Elephant Graveyard MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Elephant Graveyard offers consistent mana and instant ability to regenerate Elephant creatures.
  2. The land’s activation cost is high, potentially leading to resource strain.
  3. It’s a unique card that boosts resilience and synergy in specific MTG decks.

Text of card

Tap to add 1 colorless mana to your mana pool or regenerate an Elephant or Mammoth.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elephant Graveyard’s unique ability to regenerate target Elephant creature ensures that players can maintain a prominent board presence by protecting their key creatures from being destroyed. This leads to sustained card advantage as creatures that would otherwise be lost stay on the board ready to continue the fight.

Resource Acceleration: As a land, Elephant Graveyard can be tapped for colorless mana, which is essential for any MTG deck’s mana base. The ability to consistently provide mana every turn without using a spell slot adds subtle but valuable resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: The regenerative ability of the Elephant Graveyard can be activated at instant speed, enabling players to respond promptly to threats during the opponent’s turn. This defensive tactic can deter attacks or force opponents to use removal spells prematurely, shifting the tempo of the game to your favor.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Elephant Graveyard touts a mana requirement specifically colored in white and colorless, potentially restricting its seamless integration into multi-colored or colorless decks that do not run white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to activate its ability to regenerate a chosen Elephant or Mammoth, this card demands a significant investment compared to other regeneration options, which might offer lower-cost alternatives.

Discard Requirement: While not directly imposing a discard, the high cost associated with Elephant Graveyard’s ability can indirectly lead to a card disadvantage by consuming resources that might otherwise be allocated for casting spells or deploying creatures.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Elephant Graveyard is particularly flexible, capable of slotting into various deck types that center around creatures. Its ability to regenerate Elephant creatures offers resilience against removal spells and board wipes.

Combo Potential: This land pairs well with decks that feature Elephant creatures or other decks that use tribal themes. It enables a range of synergies, from beefing up your pachyderm-based forces to ensuring their survival in protracted battles.

Meta-Relevance: In gameplay environments rich with targeted removals or where creature strategies are prominent, Elephant Graveyard can provide the necessary edge. It supports continuity in creature presence, keeping key creatures in play even in the face of adversity.


How to beat Elephant Graveyard

In the realm of MTG, Elephant Graveyard stands out not for its offensive prowess but for its unique ability to protect and regenerate certain creatures. Unlike other lands which provide mana alone, Elephant Graveyard offers a specialized function. It can regenerate target Elephant or Mammoth, a subtle yet defiant shield against removal spells.

The card thrives in a specialized deck, but therein lies its vulnerability. Its power is inherently tied to the presence of Elephant and Mammoth creatures in your deck. Therefore, to dismantle its advantage, target removal is less effective. You’ll want to focus on cards that limit the ability to tap for mana or that can alter the creature type, rendering Elephant Graveyard’s ability irrelevant. Additionally, strategies that bypass regeneration, such as exile or -1/-1 counters, can effectively negate the sanctuary this land offers to its Elephant and Mammoth denizens.

Adapting your deck to include a versatile suite of removal or creature-type altering spells could negate the Graveyard’s advantage. Players harnessing the card’s unique power will need to carefully weigh the odds, while opponents should prepare their arsenals to counter these gentle giants.


Cards like Elephant Graveyard

Elephant Graveyard is a unique land card in Magic: The Gathering that stands out due to its ability to regenerate elephants and mammoths. It’s somewhat akin to Havenwood Battleground, which provides green mana but has the added functionality of being able to sacrifice it for an additional green mana, at the cost of it entering the battlefield tapped. Elephant Graveyard provides consistent mana without the entry drawback, though it does come with its own specific creature-centric utility.

If we look to Selesnya Sanctuary, this land echoes the mana flexibility by providing two types of mana, green and white, but it bounces another land back to the player’s hand upon entry. Selesnya Sanctuary doesn’t offer the same protection for creatures but compensates with its mana fixing capabilities. Gavony Township, another utilitarian land, doesn’t regenerate but instead bolsters the strength of all creatures with its ability to put +1/+1 counters on them, which can be a game-changer in a drawn-out match.

Evaluating the scope of utility and gameplay impact, Elephant Graveyard fits a niche role catering to specific decks that benefit from its protective capabilities, particularly where elephants and mammoths are cornerstone creatures.

Havenwood Battleground - MTG Card versions
Selesnya Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Gavony Township - MTG Card versions
Havenwood Battleground - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Selesnya Sanctuary - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Gavony Township - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Elephant Graveyard by color, type and mana cost

Cathedral of Serra - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Bad River - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
Urza's Mine - MTG Card versions
Hall of Tagsin - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Krosan Verge - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Springjack Pasture - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Cathedral of Serra - Legends (LEG)
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Bad River - Mirage (MIR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
Urza's Mine - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Hall of Tagsin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Krosan Verge - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Springjack Pasture - Commander 2013 (C13)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elephant Graveyard MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Masters Edition IV, 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 Elephant Graveyard and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Elephant Graveyard Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Rob Alexander.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-12-17Arabian NightsARN 741993normalblackRob Alexander
22011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 2441997normalblackRob Alexander

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elephant Graveyard has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks