Raise the Draugr MTG Card


Grants card advantage by returning up to two creatures from your graveyard to your hand. Instant speed allows flexible responses to opponents’ moves, bringing a tactical edge. Specific mana cost and graveyard conditions may limit its use in some MTG decks.
Raise the Draugr - Kaldheim
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set nameKaldheim
Set codeKHM
Number105
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byRandy Vargas

Text of card

Choose one — • Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. • Return two target creature cards that share a creature type from your graveyard to your hand.

"King Narfi calls. We go to war!"


Cards like Raise the Draugr

Raise the Draugr forges its place in the realms of reanimation magic in Magic: The Gathering. When examining its peers, Animate Dead emerges as a classic example, boasting the ability to return any creature from the graveyard to the battlefield. Raise the Draugr, by contrast, is selective, fetching only two creatures that share a creature type, but from your graveyard to your hand, offering versatility in tribal decks.

Much like Unearth, which also brings creatures back from the graveyard for a brief stint, Raise the Draugr provides a similar function without the exile at the end step or the limitation on the creature’s converted mana cost. Morbid Plunder presents another point of comparison: it returns exactly two creatures from the graveyard to the player’s hand, akin to Raise the Draugr, yet it lacks the tribal synergy that can supercharge a deck’s thematic focus.

Evaluating them side by side, Raise the Draugr holds its ground amidst fellow reanimation spells. Its resonant tribal angle and the immediate hand advantage it procures make it a card worth considering in MTG, particularly in decks designed around specific creature types.

Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions

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Word of Command - MTG Card versions
Terror - MTG Card versions
Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Transmutation - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Edict - MTG Card versions
Headstone - MTG Card versions
Soul Rend - MTG Card versions
Wicked Reward - MTG Card versions
Urborg Justice - MTG Card versions
Imps' Taunt - MTG Card versions
Rapid Decay - MTG Card versions
Tainted Pact - MTG Card versions
Toxic Stench - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Cast Down - MTG Card versions
Smother - MTG Card versions
Hero's Demise - MTG Card versions
Sickening Shoal - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Raise the Draugr has the ability to return not one but potentially two creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. This effectively gives you access to additional resources and maintains your grip on the game by maximizing the cards at your disposal.

Resource Acceleration: By bringing creatures back from the graveyard, you skip the need for drawing them again, thus accelerating your access to those resources. This can be particularly significant if the creatures have high mana costs or impactful abilities, giving you a strategic edge.

Instant Speed: The instant timing of Raise the Draugr means you can respond flexibly to your opponent’s actions. Waiting until the end of their turn to potentially swing the game in your favor without compromising your ability to interact during their turn is a strategic advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Raise the Draugr requires you to remove another creature card in your graveyard from the game. This can deplete your graveyard resources, which might be counterproductive for decks that thrive on graveyard synergy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands one black mana in its casting cost, making it exclusive to decks that can produce that color. Players not running a black mana source may find it challenging to incorporate this card into their strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although its mana cost is just one black and one colorless, this can still be considered high given that it is conditioned by the presence of creatures in the graveyard to be fully effective. Cards with lower mana costs may offer more immediate impact or versatility in certain game situations.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Raise the Draugr is a highly flexible card that can seamlessly slot into various deck archetypes. Its ability to return creatures from your graveyard to your hand gives you sustained tactical advantage whether in aggro, control, or midrange strategies where recurrence is key.

Combo Potential: Adept at retrieving key creature cards, it pairs well with strategies centered on sacrifice or death triggers. The reusability of valuable creatures can establish formidable combinations that continually present challenges for your opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state teeming with graveyard interaction and recurring threats, Raise the Draugr holds its ground. It’s perfectly poised to recover assets after board wipes or targeted removals, maintaining a strong presence in a constantly evolving meta.


How to beat

Raise the Draugr is one of those dark-themed cards from Magic: The Gathering that can be quite a pain to deal with, especially when you’re facing opponents who make full use of their graveyard. This card allows a player to return a creature card from their graveyard to their hand, and if there’s a shared creature type, potentially reclaiming two cards instead of one. The ability to retrieve fallen creatures provides them with a tactical advantage by reusing valuable creature effects.

Playing against Raise the Draugr effectively requires strategy focused on graveyard disruption. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can be particularly effective as they prevent cards from hitting the graveyard in the first place, nullifying the influence of Raise the Draugr. Additionally, instant-speed removal like Scavenging Ooze can be a solid choice. It lets you target and exile cards from graveyards before your opponent has the chance to capitalize on their synergies. Managing graveyard resources and keeping tabs on potential recursion threats will go a long way in diminishing the power of Raise the Draugr in gameplay.

Understanding when to disrupt your opponent’s graveyard is crucial. Timing your interrupts after they’ve committed mana but before they benefit allows you to maintain control on the battlefield. With correct timing and strategic denial, Raise the Draugr’s impact can be significantly weakened, giving you the upper hand in your MTG duels.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG enthusiasts weave the intricate strategies of deck building and gameplay, it’s essential to recognize the potency that cards like Raise the Draugr add to your arsenal. Exploiting the synergy between returning creatures to your hand and manipulating graveyard resources can set the stage for victory. Whether you’re enhancing a tribal deck or just seeking to outmaneuver your opponents through strategic card advantage, understanding the subtleties of such cards becomes crucial. Interested in mastering these dynamics and elevating your deck’s performance? Delve deeper with us into the tactics that make MTG an endlessly captivating experience.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Raise the Draugr MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Raise the Draugr and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Raise the Draugr has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2021-02-05 If you choose the second mode and one of the two cards leaves your graveyard, you’ll still return the other card to your hand as long as it has a creature type that the other card had as it left your graveyard.
2021-02-05 If you choose the second mode, the cards must share at least one creature type, such as Knight or Djinn. Card types (e.g., artifact) and supertypes (e.g., legendary or snow) aren’t creature types.