Secrets of the Dead MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Secrets of the Dead grants card draw for spells cast from your graveyard, fueling late-game control.
  2. It demands a strategy built around graveyard play and discard mechanisms for optimal use.
  3. The enchantment’s utility and combo potential make it a valuable addition to specific MTG decks.

Text of card

Whenever you cast a spell from your graveyard, draw a card.

"The veil between the living and the dead is so very thin that the whispers of the ancients can finally be heard." —Amalric of Midvast Hall


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Secrets of the Dead provides a steady stream of card draw, ensuring that you keep your hand replenished every time you cast a spell from your graveyard. This can be pivotal in maintaining the upper hand in longer games where resources are key.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly providing mana, the consistent card draw from Secrets of the Dead can lead to drawing into more lands or mana ramp spells. This indirect resource acceleration is invaluable for decks that rely on large amounts of mana to execute their strategy.

Instant Speed: While the card itself isn’t an instant, it rewards playing other spells at instant speed from your graveyard. This interaction with flashback or other graveyard-to-play abilities can give you the flexibility to respond to opponents’ actions while gaining card advantage, keeping you one step ahead.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the challenges of leveraging Secrets of the Dead in your deck is the prerequisite of self-discard mechanisms. This card’s strength is activated when you discard other cards, leading to potentially depleting your hand. This can setback your game, especially if you’re already behind or if your strategy doesn’t synergize with discarding as a resource.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirements of Secrets of the Dead are not color-neutral, demanding both blue mana and generic mana. This specificity narrows its compatibility, primarily slotting into decks that can reliably produce blue mana, potentially excluding it from non-blue strategies or those with a heavier focus on other colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of three, including one blue, Secrets of the Dead may compete with other pivotal three-cost spells in your arsenal. In many cases, players might find that their mana could be more effectively spent on spells that immediately impact the board state or provide more significant card advantage, as opposed to waiting for the conditional trigger provided by Secrets of the Dead.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Secrets of the Dead offers a unique advantage in decks that focus on casting spells from the graveyard. This card’s ability to draw you an extra card whenever you cast from the graveyard means it fits perfectly in strategies that utilize flashback, unearth, and other graveyard play mechanics.

Combo Potential: This enchantment thrives in synergistic setups, transforming each graveyard play into a card-drawing engine. Combine it with self-mill or dredge strategies to exponentially increase your hand size, and maintain a steady flow of options throughout the game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where resources are everything, Secrets of the Dead maintains relevance by ensuring players exploiting their graveyard don’t lose steam. It’s a must-have for decks that need to keep pace with the demands of the current metagame, continuously providing card advantage and fuelling long game strategies.


How to beat

Secrets of the Dead is an intriguing enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that rewards players for maximizing their graveyard strategies, particularly flashbacks or other mechanics allowing one to cast cards from the graveyard. When one casts from their graveyard, Secrets of the Dead provides an extra incentive by drawing a card, thus maintaining hand advantage.

To effectively nullify this card’s benefit, the best strategy usually includes graveyard disruption. Cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze can systematically clear the graveyard, diminishing the value Secrets of the Dead adds to the game. Alternatively, one may use enchantment removals like Disenchant or Naturalize to directly remove Secrets of the Dead from the battlefield. This approach limits the opposing player’s ability to utilize their graveyard as a resource and negates the potential card advantage the enchantment could provide during the game.

Understanding and disrupting your opponent’s strategy is essential in Magic: The Gathering. By keeping tabs on graveyard-based strategies and having the right answers in your deck, you can effectively counteract the advantages gained from cards like Secrets of the Dead and maintain a stronger position on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG players know that strategy is the backbone of every match, and fine-tuning your deck with the right cards can be the difference between victory and defeat. Secrets of the Dead is a beacon for graveyard-synergistic decks, promising new peaks of power as it transforms your graveyard plays into valuable card draw. If your playstyle orbits around utilizing the graveyard, consider integrating this enchantment into your arsenal. Visit BurnMana for more insights on how to use Secrets of the Dead effectively, enhance your deck strategies, and consistently outmaneuver your opponents with a wealth of resources at your disposal.


Cards like Secrets of the Dead

Secrets of the Dead is an intriguing card in the world of Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique approach to card advantage. This card parallels others in the enchantment category which capitalize on graveyard mechanics, such as Mystic Remora. While Mystic Remora can potentially draw you more cards by taxing opponents’ spells, Secrets of the Dead rewards you for using your graveyard as a resource, granting a card for each spell cast from beyond the grave.

Moving towards other notable counterparts, we encounter River Kelpie. Much like Secrets of the Dead, River Kelpie thrives on the same graveyard interaction but with a broader scope, providing card draws on any card entering the battlefield from a graveyard or a cast from it. However, River Kelpie comes with a significantly higher mana investment. Compared to these alternatives, Secrets of the Dead offers a more cost-effective method for generating card advantage, albeit with a more narrow trigger condition focused on your own spell casts from the graveyard.

Observing the strengths and specialties of these cards, Secrets of the Dead demonstrates distinct value in MTG strategies that heavily utilize the graveyard, offering consistent card draws with less mana commitment.

Mystic Remora - MTG Card versions
River Kelpie - MTG Card versions
Mystic Remora - Ice Age (ICE)
River Kelpie - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Cards similar to Secrets of the Dead by color, type and mana cost

Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Veiled Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Gaseous Form - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions
Pemmin's Aura - MTG Card versions
Feedback - Fifth Edition (5ED)
In the Eye of Chaos - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Undertow - Legends (LEG)
Mana Vortex - The Dark (DRK)
Energy Flux - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Mesmeric Trance - Ice Age (ICE)
Soul Barrier - Ice Age (ICE)
Puppet Master - Chronicles (CHR)
Intruder Alarm - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Equilibrium - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Mana Breach - Exodus (EXO)
Checks and Balances - Unglued (UGL)
Douse - Urza's Saga (USG)
Veiled Crocodile - Urza's Saga (USG)
Charisma - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Gaseous Form - The List (PLST)
Traveler's Cloak - Invasion (INV)
Shifting Sky - Planeshift (PLS)
Threads of Disloyalty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Pemmin's Aura - Scourge (SCG)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Secrets of the Dead MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension and Commander 2019, 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 Secrets of the Dead and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Secrets of the Dead Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2012-02-03 and 2019-08-23. Illustrated by Eytan Zana.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-02-03Dark AscensionDKA 482003normalblackEytan Zana
22019-08-23Commander 2019C19 952015normalblackEytan Zana

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Secrets of the Dead has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-01-22 Secrets of the Dead’s triggered ability resolves before the spell you cast from your graveyard does.

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