Dreams of the Dead MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 4 |
Rarity | Uncommon |
Type | Enchantment |
Text of card
o1oo U Take target white or black creature from your graveyard and put it directly into play as though it were just summoned. That creature now requires an additional Cumulative Upkeep: . If the creature leaves play, remove it from the game.
Cards like Dreams of the Dead
Dreams of the Dead is a unique card from Magic: The Gathering, evoking a very specific set of mechanics in the realm of graveyard interaction. It echoes certain similarities with other MTG cards that provide utility in retrieving creatures from the grave. For instance, cards like Animate Dead, with its ability to bring back any creature at the cost of a continual upkeep, provides similar functionality. However, Dreams of the Dead offers a twist with its four mana activation cost and the stipulation that the creature must be white and hailing from your graveyard.
Comparatively, Resurrection is another spell that allows players to return a creature from their graveyard directly onto the battlefield. While it’s a one-time effect and doesn’t require the creature to be white, its upfront cost of four mana is comparable to the activation ability of Dreams of the Dead. Meanwhile, cards like Zombify and Exhume also serve the purpose of returning creatures from the graveyard to play. Each of these spells presents varied strategic advantages, cost, and nuances that set Dreams of the Dead apart as a tool for players, especially in formats where manipulating the colors and attributes of creatures is pivotal.
These comparisons highlight the focused utility Dreams of the Dead offers for decks centered around white creatures and control strategies, enabling players to leverage their graveyard as an extension of their hand with more selective criteria.
Cards similar to Dreams of the Dead by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dreams of the Dead offers a repeatable mechanism to retrieve creatures from your graveyard, potentially providing card advantage by reutilizing valuable creature cards throughout the game.
Resource Acceleration: By investing mana into reviving creatures, it effectively accelerates your resource utility rate, bypassing the need to cast creatures from hand and therefore saving those resources for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While Dreams of the Dead itself is not an instant, it allows you to resurrect creatures at instant speed. This flexibility lets you surprise opponents during their turn or respond reactively to changing board states, a powerful positional advantage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Dreams of the Dead requires players to remove the top card of their library from the game, making it a less than ideal choice for those who wish to maintain a strong deck presence or manipulate their own graveyard for strategic advantages.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation cost includes both blue mana and generic mana, necessitating a firm footing in blue-centric or blue-inclusive mana bases to exploit its capabilities efficiently, possibly restricting its utility in more diverse or color-specific strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial casting cost followed by a recurring activation cost to utilize its effect, the investment needed to make Dreams of the Dead a contributive element in gameplay may outweigh its potential benefits, especially when compared to other creature reanimation spells or effects that demand less resource expenditure for similar or superior results.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Dreams of the Dead offers the ability to resurrect creatures from the graveyard temporarily, which can be incredibly adaptable in decks that capitalize on enters-the-battlefield or leaves-the-battlefield effects.
Combo Potential: This card allows for clever interactions with creatures that have powerful on-death triggers, setting the stage for repeatable combos that can be exploited for strategic advantage.
Meta-Relevance: With graveyard strategies frequently making waves in various MTG metas, Dreams of the Dead could offer a unique edge by reusing influential creature effects at critical moments in gameplay.
How to beat
Dreams of the Dead is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, presenting an intriguing dynamic to graveyard interaction. This card allows players to return target white or black creature from the graveyard to play under their control. However, there are ways to outmaneuver its potential.The key to disrupting Dreams of the Dead lies in managing both graveyard and exile zones. It’s vulnerable to enchantment removal, like Disenchant or Abrupt Decay, which can effectively negate its utility. Moreover, cards that exile from the graveyard, like Bojuka Bog or Tormod’s Crypt, cripple its ability to interact with its ideal targets.Furthermore, strategies involving creatures that resist being targeted or spells that grant shroud or hexproof, such as Swiftfoot Boots or Asceticism, will protect important creatures from the grasp of Dreams of the Dead. Counterspells also serve as a firm line of defense against it ever hitting the board.Diligent surveillance of the graveyard, combined with efficient handling of control-changing effects, guarantees a solid position against Dreams of the Dead. It’s crucial to execute a well-timed removal or interference to maintain the upper hand against this enchantment.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dreams of the Dead MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, 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 Dreams of the Dead 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
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Dreams of the Dead Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Heather Hudson.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1995-06-03 | Ice Age | ICE | 66 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson | |
2 | 2008-09-22 | Masters Edition II | ME2 | 46 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Heather Hudson |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dreams of the Dead 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 Dreams of the Dead 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 | This is a replacement effect. |
2008-10-01 | If a creature returned to the battlefield with Dreams of the Dead would leave the battlefield for any reason, it’s exiled instead — unless the spell or ability that’s causing the creature to leave the battlefield is actually trying to exile it! In that case, it succeeds at exiling it. If it later returns the creature card to the battlefield (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to the battlefield as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. |
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. |