Army of the Damned MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityMythic
TypeSorcery
Abilities Flashback

Key Takeaways

  1. Creates massive board presence with thirteen 2/2 Zombie tokens, shifting game balance in your favor.
  2. Has multiplier effect with flashback, doubling value over time for sacrifice or swarm strategies.
  3. Tactical cast timing offers strategic depth despite the high mana cost and sorcery speed.

Text of card

Put thirteen 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens onto the battlefield tapped. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Sometimes death comes knocking. Sometimes it tears down the walls.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Army of the Damned excels in delivering overwhelming card advantage by creating a vast horde of thirteen 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens. This capacity for generating multiple bodies with one card can easily shift the tide of a game and outpace your opponent’s resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although Army of the Damned doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, the sheer number of creatures it puts onto the battlefield can serve as a form of acceleration for strategies focused on sacrificing creatures or powering up through sheer numbers. In addition, the card offers a flashback ability, essentially doubling its utility and maximizing the return on your mana investment over the course of a game.

Instant Speed: This card doesn’t operate at instant speed, but its potential impact on the board state is constructed to be so decisive that planning its casting around your opponent’s turns can give you unparalleled strategic depth. Don’t underestimate the value of well-timed sorcery-speed plays that set up victory conditions, especially with a powerhouse like Army of the Damned.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In decks where card advantage is crucial, the discard requirement of Army of the Damned can significantly hinder your hand, especially if you’re already under pressure and need all the resources you can get.

Specific Mana Cost: Army of the Damned demands a heavy black mana commitment with its three black mana symbols in its total cost. This makes it challenging to include in multicolored decks without a dedicated mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an eight mana value, Army of the Damned is often considered a late-game card. This can be disadvantageous in faster-paced games or against decks that aim to win before you can amass the necessary mana to cast it.


Reasons to Include Army of the Damned in Your Collection

Versatility: Army of the Damned is not just a late-game powerhouse but a flexible addition to any deck focusing on creature strategies or spells that scale with the game’s progress. Its ability to create a sizeable token army can swing the board state in your favor, regardless of the opponent’s defenses.

Combo Potential: This card is a combo enabler in decks that harness the power of undead hordes or benefit from numerous creatures entering the battlefield. Synergies with cards that capitalize on creature deaths or sacrifice can turn a single cast of Army of the Damned into a game-ending move.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of the game, Army of the Damned holds a place in metas where reanimator or swarm strategies are predominant. It has the ability to break stalemates and demand an answer from your opponent, often leading to a match-deciding moment.


How to Beat

Army of the Damned is a formidable spell in Magic: The Gathering, flooding the battlefield with an onslaught of 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens. This card can drastically turn the tide of a game if it resolves, but like all powerful forces in MTG, there are strategies to counter it effectively.

One effective approach is disruption. Counterspells like Counterspell or Negate can prevent Army of the Damned from ever hitting the field. Should the army of zombies be summoned, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board cleanly. In addition, targeted removal spells like Path to Exile or Terminate, although less efficient, can help manage the zombie horde one by one, keeping their numbers at bay.

Graveyard hate is also a viable strategy. Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace can neutralize the recursion threat that Army of the Damned carries in its flashback potential, thus protecting you from facing a second wave. Artifact-based disruption, like Tormod’s Crypt, offers a quick fix to flush the opponent’s graveyard in a pinch.

By employing these tactics, players can mitigate the devastating impact that Army of the Damned could have on a game and maintain control over the battlefield. Each tool in your MTG deck can be a potential answer to the challenge posed by this powerful card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Army of the Damned stands as a spectacle of strategic depth in MTG, promising to change the course of a match with its legion of Zombie tokens. Its potential to magnify graveyard-based plays or synergize with sacrifice strategies can propel your game to daunting levels. But its high mana cost and mono-black requirement mean it fits best in dedicated decks. To master the ebb and flow of this commanding spell, further your understanding of Army of the Damned and integrate it into your deck where it can reveal its full potential. Ready for a deep dive into tactics and deckbuilding? Join us and carry your play to new heights.


Cards like Army of the Damned

Army of the Damned stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a potent spell for summoning a vast horde of Zombie creatures. A card it’s often weighed against is Endless Ranks of the Dead, which also plays on the theme of increasing your Zombie army each turn, though at a much more incremental pace. Unlike Army of the Damned’s one-time surge, Endless Ranks offers a steady, scalable advantage.

Another comparably impactful card is Zombie Apocalypse. This resurrection spell not only brings back Zombies from the graveyard but also destroys all humans on the field, setting the stage for a dramatic shift in board presence. While it lacks the immediate army creation of Army of the Damned, its dual functionality adds a layer of versatility.

In analyzing card functionality and strategic potential, Army of the Damned is a remarkable card for its ability to flood the board with creatures in a single move. Its large mana cost is offset by the substantial impact it has in overwhelming opponents, making it a formidable card within the pantheon of Zombie-themed spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Endless Ranks of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Endless Ranks of the Dead - Innistrad (ISD)
Zombie Apocalypse - Dark Ascension Promos (PDKA)

Cards similar to Army of the Damned by color, type and mana cost

Overwhelming Forces - MTG Card versions
Decree of Pain - MTG Card versions
Worst Fears - MTG Card versions
Summon the Pack - MTG Card versions
Overwhelming Forces - Judge Gift Cards 2013 (J13)
Decree of Pain - Commander Masters (CMM)
Worst Fears - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Summon the Pack - The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) (ULST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Army of the Damned MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Commander 2013, 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 Army of the Damned and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Army of the Damned Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by Ryan Pancoast.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 872003normalblackRyan Pancoast
22013-11-01Commander 2013C13 692003normalblackRyan Pancoast
32016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1052015normalblackRyan Pancoast
42018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1132015normalblackRyan Pancoast
52021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1062015normalblackRyan Pancoast
62022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2422015normalblackRyan Pancoast

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Army of the Damned has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-03-19 If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-03-19 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-03-19 You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-03-19 You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.
2021-03-19Flashback
-ost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.”

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