Phyrexian Delver MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Phyrexian Zombie
Power 3
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Phyrexian Delver recovers creatures from your graveyard, giving you a significant edge in sustained gameplay.
  2. The Delver enables strategies that utilize recursion for combo setups or board control, enhancing deck versatility.
  3. Effectively managing life totals and graveyard disruption becomes paramount when integrating Phyrexian Delver into play.

Text of card

When Phyrexian Delver comes into play, return target creature card from your graveyard to play. You lose life equal to that card's converted mana cost.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phyrexian Delver enables you to reclaim a creature from your graveyard, essentially drawing you into an additional powerful option without depleting your hand. This form of advantage is crucial to outmaneuvering opponents over the course of a match.

Resource Acceleration: While Phyrexian Delver doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it can retrieve creatures with resource acceleration abilities, or those that put you significantly ahead on the board, effectively compounding your advantage without expending extra resources from your deck.

Instant Speed: Despite not being castable at instant speed, Phyrexian Delver’s ability to bring back creatures that have instant-speed abilities or those with effects that can be used during any phase of the game adds a level of unpredictability and versatility to your strategy, keeping opponents on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Phyrexian Delver can bring back a creature from your graveyard, it requires a significant life payment equal to the creature’s mana cost. If you’re close to a precarious life total, summoning this creature could be risky.

Specific Mana Cost: The Delver comes with a specific mana requirement of one black and two colorless, which can be restrictive. Decks not running black or those with a mana base already strained for color consistency may find it challenging to cast this spell.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana itself, Phyrexian Delver’s revival service isn’t cheap. When factoring in the life payment for the returned creature, the total cost can be quite steep compared to other reanimation strategies available in MTG, potentially setting you back in the race for board presence.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Phyrexian Delver offers an immediate board presence by bringing back creatures from your graveyard the moment it enters the battlefield. This makes it a valuable asset across a variety of strategies, from reanimator to value-driven control decks.

Combo Potential: In combination decks, Phyrexian Delver can be the keystone for bringing back a pivotal piece that was put into the graveyard with cards like Entomb or Buried Alive, setting up game-winning sequences as early as the third or fourth turn.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-based tactics are predominant, Phyrexian Delver serves as a means of out-valuing your opponents by providing a second chance to key creatures that can turn the tides, cementing its place as a recurring threat.


How to beat

Phyrexian Delver is a creature that can be a game-changer in MTG due to its ability to reanimate creatures from the graveyard. This card can swing the momentum of the game by bringing back powerful creatures onto the battlefield. To counter this, graveyard disruption is essential. Cards like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can neutralize the Delver’s effect by removing the targeted creature from the game or clearing the graveyard entirely. Targeted removal spells like Swords to Plowshares also efficiently deal with the Phyrexian Delver itself, preventing the recursion loop from taking hold.

Another strategy is to employ counterspells like Counterspell or Mana Leak to prevent the Delver from hitting the field in the first place. It’s also worth considering aggressive strategies that can outpace the Delver’s effectiveness by overrunning your opponent before they have the chance to make full use of the reanimation capabilities. In essence, staying ahead and keeping the graveyard under control are key methods to negate Phyrexian Delver’s impact and maintain dominance in your MTG matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the ebbs and flows of the complex world of MTG deckbuilding is pivotal in outclassing opponents. Phyrexian Delver presents opportunities for strategic graveyard play, offering a chance to reanimate crucial creatures and alter the battlefield in your favor. Its interaction with resource accelerators and high-value targets enriches multiple deck archetypes. If you’re keen on exploiting graveyard mechanics or seeking cards that can potentially shift game dynamics, integrating this versatile card into your collection could be a game-changer. Dive deeper into strategy formation and expand your gameplay arsenal with us, where your MTG proficiency can reach new heights.


Cards like Phyrexian Delver

Phyrexian Delver resonates with the theme of creature recursion in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the function of cards like Animate Dead, which also allows players to bring back creatures from the graveyard directly to the battlefield. While Animate Dead can be a more cost-effective way to reanimate a creature, Phyrexian Delver comes with a body, adding board presence in addition to its revival ability.

Unearth is another card in this lineage, ahead in terms of mana efficiency for bringing creatures back for one turn. Unlike Phyrexian Delver, it doesn’t leave a creature on the field, reducing its long-term impact. Then we have Zombify, which, similar to the Delver, brings a creature back without downsides but is less flexible due to it being a sorcery. This not only limits tactical plays to your own turn but also lacks the benefit of introducing a creature like Phyrexian Delver itself to the board.

In synthesis, Phyrexian Delver competes favorably within the recursion niche. It provides a unique blend of immediate creature retrieval while contributing to your field presence, positioning it as a valuable card in decks capitalizing on graveyard synergy.

Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Unearth - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Zombify - Odyssey (ODY)

Cards similar to Phyrexian Delver by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Entropic Specter - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Hollow Dogs - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - Tempest (TMP)
Entropic Specter - Exodus (EXO)
Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Fallen Angel - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Sengir Vampire - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Hollow Dogs - Beatdown Box Set (BTD)
Grotesque Hybrid - Torment (TOR)
Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sootfeather Flock - Legions (LGN)
Zombie Cutthroat - Scourge (SCG)
Gluttonous Zombie - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Vermiculos - Mirrodin (MRD)
Woebearer - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Halo Hunter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Malakir Bloodwitch - Zendikar (ZEN)
Caustic Crawler - Worldwake (WWK)
Shriekmaw - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phyrexian Delver MTG card by a specific set like Invasion and Commander 2013, 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 Phyrexian Delver and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Phyrexian Delver Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-10-02InvasionINV 1151997normalblackDana Knutson
22013-11-01Commander 2013C13 862003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
32018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1152015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
42020-09-26The ListPLST C13-862003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
52023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 2632015normalblackIgor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phyrexian Delver has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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