Alive holds a firm position within MTG’s arsenal of graveyard manipulation cards.

Entomb - MTG Card versions
Intuition - MTG Card versions
Grisly Salvage - MTG Card versions
Entomb - Odyssey (ODY)
Intuition - Tempest (TMP)
Grisly Salvage - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cards similar to Buried Alive by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Inquisition - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Crippling Fatigue - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Inquisition - The Dark (DRK)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Starter 1999 (S99)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 2000 (S00)
Grim Tutor - Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Crippling Fatigue - Hachette UK (PHUK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Buried Alive MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight and Odyssey, 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 Buried Alive and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Buried Alive Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 1997-06-09 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-06-09WeatherlightWTH 631997normalblackBrian Horton
22001-10-01OdysseyODY 1181997normalblackGreg Staples
32003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 pk118sb2003normalgoldGreg Staples
42003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 pk1182003normalgoldGreg Staples
52010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A391997normalblackBrian Horton
62011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 742003normalblackGreg Staples
72011-11-18Premium Deck Series: GravebornPD3 202003normalblackGreg Staples
82018-06-08Commander Anthology Volume IICM2 592015normalblackGreg Staples
92018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 882015normalblackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Buried Alive has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 You can look in your library and then choose to find any number from zero to three creatures after you look at it.

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