Locked in the Cemetery MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 60
2022-01-28 - Number 60
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
Text of card
Enchant creature When Locked in the Cemetery enters the battlefield, if there are five or more cards in your graveyard, tap enchanted creature. Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
"Help! I'm not a zombie! Let me out!"
Cards like Locked in the Cemetery
Locked in the Cemetery stands as an intriguing control element in the Magic: The Gathering landscape. This spell bears some resemblance to other blue mana control cards, like Sleep Paralysis, which also negates a creature’s abilities and prevents it from attacking or blocking. Yet, Locked in the Cemetery edges forward with its secondary condition, which can potentially eliminate the threat altogether once you reach threshold.
Comparatively, another card in blue’s arsenal is Claustrophobia. It has a similar lockdown effect on creatures, yet it lacks the scalability that Locked in the Cemetery offers. While it functions to keep the creature from engaging in combat immediately, it doesn’t provide the chances to completely remove the creature from an opponent’s strategy once threshold is met.
When evaluating control tools in your MTG deck, it’s evident that Locked in the Cemetery is a competitive option. It combines situational permanence with the fluid adaptability based on graveyard size, making it a versatile choice for Blue-based control strategies.
Cards similar to Locked in the Cemetery by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Effectively minimizes the opponent’s abilities by removing a creature from combat, thereby giving you a tactical edge and potential card advantage over the course of the game.
Resource Acceleration: By hindering an opponent’s mana creature, Locked in the Cemetery can indirectly act as resource acceleration for you, tipping the mana balance in your favor.
Instant Speed: Although this card operates at sorcery speed, its ability to keep a creature locked down from one turn to the next ensures continuous disruption, similar to the benefits of an instant by impacting the opponent’s strategies during their turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Locked in the Cemetery requires players to have a certain number of other cards in their graveyard to get the most out of its effects. This setup can be an obstacle when the card is drawn early in the game, or if your graveyard has been exiled or is simply not well-stocked.
Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with the need for both blue mana and generic mana. This specificity could restrict its integration exclusively to decks that can accommodate blue mana sources, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the utility it offers, Locked in the Cemetery has a mana cost on the higher end of the spectrum. Players might find themselves opting for alternative removal spells that provide more immediate or flexible results for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Locked in the Cemetery in Your Collection
Versatility: Locked in the Cemetery is a valuable inclusion in decks seeking to manage the tempo of the game. With its ability to incapacitate a creature either temporarily or potentially for a longer period, it can be a useful tool against a wide range of strategies, fitting especially well in blue-based control or midrange decks.
Combo Potential: Beyond its primary function as a control piece, this card synergizes with decks that capitalize on spell casting frequency or graveyard mechanics. It can set up conditions for cards that benefit from the number of spells cast, or for those looking to transition into a state where graveyard play becomes a key component of the strategy.
Meta-Relevance: As creature-based decks frequently occupy a prominent position in the meta, having a cost-effective means of dealing with opponents’ threats is crucial. Locked in the Cemetery offers this utility, aligning well with blue’s answers to an ever-evolving competitive environment, where disabling an opposing creature can often lead to victory.
How to beat
Locked in the Cemetery is a notable spell that can disrupt strategies and creature utilizations in Magic: The Gathering. This card efficiently renders an opponent’s creature non-threatening by tapping it and preventing it from untapping during its controller’s untap step, assuming you have five or more cards in your graveyard to trigger its flashier effect.
To navigate this obstacle, players can lean on enchantment removal spells such as Naturalize or Disenchant, liberating their key creatures from this icy grip. Alternatively, using untap abilities or granting your creatures hexproof before the spell resolves ensures that Locked in the Cemetery can’t effectively lock down your win conditions. In essence, the solution hinges on pre-emptive play or timely removal spells, both cornerstones for handling control mechanisms like Locked in the Cemetery.
Effective deck-building that includes diverse answers not only to creatures but also to problematic enchantments like Locked in the Cemetery is key, ensuring that a single spell doesn’t drastically shift the game’s momentum away from you.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Locked in the Cemetery MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Locked in the Cemetery and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Locked in the Cemetery Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Tran Nguyen.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 60 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tran Nguyen | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 60 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tran Nguyen |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Locked in the Cemetery has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Locked in the Cemetery card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-09-24 | The enchanted creature can still be untapped in other ways. Locked in the Cemetery will remain attached, and the creature will continue to not untap during its controller's untap step. |