Dig Up the Body MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Casualty,Mill |
| Released | 2022-04-29 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Streets of New Capenna |
| Set code | SNC |
| Number | 76 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Greg Staples |
Text of card
Casualty 1 (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power 1 or greater. When you do, copy this spell.) Mill two cards, then you may return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
Cards like Dig Up the Body
Delving into the strategic layers of Magic: The Gathering, Dig Up the Body offers a unique utility for gameplay. This card echoes the versatility found in other graveyard manipulation spells. Similar in concept to other black magic spells, like Raise Dead, which also retrieves a creature from the graveyard to the hand, Dig Up the Body adds depth to this mechanic by offering a choice, although it requires an additional mana and comes with a creature token generation.
Analogous cards in the MTG roster include Macabre Waltz and Morbid Plunder. Both allow the player to return creatures from the graveyard to their hand, yet Macabre Waltz requires the player to discard a card while Morbid Plunder does not offer additional benefits. Unlike these alternatives, Dig Up the Body presents an optional trade-off by providing a route to stronger board presence with creature tokens, potentially giving players a tactical edge during their games.
Ultimately, Dig Up the Body situates itself as a multifaceted card that can pivot between roles, depending on the situation. Its duality in enabling creature retrieval while possibly expanding a player’s army on the battlefield carves a niche for it in MTG’s diverse library of spells.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dig Up the Body enables you to return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, potentially reclaiming key pieces of your strategy and rebuilding your board presence after a setback.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, this card redeems itself by retrieving your valuable creatures. This can indirectly accelerate your game plan, especially if the creature has its own ramp abilities.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Dig Up the Body at instant speed means you can optimize your turns. It provides the element of surprise and strategic depth by allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment to act, perhaps in response to an opponent’s move or at the end of their turn for maximum efficiency.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dig Up the Body asks for a card to be discarded upon casting, potentially draining your hand when resources are already scarce.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mana combination to cast, which might not sync well with a deck that isn’t closely aligned with its color identity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a notable mana investment needed, players may find other cards in the meta that accomplish similar goals without such a taxing cost.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Dig Up the Body stands out with its ability to seamlessly adapt to different game scenarios, making it a noteworthy choice for decks in need of flexible creature recovery options.
Combo Potential: This card offers intriguing combinations with graveyard-based strategies, enabling players to retrieve key creatures and potentially multiply their threats on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where the graveyard can be a resource just as valuable as the hand or field, Dig Up the Body remains relevant, especially in environments where recursion plays a pivotal role.
How to beat
Unraveling how to outmaneuver an opponent’s Dig Up the Body card can be quite the puzzle in Magic: The Gathering. This spell lets a player return a creature card from their graveyard to their hand, which can repetitively thwart your elimination efforts. To effectively nullify this card’s advantage, control tactics and graveyard disruption are key strategies.
Consider adding cards like Scavenging Ooze or Leyline of the Void to your deck as these can exile cards from the graveyard, rendering Dig Up the Body useless. Similarly, countering it with Negate or Thoughtseize can prevent it from ever hitting the board, maintaining your control over the match. Moreover, implementing a faster gameplay approach can outpace a deck relying on graveyard recursion, which might be the strategic edge you need. Cards with flash also serve to apply pressure during your opponent’s turn, potentially leaving them with less opportunity to benefit from their own cards.
Therefore, employing a combination of disruptive plays, swift aggression, and focused control can successfully blunt the impact of Dig Up the Body, keeping your opponent’s graveyard from becoming an unwelcome resource trough and helping you maintain dominance in the duel.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dig Up the Body MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna, 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 Dig Up the Body and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dig Up the Body has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dig Up the Body card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-04-29 | Casualty N means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power N or greater.” and “When you cast this spell, if a casualty cost was paid for it, copy it. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for the copy.” |
| 2022-04-29 | If you pay the casualty cost of a spell, the copy will resolve before the original spell. |
| 2022-04-29 | The copy of the spell is created on the stack, so it's not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger. |
| 2022-04-29 | You may return any creature card from your graveyard to your hand, not just those you milled while resolving Dig Up the Body. |
| 2022-04-29 | You may sacrifice only one creature to pay a spell's casualty cost, and you copy the spell only once. |