Isareth the Awakener MTG Card
2018-07-13 - Number 104s
2018-07-13 - Number 104
2023-08-04 - Number 168
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Human Wizard |
| Abilities | Deathtouch |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Deathtouch Whenever Isareth the Awakener attacks, you may pay . When you do, return target creature card with mana value X from your graveyard to the battlefield with a corpse counter on it. If that creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else.
Cards like Isareth the Awakener
In the realm of resurrection-themed cards within Magic: The Gathering, Isareth the Awakener stands out with its unique abilities. Similar in vein to cards like Grave Digger, which also allows you to return a creature from your graveyard to your hand, Isareth enhances this mechanic by directly putting the creature onto the battlefield when it attacks. However, unlike Grave Digger, Isareth demands an additional mana cost based on the returned creature’s converted mana cost, which can influence your strategic planning.
Another point of comparison is with Oathsworn Vampire, a card that can be brought back from the graveyard, but it requires you to have gained life this turn, thus being conditional. Contrary to this, Isareth’s ability is triggered purely by an attack, giving you control over the timing without additional prerequisites. Meanwhile, comparing Isareth to Reya Dawnbringer, who also brings creatures back from the graveyard, the latter does so for free during your upkeep but with a higher initial mana cost and without requiring an attack, which can be a key tactical advantage.
Isareth the Awakener thus offers a distinctive and flexible approach to creature reanimation in Magic: The Gathering, catering to a more aggressive playstyle while giving the player immediate board presence and choices that can affect the game’s outcome significantly.
Cards similar to Isareth the Awakener by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Isareth the Awakener offers a unique way to regain card advantage. Upon successfully attacking, she allows you to bring a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield under your control. This recurring action can turn the tide by efficiently reusing your resources each turn, potentially overwhelming your opponent with a relentless stream of threats.
Resource Acceleration: This distinct ability does more than just retrieve a fallen creature; it can accelerate your board presence without expending extra cards from your hand. By leveraging the creatures you’ve already played, Isareth the Awakener helps you maintain pressure while preserving the resources in your hand for other strategic plays.
Instant Speed: While Isareth herself does not operate at instant speed, resurrecting creatures during the combat phase can be tactically akin to an instant speed interaction. It allows you to wait until the optimal moment during your attack to surprise your opponent, effectively disrupting their plans and potentially clearing the way for a successful strike.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Isareth the Awakener doesn’t explicitly require discarding a card, she compels you to make a strategic choice when utilizing her reanimation ability. This essentially costs you a valuable card spot in your graveyard, which may not always align with your game plan.
Specific Mana Cost: Isareth demands a precise mana arrangement to cast – one black and two other mana. This restricts her to decks that can reliably produce black mana, potentially limiting her versatility in multicolored deck strategies where black is not a primary color.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana and the added cost of paying X when you use her ability, Isareth can be mana-intensive. This often means you’re investing several turns and considerable resources to extract the full potential from her, which might not be as efficient compared to other three mana-cost creatures in MTG.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Isareth the Awakener thrives in various deck builds, particularly those centering around recursive strategies and black’s inherent strength in creature reanimation. This allows it to be a flexible addition, capable of adapting to your playstyle and strategy.
Combo Potential: With its ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard directly to the battlefield, Isareth sets the stage for numerous combo opportunities. It seamlessly integrates into synergies that capitalize on enter the battlefield (ETB) or death triggers, amplifying the potential for decisive combo plays.
Meta-Relevance: Facing a field crowded with creature-based decks, Isareth provides an edge by continually reusing key creatures. This relevance keeps your plays impactful, especially in metas where resilience and recurring threats are paramount to outmaneuvering opponents.
How to beat
Isareth the Awakener emerges as an intriguing contender in the roster of powerful black creatures in Magic: The Gathering. With the unique capability to resurrect creatures from the graveyard, Isareth becomes a strategic component for players aiming to revive their key pieces. However, there are ways to maneuver around Isareth’s revival ability.
Exile effects shine as a robust solution to permanently remove creatures from the game, ensuring that Isareth’s ability is nullified. Cards like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void halt creature recycling by preventing them from hitting the graveyard in the first place. Board wipes such as Wrath of God can also clear the board, taking Isareth along with the rest. As a result, proactive graveyard disruption and swift removal of creatures can effectively undermine Isareth’s strength in the game.
Therefore, maintaining control over the graveyard and removing threats preemptively are key strategies. By mitigating Isareth the Awakener’s reanimation potential, one can preserve the balance of power during play. Knowing the importance of timing and the selection of the right counters ensures that Isareth’s influence is minimized, keeping the tide of the game in your favor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Isareth the Awakener MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019 Promos and Core Set 2019, 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 Isareth the Awakener and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
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Printings
The Isareth the Awakener Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-07-13 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-07-13 | Core Set 2019 Promos | PM19 | 104s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Rainville | |
| 2 | 2018-07-13 | Core Set 2019 | M19 | 104 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Rainville | |
| 3 | 2023-08-04 | Commander Masters | CMM | 168 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Rainville |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Isareth the Awakener has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| 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 Isareth the Awakener card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-07-13 | Because all attacking creatures are chosen at once, a creature returned this way can’t attack during the same combat as it returns, even if it has haste. |
| 2018-07-13 | Because to die means to be put into a graveyard from the battlefield, a creature that is exiled instead doesn’t “die.” Abilities that would trigger when it dies won’t trigger. |
| 2018-07-13 | If Isareth leaves the battlefield, the replacement effect continues to apply. If one of the creatures it returned would leave the battlefield, it’ll be exiled instead. |
| 2018-07-13 | If a card in your graveyard has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0. |
| 2018-07-13 | If you somehow remove a corpse counter from a creature Isareth has returned to the battlefield, the replacement effect that will exile it continues to apply. The counter is only to help remind you which creatures will be exiled if they would leave the battlefield. |
| 2018-07-13 | Isareth’s triggered ability goes on the stack without a target. While that ability is resolving, you may pay . When you do, a second ability triggers and you pick a target creature card to return. This is different from abilities that say “If you do . . .” in that players may cast spells and activate abilities after mana is paid and the target creature card is chosen, but before that card is returned. |