Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — God
Abilities Deathtouch
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Egon provides card recycling for a continuous stream of hand options, leveraging graveyard synergies.
  2. While it demands card discard and tight mana, its flexibility in deck strategies is undeniable.
  3. Egon’s duality and combo potential make it a desirable contender for graveyard-focused decks.

Text of card

Deathtouch At the beginning of your upkeep, exile two cards from your graveyard. If you can't, sacrifice Egon and draw a card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Egon, God of Death serves as a potent source for card recycling, enabling players to consistently access new cards for their hand. Its ability to exile two cards from your graveyard per turn to draw a card helps maintain a flow of resources and options.

Resource Acceleration: While Egon itself does not directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, its backside, Throne of Death, can be played early in the game. This artifact allows you to begin milling cards, setting up your graveyard for further strategies and synergies that can ultimately lead to resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Though Egon doesn’t operate at instant speed, its continuous graveyard interaction works seamlessly with instant-speed mechanics and graveyard-based strategies prevalent in many MTG formats. This synergy ensures that the grave is well-stocked for various maneuvers even during an opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Every time you want to trigger Egon’s ability, you’ll need to discard a card. For players who are already struggling to keep a hand full of strategy options, this can put them at a significant disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Egon demands a tight commitment to black mana with a cost of two black and one other. This inflexibility can strain mana bases in multicolored decks, potentially jeopardizing your game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Egon’s casting cost is somewhat steep when you weigh it against other cards with similar or enhanced effects. This can affect the pacing of your game, especially when competing with decks that deploy threats or create board presence more efficiently.


Reasons to Include Egon, God of Death in Your Collection

Versatility: As a dual-faced card, Egon, God of Death offers flexibility in gameplay. You have the option to use Egon for an aggressive strategy or its backside, Throne of Death, to gradually draw more cards and fuel graveyard strategies.

Combo Potential: Egon thrives in decks that capitalize on graveyard mechanics. Its ability to consistently bring creatures back from the graveyard or benefit from self-milling decks makes it a strong combo enabler.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard-based strategies often having a place in the meta, Egon can be a powerhouse in the right environment. Its capability to apply pressure as a creature or serve as a long-term value engine with Throne of Death keeps it relevant in various deck builds.


How to beat

Egon, God of Death presents a formidable challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. This legendary creature demands a careful strategy to overcome. Recognize first that Egon thrives in a graveyard-focused deck, continuously threatening to draw its controller extra cards at the upkeep for each creature put into graveyards from anywhere. Thus, minimizing your creatures’ deaths is paramount when facing Egon.

To combat this god, exile effects are immensely powerful, circumventing Egon’s ability that allows it to return from the graveyard to the battlefield. Cards that exile, such as Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void, prevent Egon from exploiting the graveyard as a resource. Additionally, graveyard shuffling effects like those from cards such as Tormod’s Crypt can disrupt the opponent’s strategy by clearing their graveyard, rendering Egon’s abilities ineffective.

Timing is also critical. Engage in combat or use removal spells when Egon is most vulnerable—ideally before its controller’s upkeep. By playing smart and utilizing the right tools, Egon’s looming threat can be turned into an advantage for you. Egon, while powerful, is not invincible, and a strategically calibrated deck can turn the tide against it.


Cards like Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death

Egon, God of Death stands out within Magic: The Gathering’s pantheon of deities with its unique double-faced card feature. Its nearest kin in gameplay and mechanics can be found in modal double-faced cards offering versatility, like Valki, God of Lies. Both share the godly trait, but Valki’s front side allows for hand disruption while also potentially transforming into a devastating creature named Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor.

On another note, Egon’s thirst for card sacrifice for reanimation echoes Oathsworn Warlock, wherein sustenance is derived from exiling cards from graveyards. While Egon demands a steeper cost of two cards per turn, it compensates with a formidable attack power. Tymaret, Chosen from Death also scavenges graveyards, but focuses on life gain rather than board presence. However, neither parallels Egon’s potential for immediate aggressive pressure.

While examining comparable alternatives, Egon, God of Death’s aggressive stance coupled with its reanimation fueling condition demonstrates its potential for impactful plays in MTG, especially in decks that exploit the graveyard for strategic advantage.

Tymaret, Chosen from Death - MTG Card versions
Tymaret, Chosen from Death - Theros Beyond Death (THB)

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Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
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Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)
Dusk Imp - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kaldheim Art Series, 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 Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2021-02-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 882882015modal_dfcblackJeff Miracola
22021-02-05Kaldheim Art SeriesAKHM 242015art_seriesborderlessJason A. Engle
32021-02-05KaldheimKHM 3062015modal_dfcblackJeff Miracola
42021-02-05KaldheimKHM 922015modal_dfcblackJason A. Engle
52021-02-05Kaldheim PromosPKHM 92s2015modal_dfcblackJason A. Engle

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
2021-02-05 Although players may respond to Throne of Death’s activated ability, they can’t respond to the paying of its activation cost. The creature card will already be exiled by the time anyone can respond.
2021-02-05 If Egon leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you’ll still exile two cards from your graveyard if you can and draw a card if you can’t.
2021-02-05 If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
2021-02-05 If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land.
2021-02-05 If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name.
2021-02-05 If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield.
2021-02-05 If there's only one card in your graveyard, you won't exile it. Because you can't exile two cards from your graveyard, you'll sacrifice Egon and draw a card.
2021-02-05 In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
2021-02-05 The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
2021-02-05 There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face.
2021-02-05 To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics.
2021-02-05 You choose which cards you’re exiling as Egon’s triggered ability is resolving. If there are two or more cards in your graveyard at that time, you must exile two of them. You can’t choose not to exile cards and sacrifice Egon instead to draw a card.

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