Underworld Connections MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Turns any land into a card draw source, enhancing your strategic options during gameplay.
  2. Demanding specific mana and sacrificing a card can limit its utility in varied decks.
  3. Comparable to Phyrexian Arena in function, yet distinct in its activation requirements.

Text of card

Enchant land Enchanted land has ", Pay 1 life: Draw a card."

If you're looking for it, it's available. The question is how much you're willing to pay.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Underworld Connections is a continuous engine for card draw, providing you with an extra card on each of your turns. By tapping the enchanted land, you ensure a steady flow of options, keeping your hand replenished and increasing your chances of finding the answers or threats you need to control the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Underworld Connections does not directly accelerate your resources, it allows for more consistent land drops by drawing more cards and potentially improves your resource quality by filtering through your deck more quickly.

Instant Speed: Although the activation is not at instant speed, this enchantment gives you the flexibility to draw cards at the end of your opponent’s turn or during your own, whichever is most tactically advantageous. This way, you can hold up mana for other actions and still benefit from the card draw if no immediate response is necessary.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Underworld Connections necessitates a card sacrifice each turn you activate its ability. This can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re already struggling with card availability.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a mix of one black mana plus two of any other colors. It’s not flexible for decks that don’t focus heavily on black mana, possibly restricting its playability outside mono-black or two-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana and the additional requirement of tapping the enchanted land, it can be costly to use. Other cards might provide immediate benefits or a more efficient card draw mechanic for a lower or similar investment, giving them an edge over Underworld Connections in terms of mana efficiency.


Reasons to Include Underworld Connections in Your Collection

Versatility: Underworld Connections is a card that can effortlessly slot into a variety of black decks seeking card advantage. It turns any land into a repeatable draw engine, which can be invaluable in decks that thrive on maintaining a full hand.

Combo Potential: This enchantment synergizes with strategies that capitalize on card draw or life payment mechanics. It’s a potent enabler in combo decks, setting the stage for game-ending sequences while refueling your resources.

Meta-Relevance: Given that many games can hinge on incremental advantage, Underworld Connections provides a steady flow of options, keeping you relevant against control and grindy matchups where out-drawing your opponent often means the difference between victory and defeat.


How to Beat Underworld Connections

Underworld Connections presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering. This enchantment allows players to draw extra cards at the cost of one life and one mana per turn, essentially turning any land into a card-drawing engine. Yet, there are several ways to dismantle this strategic advantage. Enchantment removal spells such as Disenchant or Mortify can directly target and remove Underworld Connections from the battlefield, severing the flow of cards to your opponent. Alternatively, land destruction or land incapacitation tactics with cards like Field of Ruin or Ghost Quarter can upset your opponent’s mana base, making it more difficult for them to utilize Underworld Connections effectively.

Managing your life totals wisely also plays a crucial role. Applying pressure with aggressive creatures or strategies forces the Underworld Connections player to balance the benefits of drawing cards against the risk of losing life, which can become a precarious tightrope walk in a game where life totals are a countdown to defeat. In addition, employing cards that hinder or punish life loss, such as Tainted Remedy, can turn the tables, making the card draw from Underworld Connections a liability rather than an asset for your opponent.

Ultimately, by understanding the mechanics of Underworld Connections and incorporating direct or indirect counter-measures, players can effectively neutralize this powerful card and maintain the upper hand in Magic: The Gathering matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the strategy of MTG with Underworld Connections, a card draw engine that can reshape the battlefield to your advantage. Whether you’re optimizing a black-centered deck or seeking to sustain your resources in prolonged duels, understanding how to leverage this card is essential. Our detailed insights and gameplay tactics provide the edge you need to outmaneuver your opponents. If you’re intrigued by the prospect of turning your lands into powerful assets or are looking for that incremental advantage to secure your victories, join our community of avid MTG players. Discover the full potential of Underworld Connections and elevate your collection and gameplay today.


Cards like Underworld Connections

Underworld Connections draws parallels with a league of resource-management enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. When compared to cards like Phyrexian Arena, which also allows a player to draw an additional card at the cost of one life during their upkeep, Underworld Connections offers similar gameplay mechanics with a slight twist. Unlike Phyrexian Arena, Underworld Connections requires the player to tap a land to enact its card-drawing ability, adding a strategic layer to land usage.

Another card embodying a similar concept is Sign in Blood, where the cost is not only two mana but also two life in exchange for two cards immediately. While Sign in Blood can also target opponents, Underworld Connections is a reliable resource engine rooted on the field. Moreover, Greed stands out with its repeatable card draw power, with the player deciding how many cards to draw and how much life to pay. Underworld Connections provides a more controlled but possibly a slower flow of cards.

These characteristics underscore the distinct yet subtly nuanced differences between Underworld Connections and counterpart draw spells or enchantments, each with its own set of advantages, responding to different strategic calls in the vast landscape of MTG.

Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Sign in Blood - MTG Card versions
Greed - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - Apocalypse (APC)
Sign in Blood - Magic 2010 (M10)
Greed - Legends (LEG)

Cards similar to Underworld Connections by color, type and mana cost

Gloom - MTG Card versions
Season of the Witch - MTG Card versions
Tourach's Gate - MTG Card versions
Withering Wisps - MTG Card versions
Funeral March - MTG Card versions
Casting of Bones - MTG Card versions
Blanket of Night - MTG Card versions
Necropotence - MTG Card versions
Hecatomb - MTG Card versions
Megrim - MTG Card versions
Recurring Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Contamination - MTG Card versions
Oppression - MTG Card versions
Maggot Therapy - MTG Card versions
Murderous Betrayal - MTG Card versions
Noxious Field - MTG Card versions
Tainted Well - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Gravestorm - MTG Card versions
Mortiphobia - MTG Card versions
Gloom - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Season of the Witch - The Dark (DRK)
Tourach's Gate - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Withering Wisps - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Funeral March - Homelands (HML)
Casting of Bones - Alliances (ALL)
Blanket of Night - Visions (VIS)
Necropotence - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Hecatomb - Masters Edition (ME1)
Megrim - Stronghold (STH)
Recurring Nightmare - Exodus (EXO)
Contamination - Urza's Saga (USG)
Oppression - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Maggot Therapy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Murderous Betrayal - Nemesis (NEM)
Noxious Field - Prophecy (PCY)
Tainted Well - Invasion (INV)
Phyrexian Arena - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Gravestorm - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Mortiphobia - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Underworld Connections MTG card by a specific set like Return to Ravnica and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, 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 Underworld Connections and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Underworld Connections Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2021-11-19. Illustrated by Yeong-Hao Han.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 832003normalblackYeong-Hao Han
22014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 732003normalblackYeong-Hao Han
32015-11-13Commander 2015C15 1382015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
42017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1282015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
52021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1382015normalblackYeong-Hao Han

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underworld Connections has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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