Mortician Beetle MTG Card


Efficiently capitalizes on creature sacrifices, accumulating power to become a dominant threat. Excels in decks designed for graveyard manipulation, offering cost-effective battlefield advantage. Requires a consistent stream of sacrificial creatures to truly harness its potential and impact.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Insect
Power 1
Toughness 1

Text of card

Whenever a player sacrifices a creature, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Mortician Beetle.

To the soldier, war is famine; to the scavenger, a feast.


Cards like Mortician Beetle

Mortician Beetle has carved out its niche among creature cards in Magic: The Gathering due to its unique ability to capitalize on sacrifice mechanics. It can be likened to Bloodbriar, which also gets stronger whenever you sacrifice a permanent. However, Bloodbriar’s scope is broader, buffing itself irrespective of the type of permanent sacrificed whereas Mortician Beetle specifically gains a +1/+1 counter whenever you sacrifice another creature.

Another card worth comparing is Carrion Feeder, a one-mana creature that allows you to sacrifice other creatures to make it stronger. While Carrion Feeder can grow without limit as you continue to sacrifice creatures, Mortician Beetle’s advantage is that it is not required to be the sacrifice outlet itself, potentially making it more versatile in decks that utilize numerous sacrifice effects. Furthermore, Nantuko Husk serves a similar purpose, offering a sacrifice outlet that can become a formidable threat in a single turn. However, it lacks the incremental growth over multiple turns that Mortician Beetle can provide with each creature sacrificed.

In essence, while there are several creatures that synergize with sacrifice mechanics in Magic: The Gathering, Mortician Beetle stands out in decks designed around creature sacrifice due to its capacity to grow steadily and become a significant threat over time.

Bloodbriar - MTG Card versions
Carrion Feeder - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Husk - MTG Card versions
Bloodbriar - MTG Card versions
Carrion Feeder - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Husk - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Mortician Beetle. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
UBRUBR PauperPauper Challenge 64 2024-02-04
BB PauperPauper League 2023-12-05
Mono-Black BurnMono-Black Burn PauperSprint Wheel Event - Geddon Series 1^ tappa MILANO 2024

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Mortician Beetle card is an asset in a deck that revolves around creature sacrifice strategies. Each time you sacrifice another creature, this beetle gets stronger. So, while you’re using your resources to activate other abilities and effects, the beetle provides an ongoing advantage by continually accruing power, giving you more value from each creature you send to the graveyard.

Resource Acceleration: In decks that exploit sacrificing creatures, Mortician Beetle can rapidly become a significant threat. It serves as a form of resource acceleration by efficiently transforming your graveyard activity into a larger, more formidable presence on the battlefield without requiring additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: Thought Mortician Beetle doesn’t interact at instant speed itself, it compliments instant speed sacrifice effects very well. This synergy allows you to surprise opponents by increasing the beetle’s power during combat or in response to an enemy’s actions, making it a flexible and reactive tool within your strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mortician Beetle’s efficiency is tied to a specific action – sacrificing creatures. Without a steady flow of creatures to sacrifice, the beetle’s potential remains untapped, which can be limiting in a deck not centered around this theme.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires black mana, making it dependent on having the right land or mana sources in play. This mana specificity can restrict the beetle’s inclusion to primarily black or graveyard-focused decks limiting its versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Mortician Beetle costs only a single black mana, its utility is proportional to the ability to sacrifice creatures, which typically involves additional mana costs or other resources. This requirement can slow down your play, especially in the early game where mana is crucial for establishing board presence.


Reasons to Include Mortician Beetle in Your Collection

Versatility: Mortician Beetle can easily adapt to a variety of deck styles, especially those centered on sacrifice mechanics, bolstering its power for each creature you sacrifice which can quickly turn the tide in your favor.

Combo Potential: With each creature that hits the graveyard, this card gains a +1/+1 counter, potentially synergizing with repeatable sacrifice engines to grow into a substantial threat on the board.

Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard and sacrificial strategies often surface in the meta, incorporating Mortician Beetle can offer a strategic edge, seamlessly interacting with common mechanics and disrupting opponent plays.


How to beat

Mortician Beetle is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that thrives in decks that capitalize on sacrificing other creatures. As each creature hits the graveyard, the beetle gains a +1/+1 counter, possibly turning it into a formidable threat on the battlefield. To counter this growth, one effective strategy is to limit creature sacrifices. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can disrupt graveyard strategies, preventing your opponent’s creatures from ever hitting the graveyard, thus stunting the beetle’s growth.

Alternatively, for a more direct approach, removal spells that exile can be your go-to solution. Consider implementing cards like Path to Exile or Bile Blight to directly target Mortician Beetle before it grows out of control. Removal spells ensure the beetle is managed before becoming too large to handle with regular damage-based removal. Lastly, always monitor your opponent’s creature count and anticipate their sacrifice plays to stay one step ahead, keeping Mortician Beetle from ever becoming a real threat on the board.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Mortician Beetle’s potential as a formidable threat in creature sacrifice strategies, MTG players should consider exploring decks that maximize this unique card’s ability. Recognizing the beetle’s worth and integrating it into your collection can be quite advantageous. Remember, every sacrificable creature is one step closer to fortifying your battlefield presence. Dive deeper into MTG strategies, unravel powerful combos, and refine your deck-building prowess with us. Whether you’re an aspiring champion or simply looking to enrich your play, Mortician Beetle, and cards like it could make all the difference in your MTG journey. Discover how to optimize your deck with Mortician Beetle and turn each match into a display of strategic genius.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mortician Beetle MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Modern Masters 2017, 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 Mortician Beetle and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mortician Beetle Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2017-03-17. Illustrated by Lars Grant-West.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 1172003NormalBlackLars Grant-West
22017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 782015NormalBlackLars Grant-West

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mortician Beetle has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2017-03-14 If a creature is sacrificed as a cost to cast a spell or activate an ability, Mortician Beetle’s ability resolves before that spell or ability.
2017-03-14 Mortician Beetle’s ability triggers whenever any player, including you, sacrifices a creature because some other spell, ability, or cost instructed the player to do so. Mortician Beetle itself doesn’t allow you to sacrifice any creatures.