Abandoned Sarcophagus MTG Card
2017-07-14 - Number 158
2017-07-15 - Number 158s
2020-04-17 - Number 236
2020-08-13 - Number 268
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Key Takeaways
- Provides an ongoing card advantage by allowing the casting of cycling cards from the graveyard.
- Enhances deck efficiency by indirectly accelerating resource acquisition and utilization.
- Doubles the value of cycling cards, giving players tactical flexibility and adaptability.
Text of card
You may cast nonland cards with cycling from your graveyard. If a card with cycling would be put into your graveyard from anywhere and it wasn't cycled, exile it instead.
Although long since dead, the banished dissenters finally took their vengeance.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Abandoned Sarcophagus offers a unique benefit by enabling you to cast spells directly from your graveyard as long as those spells have the cycling ability. This opens up opportunities to reuse your resources and can significantly increase card advantage over your opponent. Furthermore, since you’re tapping into a resource that’s usually considered spent, every cycled card becomes a potential threat again.
Resource Acceleration: While the Sarcophagus itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the form of mana, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by allowing players to cycle through their decks rapidly. This can lead to drawing into more lands or mana-producing cards at a faster rate. Additionally, the ability to play cycling cards from your graveyard means you’re effectively doubling the value of each of those cards, allowing for more efficient use of your mana.
Instant Speed: Although the Abandoned Sarcophagus doesn’t operate at instant speed, it permits the casting of cycling cards from the graveyard which inherently carry the cycling ability that can be activated at instant speed. This gives players the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions on their turn, without having to commit to a main-phase strategy. It’s this adaptability that can give the player a tactical edge during the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The playability of Abandoned Sarcophagus is heavily reliant on having a critical mass of cycling cards in your graveyard. Without a consistent discard strategy or sufficient cycling cards, its utility is significantly diminished, and it may often sit on the board with limited impact.
Specific Mana Cost: Abandoned Sarcophagus demands three generic mana, which isn’t inherently restrictive but can be a challenge in the early game, especially in a multicolored deck balancing other mana commitments.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Abandoned Sarcophagus competes with other impactful three-cost cards in your deck. Given its dependency on a cycling-focused strategy, it could often represent a less efficient investment compared to other cards that could advance your game state immediately upon casting.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Abandoned Sarcophagus allows players to cast spells from their graveyard providing they are cycles. This opens up a high level of flexibility for decks that combine cycling cards across various sets, enabling the reuse of valuable resources throughout a game.
Combo Potential: This card works as a cornerstone in cycling-heavy decks, synergizing with an array of cards that trigger off cycling or discard events. The ability to recast a plethora of spells from the graveyard can set off a chain of combo plays leading to powerful turns.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where graveyard manipulation is strong, Abandoned Sarcophagus provides continuous value over the course of the game. Its relevance in the meta can be seen in eternal formats where control and cycling strategies need to maximize every card to outlast the opponent.
How to beat
Abandoned Sarcophagus is a unique artifact in Magic: The Gathering that offers players the potential to cast nonland cards with cycling from their graveyard. This ability can create a formidable advantage, enabling a form of card recursion rarely seen. However, surpassing this challenge is not insurmountable. One strategy is to employ artifact removal spells such as Disenchant or Nature’s Claim, which can directly target and destroy the Sarcophagus, swiftly eliminating its threat.
Another effective technique involves the use of graveyard disruption. Cards like Scavenging Ooze or Bojuka Bog can exile cards from the opponent’s graveyard, rendering the Sarcophagus’s ability useless. Denying the graveyard as a resource will heavily weaken your opponent’s game plan. Additionally, counterspells like Negate can preemptively deal with the Sarcophagus, ensuring it never resolves and becomes an issue on the board.
Ultimately, keeping the Abandoned Sarcophagus in check requires planning and the right answers in your deck. The key is to anticipate it and have the necessary tools at your disposal to dismantle the advantage it can provide. With careful play and a thoughtful deck build, overcoming this particular Magic: The Gathering card is a very achievable task.
Cards like Abandoned Sarcophagus
Within the realm of artifact-based card mechanics, the Abandoned Sarcophagus offers a unique approach to cycling decks. Its ability to cast cyclic cards from the graveyard sets it apart, much like the notable Draugr Necromancer allows casting of creatures from the graveyard. However, Abandoned Sarcophagus has a distinct advantage in cycling-specific strategies that the Necromancer does not support.
Looking at other cards that synergize with cycling, we identify the likes of Tectonic Reformation. This enchantment gives all land cards cycling, expanding your deck’s flexibility. Unlike the Sarcophagus, it doesn’t enable casting from the graveyard but effectively turns dead draws into potential new cards. Then we have Astral Slide, another staple in the cycling synergy collective. While it focuses more on exerting control by exiling creatures, the Abandoned Sarcophagus is geared towards maximizing the value of cycled cards over a longer game arch.
In conclusion, when evaluating the utility and role of cycling-related cards, the Abandoned Sarcophagus’s unique capability to recycle previously cycled cards makes it a potent cornerstone in any deck that heavily features cycling as a key strategy, offering a continuous stream of options from the graveyard.
Cards similar to Abandoned Sarcophagus by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Abandoned Sarcophagus MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Hour of Devastation Promos, 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 Abandoned Sarcophagus 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
Printings
The Abandoned Sarcophagus Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Daarken.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-07-14 | Hour of Devastation | HOU | 158 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 2 | 2017-07-15 | Hour of Devastation Promos | PHOU | 158s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 3 | 2020-04-17 | Commander 2020 | C20 | 236 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken | |
| 4 | 2020-08-13 | Amonkhet Remastered | AKR | 268 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Abandoned Sarcophagus has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Abandoned Sarcophagus card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-07-14 | A token permanent with cycling will go to your graveyard before ceasing to exist. It won't be exiled. Similarly, a nontoken permanent that lost cycling while it was on the battlefield will also go to your graveyard. |
| 2017-07-14 | Abandoned Sarcophagus doesn't grant you permission to do anything with those cards except cast them. For example, you can't cycle nonland cards with cycling from your graveyard. |
| 2017-07-14 | Certain older cards have variants of cycling, such as basic landcycling or Wizardcycling. Abandoned Sarcophagus's effect lets you cast these cards and exiles them if they weren't discarded for their cycling variant's ability. |
| 2017-07-14 | If you cycle an instant card, you may cast it from your graveyard right away before any player may take any other action. If you do, that spell will resolve before the cycling ability. If you cycle a noninstant card without flash, you can't cast it until after the cycling ability has resolved. |
