Decomposition MTG Card

Gain card advantage by using the graveyard as a resource with Decomposition. Instant speed allows for reactive plays and strategic depth in matches. Requires careful building around its black and green mana costs for efficacy.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set name	Mirage
Set code	MIR
Number	212
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Drew Tucker

Text of card

Play only on a black creature. Enchanted creature gains "Cumulative upkeep—1 life." If enchanted creature is put into the graveyard, its controller loses 2 life.

Cards like Decomposition

Decomposition is a novel inclusion amongst creature removal options in Magic: The Gathering, drawing parallels to the likes of Doom Blade. Both cards serve the purpose of creature elimination. However, Decomposition introduces a green twist to the traditionally black removal spell by requiring a creature you control to be sacrificed as part of its casting cost. This can be seen as a downside compared to Doom Blade, which simply targets nonblack creatures with no additional cost.

Another card worth mentioning is Bone Splinters, which also falls into the same category of requiring a sacrifice for removal. Like Decomposition, it’s priced at one mana making it cost-effective, but it is strictly black and destroys any target creature. Flesh to Dust is an alternative creature removal that doesn’t demand a sacrifice but costs significantly more mana and functions at sorcery speed, making it less flexible than the instant speed of Decomposition.

Ultimately, Decomposition finds its niche among MTG removal spells. It caters to decks that benefit from or are unbothered by self-sacrifice, thereby adding strategic depth beyond what a straightforward removal like Doom Blade can offer.

Cards similar to Decomposition by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Decomposition is a potent tool for any MTG player seeking to gain an upper hand in card resources. By enabling you to replace it with a new card from your graveyard, it ensures that your options remain varied and your strategy adaptable. Such flexibility is critical for outmaneuvering opponents and maintaining momentum throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: This card can also be a catalyst for resource acceleration. It fits neatly into strategies that capitalize on graveyard synergies, potentially unlocking additional value from the cards already used in earlier turns. By retrieving key components from your graveyard, you can swiftly pivot to a more aggressive stance or solidify your defenses.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Decomposition at instant speed grants you the agility to react to your opponent’s moves. Perfect for disrupting an adversary’s flow, this card can be deployed during their turn, maximizing strategic depth and enabling surprise plays that could turn the tide of a match in your favor. Fast-paced matches particularly benefit from such versatile cards that can be played on a moment’s notice.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Decomposition requires sacrificing a creature as part of its casting cost, potentially causing you to lose board presence when you cast it.

Specific Mana Cost: Decomposition demands both black and green mana, making it less flexible and more challenging to cast in multicolored decks not focused on those colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a combined mana value of three, including one black and one green, there are alternative removal spells that could accomplish similar results at a lower cost or with additional benefits.

Reasons to Include Decomposition in Your Collection

Versatility: Decomposition offers broad usability across multiple deck archetypes given its ability to efficiently manage graveyard resources. It’s conducive for strategies that interact with the graveyard, either by enabling your own or disrupting an opponent’s.

Combo Potential: This card opens up avenues for synergy with decks that revolve around sacrificing or recycling creatures, whether it’s for generating mana, drawing cards, or other effects that require a death trigger to engage.

Meta-Relevance: With an ever-evolving MTG environment, Decomposition remains relevant in metas where graveyard strategies are prevalent, providing a strategic edge by using the graveyard as a resource or hindering an opponent’s game plan.

How to Beat

Decomposition is a unique spell in the world of Magic: The Gathering, designed to disrupt opponents by dismantling their graveyards. It’s akin to surgical extraction effects, but with its own twist. Understanding how to counter it can give you an edge in the battlefield. Just as Rest in Peace exiles all cards from all graveyards, nullifying Decomposition’s target, other strategies involve using cards like Elixir of Immortality to shuffle your graveyard back into your library as a preventive measure.

If Decomposition targets a key piece in your graveyard, Krosan Grip can be a lifesaver with its split second ability, stopping the spell before it takes effect. Even utilizing cards with flashback or other graveyard escape mechanisms can outpace the effects of Decomposition by letting you utilize those cards before they become targets.

To sum up, staying ahead of a Decomposition play requires careful planning and the use of responsive or preventive strategies. By prioritizing the protection of your graveyard or by making it less of a focal point for your overall game strategy, you’ll diminish the impact Decomposition has and maintain control of your game plan.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Decomposition MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Decomposition and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Decomposition has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-04-15	If a permanent has multiple instances of cumulative upkeep, each triggers separately. However, the age counters are not connected to any particular ability; each cumulative upkeep ability will count the total number of age counters on the permanent at the time that ability resolves.