Life // Death MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Dual functionality of Life // Death caters to both aggressive and defensive playstyles, maximizing flexibility.
  2. Offers instant board impact through land animation or creature resurrection, swinging momentum.
  3. Its mana demands and discard prerequisites require strategic deck building and play timing.

Text of card

Return target creature card from your graveyard to play. You lose life equal to its converted mana cost.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Life // Death offers a dual-faced functionality giving players flexibility and the potential to gain significant advantage. The Life side can populate the battlefield with lands turned into creatures, possibly overwhelming opponents. The Death side allows for the return of a key creature from the graveyard directly to the battlefield, bypassing normal casting constraints and keeping your hand stocked.

Resource Acceleration: Its Death side effectively acts as a reanimation tool, which can lead to an immediate impact on board presence without spending resources from hand, plus the converted lands from Life can ramp your mana supply significantly in one turn, leading to more powerful plays ahead of schedule.

Instant Speed: While Life // Death is a sorcery, its impact on the game is no less swift. The instantaneous change from a stable board to one filled with animated lands or the sudden appearance of a potent creature from the graveyard can pivot the game’s momentum in your favor effectively and decisively.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Life // Death card comes with a discard obligation that can be detrimental in situations where holding on to each card in your hand is critical for maintaining game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s ability demands a precise combination of mana types, particularly black mana, which may not be readily available in all deck constructions or could clash with a deck’s existing mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a combined mana value that’s substantial when casting both halves, players must evaluate if the card’s effects justify its cost, especially when other cards may provide similar benefits for less mana investment.


Reasons to Include Life // Death in Your Collection

Versatility: Life // Death provides two distinct options to adapt to board states. ‘Life’ can be used in decks that strive to stabilize life totals or capitalize on high life counts, while ‘Death’ is great for aggressive strategies, turning lands into creatures for a final push.

Combo Potential: ‘Death’ can act as a key part in combos, turning all your lands into creatures that can be sacrificed for effects or buffs. Similarly, ‘Life’ can trigger lifegain synergies, opening up avenues for powerful interactions in your deck.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame shifts, Life // Death remains a tool for its flexibility. Whether the current environment favors aggro or control, the card can adapt, giving you life when you need to outlast opponents or creatures when you need to overwhelm them.


How to beat

The card Life // Death presents a unique challenge due to its dual nature. In a game of MTG, it proves its worth by either breathing life into your mana base by turning a land into a potent creature, or by resurrecting fallen creatures to once again influence the battlefield. To effectively navigate against this, smart play and timing are essential.

For instance, countering Life // Death with cards like Negate can be a direct approach, halting the opponent’s endeavor before it takes root. Alternatively, maintaining graveyard control can be key; employing cards such as Relic of Progenitus prohibits the opponent from capitalizing on Death’s revival clause. Adjusting your board state to accommodate sweepers or instant speed removals, can quickly negate the temporary creature threat Life offers. Keeping an eye out for utility lands that could turn formidable when alive is also a strategic move, enabling preemptive responses.

In essence, while Life // Death offers versatility to swing the tide of play, staying one step ahead with answers and graveyard management can underpin success against this transformative card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG can lead to the discovery of multifaceted cards like Life // Death, a card that exemplifies versatility and strategic potential. Whether you’re looking to leverage the Life side to transform your lands into an imposing army or tap into the Death side to resurrect a pivotal creature, this card can be a game-changer. The insights provided outline how it fits into various strategies and its comparative strengths and weaknesses against other options in the game. To fully harness the power of this dynamic card and refine your deck’s edge, join the BurnMana community where we delve into advanced tactics and help each player unveil their unique path to victory in the artful world of MTG.


Cards like Life // Death

The intriguing duality of Life // Death renders it a versatile tool in the vast world of Magic: The Gathering. Its nearest kin in function to the Life aspect would be cards like Reanimate, which share the mechanism of bringing creatures back from the graveyard to the battlefield, though Reanimate directly targets a single creature with no life payment required.

Examining the Death side, we find a resemblance to Nature’s Revolt and Living Plane, which both turn lands into creatures, albeit permanently and en masse rather than selectively. While Life // Death allows for strategic, temporary land animation potentially leading to overwhelming offence when timed perfectly, the aforementioned alternatives can significantly alter the state of the game for the duration of their presence on the field.

In essence, the dichotomous nature of Life // Death offers a unique blend of resurrection and transformation, standing out among MTG spells that either reanimate creatures or animate lands separately. It’s a card that strikes a balance between an immediate aggressive advantage and long-term strategic depth in gameplay.

Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Nature's Revolt - MTG Card versions
Living Plane - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Nature's Revolt - MTG Card versions
Living Plane - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Life // Death MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse and Magic Online 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 Life // Death and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Life // Death Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2001-06-04 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-06-04ApocalypseAPC 1301997SplitBlackEdward P. Beard, Jr.
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 325912003SplitBlackEdward P. Beard, Jr.
32012-09-07Duel Decks: Izzet vs. GolgariDDJ 772003SplitBlackRyan Barger
42023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 2162015SplitBlackScott Murphy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Life // Death has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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