Lord of the Undead MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Zombie
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. It provides card recovery, empowering decks by recycling Zombies from the graveyard to your hand.
  2. Boosts other Zombies on-field, which intensifies your strategic advantage and battlefield presence.
  3. Synergistic with instant-speed spells allowing surprise game-changing plays in your favor.

Text of card

All Zombies get +1/+1. o1o B, oc T: Return target Zombie card from your graveyard to your hand.

"I confer with Death itself. What could you possibly do to injure me?" —Lord Dralnu


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Lord of the Undead offers significant card advantage to players by allowing the return of Zombie creature cards from the graveyard to your hand. This recycling ability keeps your hand replenished, ensuring you continuously have play options.

Resource Acceleration: As a lord, this card gives other Zombie creatures you control a boost, effectively accelerating your resource on the battlefield. With each Zombie becoming potentially more threatening, you’re increasing your board presence and strategic power with a single card.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Lord of the Undead can be extremely synergistic with spells of instant speed. Specifically, it empowers strategies that involve reanimating Zombie creatures at instant speed, giving a sudden and potentially game-changing advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To activate Lord of the Undead’s ability to return a target Zombie card from your graveyard to your hand, you may need to discard a card. This stipulation could deplete your hand, especially if resources are already scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost requires two black mana, which could pose deck-building constraints. Ensuring the mana base can consistently produce black mana may be challenging in multi-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at three mana, including two that are color-specific, Lord of the Undead may compete for space in your deck with other three-mana creatures that provide immediate impact without requiring further investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Lord of the Undead is a stellar addition to any black-color deck focusing on Zombies. Its ability to boost other zombies and provide a consistent source of creature regeneration makes it a formidable card that can adapt to various board states and strategies.

Combo Potential: As a linchpin for Zombie decks, this card allows you to bring back your Zombies from the graveyard to your hand, setting the stage for powerful combos and recurrent threats that keep opponents on their toes.

Meta-Relevance: Given the enduring popularity of tribal themes in the meta, Lord of the Undead holds its ground as a card that can enhance your deck’s performance in a competitive environment. Its tribal synergy ensures it remains a relevant and tactical advantage in gameplay.


How to beat

Lord of the Undead is a powerful card that bolster’s one’s zombie army in Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to other tribal lords in that it pumps up its kin while providing the added benefit of resurrecting fallen zombies from the graveyard to your hand. To effectively counter this card, one needs to prioritize removal of Lord of the Undead as quickly as possible, lest the zombie synergies overwhelm your defense.

Targeted removal spells like Murder, Path to Exile, or Bedevil can swiftly deal with this menacing creature. It’s crucial to keep these in hand for when your opponent tries to establish their board presence. Another tactical move is to use graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void, which can remove the option for the zombie recursion ability of Lord of the Undead to be a nuisance.

Coping with Lord of the Undead also involves managing the wider predicament of an expanding zombie horde. Board clears like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the playing field and keep the undead in check. Understanding the threat and having the right answers is the key to overcoming the strategic challenge posed by this formidable MTG card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Integrating the Lord of the Undead into your MTG collection isn’t just about strengthening your Zombie deck—it’s about embracing the strategic depth of the game. Our in-depth analysis reveals that this card’s ability to grant card advantage and improve your board presence makes it a must-have for any enthusiast of black magic and tribal synergies. Beyond its raw power, maintaining a hand rich with options can turn the tide of any match. If you’re ready to harness the full potential of the undead and take your gameplay to the next level, dive deeper with us. Explore advanced tactics and compelling deck strategies that leverage the Lord of the Undead’s unique abilities.


Cards like Lord of the Undead

Lord of the Undead is an iconic card in Magic: The Gathering, serving as a powerful buff to zombie decks much like other lords such as Cemetery Reaper and Death Baron. What sets Lord of the Undead apart is its ability to not only strengthen other zombies but also to bring them back from the graveyard to your hand, providing endless utility and resilience. Cemetery Reaper can also create zombie tokens from any creature card in a graveyard, giving it a slightly different edge in token generation over Lord of the Undead’s recursion.

Death Baron, on the other hand, offers deathtouch to your zombie horde, making each creature a lethal threat. While it doesn’t allow for card retrieval or token creation, the deathtouch ability can turn the tides of battle by deterring enemy creatures from engaging. Additionally, the Diregraf Colossus provides an alternative synergy for zombie decks, rewarding you with a token for each zombie in your graveyard upon its entrance to the battlefield, thereby increasing your army size, though lacking the direct hand-recursion capability of Lord of the Undead.

Each of these zombie benefactors has its unique strengths within the tribal strategy. Yet, through its combination of stat-boosting and graveyard recursion, Lord of the Undead stands out as a linchpin in any zombie deck composition.

Cemetery Reaper - MTG Card versions
Death Baron - MTG Card versions
Diregraf Colossus - MTG Card versions
Cemetery Reaper - Magic 2010 (M10)
Death Baron - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Diregraf Colossus - Shadows over Innistrad Promos (PSOI)

Cards similar to Lord of the Undead by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
Frozen Shade - MTG Card versions
Scathe Zombies - MTG Card versions
Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
Lost Soul - MTG Card versions
Mindstab Thrull - MTG Card versions
Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions
Strongarm Thug - MTG Card versions
Razortooth Rats - MTG Card versions
Ghastly Remains - MTG Card versions
Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Dusk Imp - MTG Card versions
Severed Legion - MTG Card versions
Foul Familiar - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)
Dusk Imp - Tenth Edition (10E)
Severed Legion - Tenth Edition (10E)
Foul Familiar - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lord of the Undead MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift and Eighth Edition, 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 Lord of the Undead and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lord of the Undead Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-02-05PlaneshiftPLS 441997normalblackBrom
22003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 141★2003normalblackBrom
32003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1412003normalwhiteBrom
42005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 143★2003normalblackBrom
52005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1432003normalwhiteBrom
62005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL F12003normalwhiteBrom
72007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1552003normalblackBrom
82019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 10462015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
92020-09-26The ListPLST PLS-441997normalblackBrom
102024-03-08FalloutPIP 3452015normalblackJohn Stanko
112024-03-08FalloutPIP 8732015normalblackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lord of the Undead has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2005-08-01 Lord of the Undead now has the Zombie creature type and its first ability has been reworded to affect *other* Zombies. This means that if two Lord of the Undead are on the battlefield, each gives the other a bonus.

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