Funeral Charm MTG Card

Versatile modes of Funeral Charm allow tailored gameplay tactics, essential for gaining card advantage. Instant speed interactions disrupt opponents’ plays, elevating tactical plays during critical game phases. While offering utility, its mana specificity and impact vary with the game’s context and deck synergy.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Text of card

Choose one Target player chooses and discards a card; or target creature gets +2/-1 until end of turn; or target creature gains swampwalk until end of turn. (If defending player controls any swamps, that creature is unblockable.)

Cards like Funeral Charm

Funeral Charm offers a unique flexibility among instant spells in the realm of MTG. It’s in line with other quick-play cards like Disfigure that allow players to diminish an opponent’s creature by decreasing its power and toughness. Funeral Charm, however, broadens the scope, enabling a player to choose between weakening a creature, forcing an opponent to discard a card, or giving a creature swampwalk until end of turn.

Cards like Dark Ritual share an affinity for the speed at which Funeral Charm can be played. Although Dark Ritual doesn’t affect creatures or hands, it provides an instant burst of mana. Distress is another card that disrupts an adversary’s hand, but unlike the versatile Funeral Charm, it’s a sorcery and doesn’t provide the immediate threat to creatures or the tactical advantage of swampwalk.

When discussing options for offensive or defensive maneuvers during your opponent’s turn, Funeral Charm stands out. It presents multiple strategies in a single card and at a low cost, ensuring that its user remains one step ahead. Versatility and choice are paramount, rendering Funeral Charm a noteworthy contender among instant utility spells in MTG.

Disfigure - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions
Disfigure - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
Distress - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Funeral Charm. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Mono-Black MidrangeMono-Black Midrange ModernMono-Black MidrangeModern League 2024-01-28
8-Rack8-Rack ModernMono-Black Midrange$10K RCQ - Modern - SCG CON Cincinnati - Sunday - 9:00 am
Mono-Black ReanimatorMono-Black Reanimator LegacyReanimatorLegacy Casual - 03/2024 - Liga Curitibana de Legacy
Orzhov SmallpoxOrzhov Smallpox ModernSmallpoxAxion Now MEGA Modern
Dimir ScamDimir Scam ModernDimir ScamModern League 2024-02-24
Mono-Black SmallpoxMono-Black Smallpox ModernMono-Black ScamDEN24 Sat 9:00 - U.S. Regional Championship - presented by Laughing Dragon

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Funeral Charm’s versatility shines by offering a choice of three different modes, which can be tailored to disrupt an opponent’s hand, remove key creatures, or improve your own hand’s value depending on the game state. This adaptability gives it the potential to provide a subtle yet significant card advantage over time.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct accelerant, the ability to force an opponent to discard at instant speed can set your opponent back, effectively accelerating your relative resource availability. It asynchronously affects the board by ensuring your resources are more impactful than your opponent’s reduced options.

Instant Speed: Funeral Charm’s instant speed allows for surprise interactions on your opponent’s turn, presenting opportunities to disrupt their strategies at critical moments. Whether it’s weakening an attacker, sniping a freshly cast one-toughness creature, or forcing a discard at the end of their draw phase, the instantaneity of this spell can give you a significant tactical edge.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In certain game states, having to force an opponent to discard a card with Funeral Charm can be less impactful, especially if the opponent has a hefty hand size or strategies that benefit from discarding.

Specific Mana Cost: Funeral Charm’s requirement for black mana restricts it to black-inclusive decks, potentially limiting its versatility in multicolored deck strategies where mana flexibility is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the mana cost for Funeral Charm is relatively low, when evaluating its utility against other one-mana instant spells, the instant speed discard may not always justify a slot in a deck, considering other cards could provide broader control or disruption effects.

Reasons to Include Funeral Charm in Your Collection

Versatility: Funeral Charm offers a rare blend of utility and flexibility, able to fit into a variety of black-based decks. Its ability to target player or creature adds a layer of adaptability that can respond to different in-game scenarios.

Combo Potential: With instant-speed discard, Funeral Charm works well in combos that benefit from disrupting opponent’s hands or can be used tactically to enable graveyard strategies that leverage discarded cards.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves and player strategies shift, Funeral Charm’s potential to answer threats or adjust to the opponent’s vulnerabilities keeps it relevant. Its versatility in dealing with creatures or unsettling an opponent’s strategy by discarding their key cards makes it an enduring choice in various meta environments.

How to beat

Funeral Charm is an instant card with versatility, offering players the ability to choose from three distinct effects, including forcing a discard, giving a creature -1/-1 until end of turn, or granting a creature swampwalk. Its strength lies in its ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy at end of their turn or to clear away pesky one toughness creatures that stand in your way.

Beating Funeral Charm hinges on anticipation and strategic hand management. Holding onto cards with redundant effects can diminish its impact, ensuring that even if you lose a piece, your game plan stays intact. Also, playing creatures with toughness greater than one can negate one of the charm’s modes, while also leaving tokens or less significant creatures as potential targets for the -1/-1 effect.

A vigilant approach and a deck resilient to single-card disruption can effectively counter the impact of Funeral Charm. By adapting to the charm’s sneaky nature and preparing for instantaneous speed interaction, you can overcome the challenges this card presents and maintain dominance on the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Funeral Charm MTG card by a specific set like Visions and Time Spiral Timeshifted, 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 Funeral Charm and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Funeral Charm Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1997-02-03 and 2020-03-08. Illustrated by Greg Spalenka.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-02-03VisionsVIS 611997NormalBlackGreg Spalenka
22006-10-06Time Spiral TimeshiftedTSB 441997NormalBlackGreg Spalenka
32020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 371997NormalBlackGreg Spalenka
42020-09-26The ListPLST TSB-441997NormalBlackGreg Spalenka

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Funeral Charm has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal