Lord of the Forsaken MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Demon
Abilities Flying,Mill,Trample
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Lord of the Forsaken enables potent graveyard strategies, turning it into a resource zone.
  2. It accelerates mana resources, allowing for earlier plays of high-cost spells and abilities.
  3. Flexible instant-speed land untapping supports reactive tactics and surprise plays.

Text of card

Flying, trample , Sacrifice another creature: Target player mills three cards. Pay 1 life: Add . Spend this mana only to cast a spell from your graveyard.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lord of the Forsaken provides a dynamic approach to card advantage by offering an efficient way to utilize creature cards in your graveyard. This creates opportunities to effectively increase your hand without drawing, as you’re able to deploy threats from an unorthodox zone. This black demon makes the graveyard an extension of your hand, empowering strategies that capitalize on resource recycling.

Resource Acceleration: With its formidable ability to generate a sizeable number of Mana by sacrificing other creatures, Lord of the Forsaken acts as a massive engine for resource acceleration. This can power out high-cost cards ahead of schedule or provide an unexpected burst of Mana for pivotal turns, giving you the upper hand in resource management.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Lord of the Forsaken facilitates the play of your most impactful spells at instant speed. Its ability to untap any land at the mere cost of Swamps means you can keep Mana open for other crucial plays. Whether for reactive control spells or end-of-turn surprises, this aligns perfectly with strategies that favor flexibility and tactical depth.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Piloting a deck that features Lord of the Forsaken involves strategic planning, particularly when activating its ability that demands discarding a card. While cycling your hand can open up new strategic plays, it can also deplete valuable cards when you’re in need of each one to pivot the game in your favor.

Specific Mana Cost: One aspect that requires attention is the specific mana cost this powerful card comes with. At six mana — four generic and two black — it targets a deck construction with a solid black mana base. If your manabase isn’t solidly prepared to accommodate such specific needs, casting Lord of the Forsaken on curve can be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost of admission to dominate the battlefield with this demonic powerhouse is steeped at six total mana. Despite its potential to alter the tide of battle, it’s pivotal for players to assess its efficiency against other cards within the same mana range. Decks aiming for a fast pace or to maintain momentum through cheaper alternatives might find Lord of the Forsaken a less attractive option when mana efficiency becomes a crucial aspect of gameplay.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Lord of the Forsaken enhances its worth by easily finding a spot in any black deck focused on mana acceleration and indirect life-drain. Its sheer strength boosts any strategy that seeks to capitalize on high-powered creatures or graveyard synergies.

Combo Potential: With the ability to sacrifice other creatures for mana, this card can work magic in combo decks, playing a key role in executing lethal plays. Whether it’s enabling reanimation tactics or powering out game-ending spells, its utility is vast.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame dominated by resource-advantage strategies or in one that requires big mana plays, Lord of the Forsaken stands tall. Its capability to disrupt opponents while fueling your own game plan makes it a formidable inclusion in any collection.


How to beat

Lord of the Forsaken is a powerful force on the battlefield, providing both mana acceleration and an outlet to put cards from a library into a graveyard. This combination can be overwhelming if left unchecked. It thrives in decks that capitalize on high mana reserves and graveyard strategies, such as reanimation or delve.

To counter this menacing creature, prioritize removal spells that can exile it, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. It’s also effective to limit the number of creatures that enter the graveyard, reducing the potency of its ability. Cards like Grafdigger’s Cage can prevent most graveyard-based strategies, including those involving the Lord of the Forsaken, from executing their game plan.

Additionally, if you can disrupt the mana base with land destruction or counterspells, you can prevent your opponent from casting this high-cost creature. By employing these strategies, you’ll elevate your chances of success against decks utilizing the formidable Lord of the Forsaken and maintain control over the pace of the game. Keep a close eye on maintaining board control and be ready to act swiftly in response to this threat to clinch victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving deep into MTG strategies, Lord of the Forsaken emerges as a jewel for anyone looking to harness the power of their graveyard. With its ability to accelerate resources and provide a constant threat, it elevates gameplay for those who adeptly navigate its strengths and weaknesses. As we’ve dissected the pros and cons, it’s clear it has a rightful place in decks centered around mana growth and graveyard play. For those aiming to optimize their black-centered decks, this card warrants serious consideration. Ready to amplify your deck’s capacity and explore new tactical horizons? Delve further with us, and transform your game into a strategic masterpiece with Lord of the Forsaken.


Cards like Lord of the Forsaken

Exploring the depths of Magic: The Gathering’s card library, Lord of the Forsaken emerges as a mighty force within the black mana creature cards. With similar characteristics to other formidable creatures, like Vilis, Broker of Blood, Lord of the Forsaken provides both a substantial body on the battlefield and a unique ability to manipulate graveyards. While Vilis offers card draw on loss of life, Lord of the Forsaken allows for mana generation by exiling cards from a player’s graveyard, a subtle but strategic distinction for resource management.

The conversation around powerhouses such as Sheoldred, Whispering One cannot be ignored, which also boasts resilient mechanics like reanimation. Although Sheoldred has less power and toughness compared to Lord of the Forsaken, her ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard directly onto the battlefield, and forcing opponents to sacrifice creatures every turn, champions a different angle of board control. In contrast, Lord of the Forsaken focuses on the player’s own graveyard as a resource, offering flexibility and fuel for high-cost spells or abilities.

Ultimately, Lord of the Forsaken stands tall amongst MTG’s darker creatures, offering a unique combination of high power, graveyard synergy, and mana ramping, vital for any strategy looking to leverage the full potential of the graveyard’s resources.

Vilis, Broker of Blood - MTG Card versions
Sheoldred, Whispering One - MTG Card versions
Vilis, Broker of Blood - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Sheoldred, Whispering One - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)

Cards similar to Lord of the Forsaken by color, type and mana cost

Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Demonic Hordes - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Cateran Slaver - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Lancer - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
Deathcurse Ogre - MTG Card versions
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions
Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Demonic Hordes - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Ihsan's Shade - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Necrosavant - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Cateran Slaver - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Dakmor Lancer - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Face of Fear - Odyssey (ODY)
Wire Surgeons - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Grave Titan - Fallout (PIP)
Chittering Harvester - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Crossway Troublemakers - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Anurid Murkdiver - Onslaught (ONS)
Gempalm Polluter - Legions (LGN)
Nefashu - Scourge (SCG)
Twisted Abomination - Scourge (SCG)
Iname, Death Aspect - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Deathcurse Ogre - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ascendant Evincar - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lord of the Forsaken MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt 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 Lord of the Forsaken and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lord of the Forsaken Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Kekai Kotaki.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 939562015normalblackKekai Kotaki
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 110p2015normalblackKekai Kotaki
32021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 110s2015normalblackKekai Kotaki
42021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 1102015normalblackKekai Kotaki
52021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 3462015normalblackKekai Kotaki
62022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 1102015normalblackKekai Kotaki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lord of the Forsaken has restrictions

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

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