Dance of the Dead MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Grave-oriented decks gain board presence and advantage by resurrecting creatures with Dance of the Dead.
  2. It allows for early game power plays by bypassing high mana costs of large creatures.
  3. Strategically, instant speed creature abilities complement the enchantment’s reanimation for surprise plays.

Text of card

Take target creature from any graveyard and put it directly into play under your control, tapped, with +1/+1. Treat that creature as though it were just summoned. The creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase. At the end of his or her upkeep, its controller may pay an additional o1o B to untap it. If Dance of the Dead is removed, bury the creature in its owner's graveyard.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dance of the Dead is quintessential for grave-oriented decks, allowing the retrieval of a creature from any graveyard directly onto the battlefield. This move can tip the scales, as the resurrected creature can provide additional board presence and potential card advantage over time.

Resource Acceleration: By reanimating a powerful creature early, Dance of the Dead effectively works as resource acceleration. It bypasses the usual mana costs associated with casting high-cost creatures, enabling you to capitalize on these behemoths much earlier than your opponents may anticipate.

Instant Speed: While Dance of the Dead itself is not cast at instant speed, its effect of bringing back creatures can be maximized by including creatures in your deck that have abilities triggered at instant speed or during the opponent’s turn. This strategic depth adds a layer of surprise and adaptability to your gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To breathe new life into a creature from the graveyard, Dance of the Dead necessitates a specific creature to be discarded first. This constraint can set you back if your hand is already short on options, making it a double-edged sword in tight gameplay scenarios.

Specific Mana Cost: Revitalizing your graveyard creatures with Dance of the Dead demands both black mana and generic mana, which may prove to be a stumbling block in multi-colored decks that struggle with mana consistency. Ensuring you have the right mana at the right time is crucial.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Dance of the Dead is potent in its ability to reanimate creatures, it comes with a hefty initial investment of two mana. In games where speed is of the essence, one might find other reanimation spells more mana-efficient and thereby advantageous in a mana-tight situation.


Reasons to Include Dance of the Dead in Your Collection

Versatility: Dance of the Dead is a reanimation enchantment with the ability to bring back creatures from any graveyard. This flexibility allows for a variety of deck-building strategies, from harnessing powerful creatures of your opponent to reusing your own game-changing monsters.

Combo Potential: This card offers significant potential for combos, particularly in decks that manipulate the graveyard. The intricacies of its untap mechanic can serve as a springboard for furthering intricate plays or even infinite combos under the right circumstances.

Meta-Relevance: With the continuous presence of graveyard-centric decks in various formats, Dance of the Dead remains an influential card. It aligns well with current strategies that capitalize on cheating out large creatures early, disrupting the flow of the game in your favor.


How to beat

Dance of the Dead is an enchanting reanimation spell that can bring back formidable creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield. This card provides both a resurrection mechanism and a continuous boost to the revived creature’s power. To effectively counter this enchantment from MTG, consider preemptive measures like graveyard disruption. Utilizing cards that can exile or shuffle the graveyard into the library effectively dampens the impact of Dance of the Dead, as it relies on targets within the graveyard.

Moreover, you can focus on enchantment removal spells to address Dance of the Dead directly after it hits the field. Cards such as Disenchant or Nature’s Claim allow for efficient and often low-cost solutions to remove bothersome enchantments. Remember, once Dance of the Dead is gone, the creature it brought back leaves play as well. Lastly, playing cards that grant you hexproof can hinder opponents from targeting you with this reanimation enchantment, keeping your graveyard safe and shutting down their strategy.

Understanding and employing these strategies can tilt the scales in your favor, transforming the Dance of the Dead from a potential threat to a manageable aspect of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the synergies and potential of Dance of the Dead in your MTG decks can be a game-changer. Its ability to reanimate creatures provides myriad strategic advantages by upending regular play patterns and setting the stage for powerful comebacks. While the intricacies of its casting cost and the requirement of having a creature to discard may require careful deck planning, the payoffs can be immense. From leveraging graveyard manipulation to creat unexpected twists in your matches, Dance of the Dead can be both a versatile and potent addition to your collection. Dive deeper into the art of reanimation with us, and discover how to weave this captivating spell into your deck for a formidable gaming experience.


Cards like Dance of the Dead

Dance of the Dead is an intriguing entry in the category of reanimation enchantments in MTG. It draws comparisons to the renowned Animate Dead, which, much like Dance of the Dead, brings creatures back from the graveyard to the battlefield. The distinction lies in their enchantment conditions and mana costs which slightly tilt the scales in terms of playability.

Necromancy is another card seen alongside Dance of the Dead, providing versatility with its ability to be cast as an instant. Even though it is somewhat costlier than Dance of the Dead, the instant speed offers a tactical edge, allowing for unexpected plays. Then there’s Exhume, offering a more democratic reanimation as it returns a creature card to the battlefield for both players. It comes with a lower mana investment, but with the undeniable risk of benefiting the opponent.

Each of these cards carries unique strategic implications, and while Dance of the Dead might not be the most mana-efficient in its league, its ability to untap the reanimated creature and enhance its strength makes it a valuable option for players aiming to exploit the full potential of their graveyards within the enthralling lore of MTG.

Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Necromancy - MTG Card versions
Exhume - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Necromancy - Visions (VIS)
Exhume - Urza's Saga (USG)

Cards similar to Dance of the Dead by color, type and mana cost

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Spirit Shackle - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dark Privilege - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Spinal Graft - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth's Edict - MTG Card versions
Dying Wail - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Mourning - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Fear - Tenth Edition (10E)
Warp Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Deathgrip - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Animate Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blight - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Spirit Shackle - Legends (LEG)
Seizures - Ice Age (ICE)
Leshrac's Sigil - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Lim-Dûl's Hex - Ice Age (ICE)
Dark Privilege - Multiverse Gift Box (MGB)
Enfeeblement - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Spinal Graft - Tempest (TMP)
Oath of Ghouls - Exodus (EXO)
Despondency - Urza's Saga (USG)
Yawgmoth's Edict - Urza's Saga (USG)
Dying Wail - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Insubordination - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mourning - Invasion (INV)
Chains of Mephistopheles - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dance of the Dead MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Pro Tour Collector Set, 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 Dance of the Dead and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dance of the Dead Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Randy Gallegos.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 1181993normalblackRandy Gallegos
21996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC ll1181993normalgoldRandy Gallegos
32008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 831997normalblackRandy Gallegos

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dance of the Dead has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 If more than one Dance of the Dead ends up on a creature, each contributes a +1/+1. But you only have to pay the untap cost once. You may pay for each one, however, and untap the card more than once during upkeep.
2008-04-01 If the creature card put onto the battlefield has protection from black (or anything that prevents this from legally being attached), this won’t be able to attach to it. Then this will go to the graveyard as a state-based action, causing the creature to be sacrificed.
2008-04-01 Once the creature is returned to the battlefield, Dance of the Dead can’t be attached to anything other than it (unless Dance of the Dead somehow manages to put a different creature onto the battlefield). Attempting to move Dance of the Dead to another creature won’t work.
2008-04-01 This is a new wording. Dance of the Dead is now an Aura. You target a creature card in a graveyard when you cast it. It enters the battlefield attached to that card. Then it returns that card to the battlefield, and attaches itself to that card again (since the card is treated as a new object on the battlefield).

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