Funeral Pyre MTG Card

Graveyard interaction enhances strategies, advances card draw, and secures game advantage. Instant speed allows precise control over gameplay, disrupting opponents’ plans effectively. Requires careful use due to card discard, specific mana, and potential for hand depletion.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2002-05-27
Set symbol
Set name	Judgment
Set code	JUD
Number	10
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Carl Critchlow

Text of card

Remove target card in a graveyard from the game. Its owner puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying into play.

"Raze the body. Raise the soul." —Mystic elder

Cards like Funeral Pyre

Funeral Pyre joins the intriguing category of instant speed spells in Magic: The Gathering that transform death into opportunity. It’s comparable to cards like Spark Harvest which also revolves around sacrifice for a gain. Funeral Pyre, however, distinguishes itself with its graveyard-fueling potential, offering an instant speed way to exile a card and draw, enriching the pilot’s options.

A closer parallel can be found with Cremate, another instant that notably exiles cards from graveyards and provides card draw, though without the need for a sacrifice. This subtle difference can greatly impact deckbuilding strategies and in-game decisions. Bone Splinters is an additional kindred spell which requires a creature sacrifice to destroy a target creature, yet it lacks the card draw that makes Funeral Pyre valuable for maintaining card advantage.

Assessing these alternatives, Funeral Pyre could be seen as a versatile tool in Magic: The Gathering, adept at dealing with graveyard-based strategies while keeping the card flow going for players who don’t mind exchanging their own resources for future gains.

Cards similar to Funeral Pyre by color, type and mana cost

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

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

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Oath Prison	Premodern		Eternal Weekend Europe 2023 Premodern Mainevent

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you play Funeral Pyre, it not only takes care of a single target by removing a creature from your opponent’s graveyard, but it also provides a way to potentially draw cards later on by fueling mechanics like flashback or escape. This turns a simple graveyard interaction into a chance to get ahead in the game.

Resource Acceleration: Funeral Pyre can be the perfect set-up for future turns. By populating your own graveyard, you’re essentially stocking your arsenal for strategies that require a well-stocked graveyard, accelerating your game plan as you unlock other card abilities or synergies within your deck.

Instant Speed: The beauty of Funeral Pyre is that you can deploy its effect exactly when it’s most detrimental to your opponent. Exile their creature card in response to an attempted reanimation or when they are banking on a graveyard-triggered ability. The timing can be critical, and being able to act at instant speed gives you a powerful level of control over the flow of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Funeral Pyre card necessitates the discard of another card to activate its ability. This can deplete your hand, making it detrimental when you’re already short on card options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires one red mana to play, which restricts its integration to decks running red mana sources. This specificity reduces its versatility across different deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its entire cost being two mana, one of which is red, Funeral Pyre may be less favorable compared to other low-cost spells that offer similar or better effects without a discard requirement.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Funeral Pyre is a card that finds a home in a variety of deck builds, especially those that tap into the graveyard theme. This card’s ability to exile cards from a graveyard can be crucial in disrupting an opponent’s strategy.

Combo Potential: With Funeral Pyre, the potential to combine with other cards that benefit from exile effects or require a specific threshold of cards in the graveyard to enhance their potency increases substantially, offering a tactical advantage in-game.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of graveyard-based decks in the current meta, Funeral Pyre serves as both a reactionary measure against popular strategies and as an enabler in decks looking to capitalize on exile and graveyard manipulation tactics.

How to beat

Funeral Pyre is an intriguing utility spell in Magic: The Gathering, designed to provide a strategic advantage by using creatures in the graveyard. This card has that ‘phoenix from the ashes’ vibe, as it leverages the death of creatures to fuel its effect, potentially turning a loss into a gain. Drawing cards in exchange for creatures that have served their purpose sets up new opportunities for the controller.

To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to minimize the number of creatures in your opponent’s graveyard. Graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze, work wonders in purging the graveyard and stripping Funeral Pyre of its ammunition. Another method is to employ instant-speed removal spells that exile creatures instead of sending them to the graveyard, such as Path to Exile. This denies your opponent the resources they need to capitalize on Funeral Pyre’s benefits.

It’s a game of strategy and anticipation. By disrupting the usual flow to the graveyard and keeping it barren, you diminish the impact of Funeral Pyre, turning what could be a major turning point for your opponent into a moot card with minimal effect.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Funeral Pyre MTG card by a specific set like Judgment, 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 Pyre and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Funeral Pyre has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal