Ashen Ghoul MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Zombie
Abilities Haste
Power 3
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Reanimates from the graveyard for continual board presence without using cards from hand.
  2. Instant speed return offers strategic adaptability and surprise in gameplay.
  3. Requires a well-stocked graveyard, making it less effective in low synergy decks.

Text of card

Ashen Ghoul can attack the turn it comes into play. oo B Return Ashen Ghoul to play under your control. Use this ability only at the end of your upkeep and only if Ashen Ghoul is in your graveyard with at least three creature cards above it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ashen Ghoul excels in offering strategic card advantage by recurring from the graveyard. This quality keeps your hand free for other crucial draws while maintaining a board presence without additional card investment from your deck.

Resource Acceleration: Although Ashen Ghoul does not directly contribute to mana production, its ability to self-reanimate can accelerate your resources. Each graveyard-triggered return is a saved creature spell, indirectly increasing the speed at which you deploy your threats.

Instant Speed: Its unearthly comeback is not tied to sorcery speed limitations. You can spring the Ghoul back into play at the end of an opponent’s turn, ensuring surprise and adaptability, aligning with instant speed principles that keep opponents guessing and your mana usage flexible.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ashen Ghoul requires a particular setup to maximize its potential. It needs three or more creature cards in your graveyard to harness its ability, which can be a sticking point for players if the graveyard isn’t well-stocked.

Specific Mana Cost: The Ashen Ghoul demands a specific mana investment of one black and three generic mana. This makes it less flexible in multicolored decks that may not consistently produce the necessary black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana and an upkeep ability that also requires mana, the Ashen Ghoul is comparatively expensive. Given its stats and effect, some players might find it lacks efficiency compared to other cards that can be played at a similar or lower cost point.


Reasons to Include Ashen Ghoul in Your Collection

Versatility: Ashen Ghoul is a card that offers flexibility in deck construction. This creature can be a reliable play from the graveyard, making it a persistent threat in long games and thus a boon for decks focusing on graveyard synergy.

Combo Potential: With its ability to return to the battlefield from the graveyard during each of your upkeeps, Ashen Ghoul can be part of various combos, especially in a strategy designed to manipulate graveyard resources frequently and efficiently.

Meta-Relevance: Given its niche role, Ashen Ghoul might shine in a metagame with decks that reward players for self-milling or recurring creatures from the graveyard. Its capacity to repeatedly apply pressure on the opponent can tip the scales in games that stall out.


How to beat

Ashen Ghoul is a card that can haunt opponents in the late game due to its ability to resurrect from the graveyard, providing a persistent threat in MTG. Harnessing graveyard removal strategies can decisively counter this creature’s tenacity. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt offer a direct answer, purging graveyards at no mana cost, leaving the Ghoul with no anchor to return. Another efficient measure is to deploy exile effects through spells like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void, which preemptively deny graveyard interactions altogether.

Furthermore, maintaining graveyard order is crucial against Ashen Ghoul since it requires three creature cards to be placed above it in the graveyard before it can come back into play. Continuous graveyard shuffling mechanisms impede the sequencing Ashen Ghoul relies on. Watcher for Tomorrow and other similar draw and shuffle effects can subtly disrupt this setup. Overall, while Ashen Ghoul can be a resilient adversary, understanding and interrupting its mechanics will leave you well-equipped to keep this creature at bay in your MTG matches.


Cards like Ashen Ghoul

Ashen Ghoul presents itself as an intriguing choice among graveyard-utilizing creatures in MTG. It stands toe-to-toe with cards like Nether Shadow, which also has the capability to rise from the graveyard. Ashen Ghoul distinguishes itself with its cumulative upkeep cost that can strategically benefit from a high swamp count. Nether Shadow though, requires at least three creature cards above it in your graveyard to return to the battlefield.

Examining other comparable creatures, we find Bloodghast. While Bloodghast can’t block and has different conditions for its resurrection—requiring a land to enter under your control—it does not require mana for its return. This no-cost revival can be a tactical advantage over Ashen Ghoul’s cumulative upkeep. However, Ashen Ghoul does come equipped with haste, allowing it to swing at opponents the moment it claws its way back to the battlefield.

There’s also Ichorid, which, much like Ashen Ghoul, requires an upkeep sacrifice to stay on the board. Ichorid demands the exile of a black creature card from your graveyard, while Ashen Ghoul needs the proper snow-covered swamp setup to recur. Each card brings distinctive strategies and advantages to the game depending on the graveyard synergy of your deck.

Nether Shadow - MTG Card versions
Bloodghast - MTG Card versions
Ichorid - MTG Card versions
Nether Shadow - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Bloodghast - Zendikar (ZEN)
Ichorid - Torment (TOR)

Cards similar to Ashen Ghoul by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Cabal Surgeon - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Dirge Bat - MTG Card versions
Gixian Puppeteer - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Bad Ass - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Cabal Surgeon - Torment (TOR)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Dirge Bat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Gixian Puppeteer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Bad Ass - Unhinged (UNH)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ashen Ghoul MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Coldsnap Theme Decks, 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 Ashen Ghoul and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ashen Ghoul Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Ron Spencer.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 1141993normalblackRon Spencer
22006-07-21Coldsnap Theme DecksCST 1142003normalblackRon Spencer
32008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 781997normalblackRon Spencer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ashen Ghoul has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 A card is “above” another card in your graveyard if it was put into that graveyard later.
2008-10-01 If an effect or rule puts two or more cards into the same graveyard at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.
2008-10-01 Players may not rearrange the cards in their graveyards.
2008-10-01 Say you’re the owner of both a permanent and an Aura that’s attached to it. If both the permanent and the Aura are destroyed at the same time (by Akroma’s Vengeance, for example), you decide the order they’re put into your graveyard. If just the enchanted permanent is destroyed, it’s put into your graveyard first. Then, after state-based actions are checked, the Aura (which is no longer attached to anything) is put into your graveyard on top of it.
2008-10-01 The last thing that happens to a resolving instant or sorcery spell is that it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Example: You cast Wrath of God. All creatures on the battlefield are destroyed. You arrange all the cards put into your graveyard this way in any order you want. The other players in the game do the same to the cards that are put into their graveyards. Then you put Wrath of God into your graveyard, on top of the other cards.

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