Risen Executioner MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Warrior |
| Released | 2015-03-27 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Dragons of Tarkir |
| Set code | DTK |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 116 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Craig J Spearing |
Key Takeaways
- Risen Executioner offers card advantage by recurring from the graveyard, ensuring consistent board presence.
- This card accelerates resources by reducing Zombie spell costs, enhancing mana efficiency in decks.
- Strategic play against Risen Executioner involves graveyard control and board-clearing spells to mitigate its effects.
Text of card
Risen Executioner can't block. Other Zombie creatures you control get +1/+1. You may cast Risen Executioner from your graveyard if you pay more to cast it for each other creature card in your graveyard.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Risen Executioner doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it provides a strategic edge by returning from your graveyard to your hand. This recurring ability means that as long as you can manage your mana and Zombies on the battlefield, Risen Executioner can offer an advantage by being a persistent threat that your opponent must deal with multiple times over the course of a game.
Resource Acceleration: The Risen Executioner contributes to resource acceleration in a Zombie-themed deck by potentially reducing the cost of Zombie spells. As a lord, it amplifies the strength of your undead forces, allowing for a more efficient use of your mana in bolstering the power and toughness of your Zombie minions.
Instant Speed: Risen Executioner operates at sorcery speed, but its ability to rise from the graveyard can be effectively used during the second main phase, immediately after the dust has settled from combat. Deploying the Executioner at this time ensures that your battlefield position remains strong, without preemptively revealing your strategies to your opponent during your turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Risen Executioner can’t block unless there are no other creatures in your graveyard, potentially forcing you to make unwanted discards to keep the battlefield clear for its abilities to be fully effective.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both black mana and colorless mana, which could be cumbersome for multicolored decks in need of a more flexible mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes two black mana symbols, Risen Executioner’s return from the graveyard ability can be costly, particularly in games where mana efficiency is crucial.
Reasons to Include Risen Executioner in Your Collection
Versatility: The Risen Executioner shines in multiple deck archetypes, especially in Zombie tribal decks. As a lord, it boosts other Zombies you control, and its own ability to cast itself from the graveyard makes it a resilient threat in various game stages.
Combo Potential: This card can become a crucial piece in combos or synergistic strategies focused on graveyard play. Its casting ability from the graveyard can be exploited with self-mill or sacrifice mechanics, fueling engines for larger plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard-based strategies are frequently powerful in various metagames, Risen Executioner’s recurrence can constantly pressure opponents. It fits well into decks aiming to exploit graveyard synergies, maintaining its relevance in evolving metas.
How to beat
Risen Executioner is a unique zombie card that stands out in the world of Magic: The Gathering. This undead warrior offers an intriguing advantage in being able to be cast from the graveyard, making it a persistent threat in any zombie-themed deck. Its other asset, providing other zombies with an attack boost, makes it a key player on the battlefield.
To counter Risen Executioner effectively, players should consider using graveyard manipulation tools that can exile it, removing the possibility of its return. Cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog can prove invaluable in this situation. Additionally, one must address the augmented zombie squad that comes with the Executioner’s buffs. Sweepers like Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the board, negating the bonus Risen Executioner provides without having to target it directly. Lastly, ensuring your removal spells say “exile” rather than “destroy” can prevent this formidable zombie from making an untimely comeback from the graveyard.
Overall, while Risen Executioner can be a nightmare to face, strategic deck building aimed at controlling the graveyard and the board proves to be an effective way to triumph over this relentless zombie card.
Cards like Risen Executioner
In the realm of undead champions in Magic: The Gathering, Risen Executioner makes a compelling case for inclusion in zombie decks. It shares the zombie tribe card type with other noteworthy cards like Death Baron, which grants zombies you control +1/+1 and deathtouch, bolstering the power and peril of each zombie attack. However, Risen Executioner stands out by allowing itself to be cast from the graveyard as long as you control no other zombies, emphasizing recurring threat and deck resilience.
Liliana’s Mastery is another card that resonates with Risen Executioner’s style, as it also empowers zombie creatures by providing a static anthem effect and producing zombie tokens. While lacking the Executioner’s direct recursion ability, it compensates with an immediate board presence. Then there’s Lord of the Accursed, which not only pumps up your zombies but offers the tactical advantage of giving them all menace until end of turn, at a cost. This lord trades the self-reviving lure of Risen Executioner for a broad-reaching combat advantage.
Assessing the dynamics of zombie-themed cards, Risen Executioner claims its unique spot by combining aggressive stat lines with potent graveyard synergy, making it a relentless force in MTG’s strategic deck building.
Cards similar to Risen Executioner by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Risen Executioner MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Risen Executioner and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Risen Executioner has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Risen Executioner card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | Once you start to cast Risen Executioner from your graveyard, you’ll finish casting it, including paying its cost, before any player receives priority. No one can respond in time to affect the cost you’ll pay (perhaps by destroying one of your other creatures). |
| 2015-02-25 | Risen Executioner’s last ability doesn’t change when you can cast it. |
