Decaying Soil MTG Card

Provides card advantage by consistently retrieving creatures from the graveyard to hand. Instant speed activation adds versatility to gameplay and strategic depth. Demanding mana cost and discard conditions may limit its general applicability.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Abilities	Threshold
Released	2001-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Odyssey
Set code	ODY
Number	127
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Don Hazeltine

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a card in your graveyard from the game. Threshold Whenever a nontoken creature is put into your graveyard from play, you may pay o1. If you do, return that card to your hand. (You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Cards like Decaying Soil

Decaying Soil offers a unique blend of graveyard interaction and recurability for Magic: The Gathering players. It stands in comparison with cards such as Genesis, which also provides a way to recur creatures from the graveyard to hand. Though Genesis brings this ability automatically at each upkeep for one specific creature, Decaying Soil requires a more proactive approach and respects no limitation on the number or type of creatures, as long as its threshold condition is satisfied.

Morbid Bloom is another card that delves into graveyard themes but leans towards exiling creatures to create token creatures, rather than returning them to the hand. This creates a different type of resource for the player but doesn’t offer the ongoing control over the graveyard that Decaying Soil allows. Phyrexian Reclamation provides a similar return-to-hand ability as Decaying Soil but at a constant mana and life cost without the prerequisite of threshold, making each card’s utility situational.

When considering the versatility of graveyard management and creature recovery, Decaying Soil provides a persistent edge. Its threshold condition offers a strategic dimension, catering to a more calculated style of play within Magic: The Gathering, inviting players to manage their graveyards meticulously for maximum benefit.

Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Decaying Soil by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Decaying Soil offers the potential for consistent card retrieval from the graveyard to your hand, enhancing long-term card advantage as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: By efficiently returning creatures back to your hand, this card helps to maintain your board presence and accelerates your resource deployment, making your plays more impactful with each turn.

Instant Speed: Its activated ability can be used at instant speed, allowing for strategic plays during your opponent’s turn and making it a versatile card in situations where timing is crucial.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Decaying Soil demands you discard a card to utilize its regeneration ability. This cost can set you back, especially if you’re already behind in card advantage or need to maintain resources in hand for other strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s activation is confined to decks that can reliably produce black mana. Players not running a black-centered or compatible deck may find Decaying Soil restrictive and difficult to incorporate.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a three mana value and an additional black mana needed to trigger its ability, Decaying Soil can be seen as costly. Considering the wealth of lower-cost alternatives that offer creature protection or graveyard interaction, it’s imperative to evaluate whether its inclusion aligns with your deck’s economic efficiency.

Reasons to Include Decaying Soil in Your Collection

Versatility: Decaying Soil offers flexibility in a variety of deck types. Its ability to return creatures from your graveyard to your hand each turn makes it a resilient piece in strategies that revolve around creature-based interactions or graveyard manipulation.

Combo Potential: This card plays well with decks that have a sacrifice theme or those that revolve around creature death triggers. It can set the stage for powerful combinations, providing a steady stream of creatures to fuel various in-game engine pieces.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where control decks are prevalent, being able to repeatedly recover key creatures can provide the edge you need. Decaying Soil might not be a mainstay in all meta scenarios, but its strength shines in the right deck, making it a worthy addition for players who understand its potential synergies.

How to beat Decaying Soil

Decaying Soil stands out in the realm of graveyard interaction in MTG, offering a unique recursive ability. Respectively, it allows players to return a creature card from their graveyard to their hand at the end of each turn if a black creature also died that turn. To circumvent this loop, a targeted approach is often most effective.

Spell cards like Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void that exile cards directly from the graveyard disrupt the synergy that Decaying Soil relies on. Additionally, Rest in Peace functions to nullify graveyard mechanics altogether. By employing such cards, you can strategically counteract the benefits an opponent gains from Decaying Soil. It’s essential to be proactive and utilize these tools before the graveyard becomes a threat.

Recognizing and undermining such strategies that focus on graveyard utility can set the stage for a game-winning momentum shift. Thus, key disruption tools are indispensable in your deck to effectively counter cards like Decaying Soil and secure your path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Decaying Soil MTG card by a specific set like 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 Decaying Soil and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Decaying Soil has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Multiple creatures going to the graveyard at the same time all end up there at once, so either all of them or none of them will cause the trigger to go off, depending on whether or not Threshold was met prior to the creatures going to the graveyard.
2004-10-04	The ability in Threshold will trigger only if Threshold was met before the creature goes to the graveyard. So the one that causes Threshold to be met will not trigger the ability.