Grave Peril MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Grave Peril forces opponents to sacrifice creatures, influencing board control and pacing.
  2. Its instant speed surprise factor can significantly disrupt opponent strategies.
  3. Despite requiring careful mana management, it’s a robust choice for control decks.

Text of card

When a nonblack creature comes into play, sacrifice Grave Peril. If you do, destroy that creature.

"Sometimes the grave does not wait for death before relishing its feast of flesh and bones." —Ezrith, druid of the Dark Hours


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Grave Peril can disrupt your opponent’s strategy by forcing them to sacrifice a creature as soon as it enters the battlefield, potentially giving you a lead in controlling the board.

Resource Acceleration: Not directly applicable to Grave Peril, as it focuses more on board impact rather than resource acceleration. However, indirectly, it may save resources by reducing the need for additional creature removal spells.

Instant Speed: This enchantment acts immediately and unexpectedly, catching an opponent off guard and eliminating a threat the moment they commit it to the board, which can be pivotal during tight matches.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the central drawbacks of Grave Peril is the necessity to discard another card to leverage its full potential. This cost can put players in a precarious position, especially when their hand size is dwindling, forcing them to forfeit valuable resources that may be pivotal in later turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Grave Peril demands a precise combination of mana to cast—namely one black and one colorless. This attribute can sometimes hinder deck flexibility, as it necessitates a reliable source of black mana, making it a less versatile choice for decks that run multiple colors or those that are mana-scarce.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Grave Peril can be a game-changer, its casting cost is seen as steep by some for the effect it provides. Considering the fast-paced nature of many games, having two mana tied up can lead to missed opportunities for more efficient plays, which might offer immediate board impact or disrupt opponents’ strategies more effectively.


Reasons to Include Grave Peril in Your Collection

Versatility: Grave Peril is a card that can strategically fit into multiple deck archetypes. With its ability to disrupt opponents’ creature plays, it’s an excellent addition to decks focusing on control or graveyard-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations that capitalize on creatures dying. It can be paired with effects that trigger when creatures are put into graveyards to create powerful synergies on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by creature-heavy decks, Grave Peril can serve as an effective deterrent. Its presence alone can alter the way opponents play their creatures, making it a useful tool for gaining a strategic edge.


How to beat

Grave Peril, a noteworthy enchantment in MTG, has the capacity to disrupt gameplay by creating a deterrent for creature-based strategies. It excels in games where opponents rely on casting big creatures, as it can instantly put those creatures into the graveyard upon casting. The key to overcoming Grave Peril is to adopt a strategy that is less reliant on creatures or to use creatures with abilities that trigger upon entering the graveyard or being cast.

One approach is to use spells that can remove Grave Peril before playing your valuable creatures. Direct enchantment removal cards like Disenchant or Naturalize can cleanly take care of Grave Peril, preventing its triggering effect altogether. Alternatively, a strategy could revolve around casting creatures with Flash on an opponent’s turn after Grave Peril has been triggered, or using creature spells that can’t be countered and have protection from black, sidestepping the peril altogether.

To successfully navigate around Grave Peril, consider using non-creature spells with significant impact, opt for creature spells with enter-the-battlefield effects that will provide value even if the creature is immediately put into the graveyard, or use creature spells that can be cast from the graveyard itself, rendering Grave Peril’s effect less disruptive to your game plan.


Cards like Grave Peril

Grave Peril finds its niche within the realm of creature control in Magic: The Gathering. While its eerie ability to destroy a nonblack creature may remind some players of the classic Doom Blade, Grave Peril provides a unique twist. Unlike the instant speed of Doom Blade, Grave Peril lies in wait as an enchantment, springing its trap when a creature is summoned, capturing unsuspecting prey. It offers a more passive but equally menacing tactic.

Delve into the enchantment spectrum, and comparisons emerge with cards like Seal of Doom. Seal of Doom also waits on the battlefield, but it can potentially target a wider range of creatures regardless of their color. Conversely, Seal of Doom requires manual activation and can be played around, whereas Grave Peril automatically triggers, leaving opponents with a quandary when casting creatures.

Assessing the various options, Grave Peril may not be the swiftest, but its unique set-and-forget nature can yield strategic advantages in disrupting enemy plays, making it a card worth considering for players who enjoy a more tactical and anticipatory approach to creature control strategies.

Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Seal of Doom - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - Magic 2010 (M10)
Seal of Doom - Nemesis (NEM)

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

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Brain Maggot - MTG Card versions
Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Oversold Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Lingering Death - MTG Card versions
Cover of Darkness - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Fear - Tenth Edition (10E)
Warp Artifact - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Deathgrip - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blight - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Animate Dead - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Seizures - Ice Age (ICE)
Leshrac's Sigil - Ice Age (ICE)
Lim-Dûl's Hex - Ice Age (ICE)
Dance of the Dead - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Enfeeblement - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Oath of Ghouls - Exodus (EXO)
Despondency - Urza's Saga (USG)
Chains of Mephistopheles - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Brain Maggot - Historic Anthology 2 (HA2)
Aphemia, the Cacophony - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Oversold Cemetery - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Lingering Death - Scourge (SCG)
Cover of Darkness - Assassin's Creed (ACR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Grave Peril MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Commander 2015, 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 Peril and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Grave Peril Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2015-11-13. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-05-04Future SightFUT 672003normalblackDaarken
22015-11-13Commander 2015C15 1282015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Grave Peril has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-05-01 If a nonblack creature enters the battlefield and Grave Peril triggers, then another nonblack creature enters the battlefield, Grave Peril will trigger again and destroy only the last creature to enter the battlefield.
2007-05-01 If multiple nonblack creatures enter the battlefield at the same time, Grave Peril will destroy only one of them. Grave Peril’s ability will trigger multiple times, but only the first one to resolve will do anything.
2007-05-01 This ability is not optional.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks