March of the Drowned MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants card advantage by retrieving up to two pirates from the graveyard, fueling aggressive strategies.
  2. The instant-speed play allows strategic flexibility and surprise tactics during gameplay.
  3. Limited to black mana and pirate creatures, which may restrict deck compatibility.

Text of card

Choose one — • Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. • Return two target Pirate cards from your graveyard to your hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: March of the Drowned is particularly adept at granting card advantage by allowing you to return up to two creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. This can easily swing momentum in your favor, especially in aggressive pirate-themed decks.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, recovering creatures with this card can effectively accelerate your resources. Returning low-cost creatures to your hand prepares you for rapid redeployment, enabling a relentless offensive that can overwhelm your opponents.

Instant Speed: The instant nature of March of the Drowned offers strategic flexibility. You can wait to play it until the last possible moment, keeping your adversaries uncertain about your next move. This can also enable surprise blocks or responses to brings threats back right when they’re needed.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While March of the Drowned allows players to return creatures from the graveyard to their hand, it requires the discarded cards to be specifically Pirates. This can be a significant drawback in decks that don’t focus on or include many Pirate cards.

Specific Mana Cost: March of the Drowned requires black mana to play. This restricts its inclusion to black or multicolor Pirate-themed decks, potentially limiting its versatility in a variety of MTG deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although costing only one black mana might seem low, in a format where speed is crucial, the card competes with other one-mana spells that might offer immediate board presence or more versatile responses.


Reasons to Include March of the Drowned in Your Collection

Versatility: March of the Drowned offers strategic flexibility by allowing you to return creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. This can be particularly beneficial in decks that cycle through a lot of pirates or utilize graveyard-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This card excels at setting up combos by recovering key pirate pieces from your graveyard. Its low casting cost makes it an efficient way to sustain momentum and opens up doors for powerful synergies in a pirate-themed deck.

Meta-Relevance: Given the right circumstances, the ability to reclaim your pirate creatures can disrupt your opponents’ plans and continuously feed your board presence. In a meta where creatures often end up in the graveyard, March of the Drowned ensures you stay in the game with minimal resource investment.


How to beat

March of the Drowned is a strategic card that offers substantial value for MTG players with its unique ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard. This function mirrors the mechanics of cards like Disentomb, albeit March of the Drowned has an edge when it comes to retrieving Pirate cards, possibly affecting how a player manages their graveyard resources.

Negating the advantage provided by March of the Drowned calls for graveyard disruption strategies. Consider employing cards like Silent Gravestone or Grafdigger’s Cage, which can thwart attempts to recover cards from the graveyard. Additionally, Control magic can play a pivotal role. Using counterspells such as Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent March of the Drowned from resolving in the first place, clipping the wings of a strategy reliant on this revival tactic.

Overall, defeating March of the Drowned centers on preventing the activation of its abilities, whether through graveyard interferences or timely counterspells. Keeping these tactics in mind will aid in mitigating the card’s potential impact on the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the strategies of MTG with March of the Drowned. It’s not just about bringing creatures back from the grave; it’s also about gaining a tactical edge. Whether you’re assembling a relentless pirate crew or seeking synergy with graveyard mechanics, understanding the nuances of such a card is crucial. With its potential for card advantage and surprise plays, knowing when to play this instant can shift games in your favor. Embrace the challenge and refine your deck’s capabilities. Eager to optimize your play and unlock the full potential of your collection? Explore further with us and make every match count.


Cards like March of the Drowned

March of the Drowned is an exceptional card for Magic: The Gathering players who adore strategizing with their graveyard. This card allows players to return two creature cards of the pirate type from their graveyard to their hand for a single black mana. It’s akin to cards like Disentomb or Raise Dead, which also retrieve creatures from the graveyard, but these are limited to bringing back only one.

Gravepurge is another relatable card, offering not just the retrieval of a creature but also the manipulation of the top of the library. Yet, it costs more mana and lacks the specificity of targeting pirate creatures, which is where March of the Drowned shines for tribal decks. Morbid Plunder, acting similarly, fetches back two creatures but at a higher mana value, placing March of the Drowned in a sweet spot for efficiency.

In essence, March of the Drowned earns its place in the arsenal of recovery spells with its low cost and synergistic focus on pirate creatures, making it a preferred choice for players running pirate-themed decks looking to reclaim their swashbuckling allies from the depths of the graveyard.

Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Gravepurge - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - Magic 2010 (M10)
Raise Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Gravepurge - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Morbid Plunder - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Cards similar to March of the Drowned by color, type and mana cost

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Mind Twist - MTG Card versions
Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Mind Peel - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Chorus of Woe - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Skull Fracture - MTG Card versions
Tombfire - MTG Card versions
Innocent Blood - MTG Card versions
Restless Dreams - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Mind Twist - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Contract from Below - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Spoils of War - Ice Age (ICE)
Tendrils of Despair - Weatherlight (WTH)
Mind Peel - Stronghold (STH)
Bloodcurdling Scream - Portal Second Age (P02)
Organ Harvest - Unglued (UGL)
Duress - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Unearth - Historic Anthology 7 (HA7)
Bubbling Muck - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Chorus of Woe - Starter 1999 (S99)
Reanimate - Jumpstart (JMP)
Soul Strings - Prophecy (PCY)
Skull Fracture - Odyssey (ODY)
Tombfire - Odyssey (ODY)
Innocent Blood - The List (PLST)
Restless Dreams - Torment (TOR)
Cabal Therapy - Premium Deck Series: Graveborn (PD3)
Confront the Past - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase March of the Drowned MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan and Mystery Booster, 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 March of the Drowned and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The March of the Drowned Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Ben Wootten.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-09-29IxalanXLN 1122015normalblackBen Wootten
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 7062015normalblackBen Wootten
32020-09-26The ListPLST XLN-1122015normalblackBen Wootten

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where March of the Drowned has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-01-19 If an effect refers to a “
-ubtype] spell” or “
-ubtype] card,” it refers only to a spell or card that has that subtype. For example, March of the Drowned is a card that benefits Pirates and features Pirates in its illustration, but it isn’t a Pirate card.

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