Dying to Serve MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Dying to Serve excels in decks that capitalize on both draw and discard mechanics for token generation.
  2. The card’s mana requirements and high cost need careful consideration when integrating into decks.
  3. Its unique ability to utilize discards for creature creation adds a significant dynamic to gameplay.

Text of card

Whenever you discard one or more cards, create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token. This ability triggers only once each turn.

"I used to have hired hands, but I discovered they make better waitstaff with the rest of the body attached." —Olivia Voldaren


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dying to Serve facilitates card cycling, letting you discard and then draw, which can be crucial for finding key pieces of your strategy. The ability to transform discarded cards into token creatures also means you maintain board presence while refreshing your hand.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment potentially creates a 2/2 black Zombie creature token at each of your end steps. This steady stream of tokens can be a significant boon, bolstering your forces without spending additional mana, allowing you to invest resources elsewhere.

Instant Speed: While Dying to Serve itself isn’t at instant speed, it synergizes well with instant-speed spells and abilities that trigger discarding. This can lead to surprising shifts in board state as you turn end-of-turn discards into unexpected new tokens, ready to attack or block as the game progresses.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dying to Serve comes with a condition that necessitates you to discard a card to create a token, which could strain your hand if you don’t have the necessary resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a precise mana combination to cast—black and white—which may not be easily splashed into decks without these colors, hence restricting its overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana, one black and one white, Dying to Serve may be considered quite pricey for its ability, especially when compared to other cards that can generate tokens at a lower cost or offer additional benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dying to Serve thrives in environments that make use of discard and draw mechanics. Its ability to create a horde of Zombie tokens provides a multipurpose advantage in both offensive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card is a powerhouse when paired with effects that require you to discard, or effects that trigger when creatures enter the battlefield. The synergy with madness decks or those that capitalize on token generation is particularly potent.

Meta-Relevance: Building a deck that centers around constant draw and discard can position Dying to Serve as a key piece in outpacing your competition. This makes it a strong contender in a meta where resource manipulation and creature swarm strategies are prevalent.


How to beat

Dying to Serve is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering, challenging players to outsmart its creature-creating mechanism. Unlike cards with straightforward removal requirements, Dying to Serve thrives on a player’s hand size, providing a steady stream of Zombie tokens when you discard cards. To effectively counteract the growing undead army, dedicated graveyard interaction spells can prove invaluable. By incorporating targeted removal options such as Scavenging Ooze, you are not only controlling the opponent’s battlefield but also diminishing their resource pool.

Understanding the synergy between Dying to Serve and its host deck is crucial for a successful counter-strategy. Resource denial, through hand disruption spells, can cripple the effectiveness of this powerful enchantment before it even hits the field. Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek can preemptively strip this card from an opponent’s grip, rendering their game plan null. Moreover, employing enchantment-eliminating spells such as Disenchant or Mortify in your deck grants you the upper hand, allowing you to remove Dying to Serve directly and stalling the production of its Undead tokens.

In essence, overcoming Dying to Serve relies on a two-fold approach of proactive disruption and immediate enchantment removal. By finely tuning your deck with these strategic elements, you can ensure that the threat of an ever-growing Zombie army is nothing more than a mere inconvenience.


BurnMana Recommendations

For those delving into the strategic depths of MTG, the allure of Dying to Serve in a savvy card draw and discard deck cannot be overstated. It’s an enchantment that rewards the astute player, turning each discard into a potential undead threat against opponents. Recognizing its strengths and limitations is key to wielding its power effectively on the battlefield. If you’re prepared to harness the synergy between discard mechanics and token generation, or you’re curious about intensifying your deck’s offensive prowess, Dying to Serve might just become your go-to card. Dive deeper with us and discover how to optimize your gameplay with this enchantment. Learn more and expand your strategic horizons.


Cards like Dying to Serve

Dying to Serve is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that captivates players’ strategic interests. It bears some resemblance to other tokens generators like Anointed Procession, which doubles the number of tokens created by your effects. Yet, Dying to Serve introduces a flavor-specific constraint – it requires you to have discarded a card this turn to trigger, bridging the gap between resource management and token generation.

Parallel to this, from a synergistic standpoint, cards like Waste Not offer benefits from discarding mechanics as well, although it focuses on opponents’ discards, providing a range of potential advantages from extra cards to additional mana or zombies. Then, we have Liliana’s Mastery, which though not connected to discarding, does empower your zombie army with a static bonus and creates zombies outright upon casting.

In summing up, Dying to Serve stands its ground within the variety of token-generating enchantments available in Magic: The Gathering. With its particular prerequisites and the potential for constructing an overwhelming horde of tokens, this card can be a game-changer in decks built around discarding strategies.

Anointed Procession - MTG Card versions
Waste Not - MTG Card versions
Liliana's Mastery - MTG Card versions
Anointed Procession - Amonkhet Promos (PAKH)
Waste Not - Magic 2015 (M15)
Liliana's Mastery - Amonkhet (AKH)

Cards similar to Dying to Serve by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Demonic Embrace - MTG Card versions
Warped Devotion - MTG Card versions
Gloom - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Season of the Witch - The Dark (DRK)
Tourach's Gate - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Withering Wisps - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Funeral March - Homelands (HML)
Casting of Bones - Alliances (ALL)
Blanket of Night - Visions (VIS)
Necropotence - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Hecatomb - Masters Edition (ME1)
Megrim - Stronghold (STH)
Recurring Nightmare - Exodus (EXO)
Maggot Therapy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Murderous Betrayal - Nemesis (NEM)
Noxious Field - Prophecy (PCY)
Tainted Well - Invasion (INV)
Phyrexian Arena - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Gravestorm - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Mortiphobia - Torment (TOR)
Demonic Embrace - Core Set 2021 (M21)
Warped Devotion - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dying to Serve MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Dying to Serve and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dying to Serve Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Steven Belledin.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 953412015normalblackSteven Belledin
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 1092015normalblackSteven Belledin
32021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3702015normalblackSteven Belledin
42021-11-19Crimson Vow Art SeriesAVOW 322015art_seriesborderlessSteven Belledin
52022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 3762015normalblackSteven Belledin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dying to Serve has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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