Disturbed Burial MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Buyback
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Number	129
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Heather Hudson

Key Takeaways

Disturbed Burial ensures recurring creature retrieval, offering a strategic edge in resource-heavy games.
Demanding specific mana and a discard can limit its inclusion in versatile deck builds.
Its unique endurance-focused mechanic makes it a worthy collection addition for long-term strategies.

Text of card

Buyback o3 (You may pay an additional o3 when you play this spell. If you do, put it into your hand instead of your graveyard as part of the spell's effect.) Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Disturbed Burial offers a repeatable way to return creatures from your graveyard to your hand. This provides sustained card advantage in longer games where resources are stretched thin.

Resource Acceleration: By enabling you to bring back key creatures turn after turn, Disturbed Burial acts as a form of resource acceleration, keeping your hand filled with vital cards ready to be redeployed.

Instant Speed: Although it’s a sorcery, its buyback ability can be strategically timed during your turn for optimal effect, making recurrent use an asset in your gameplay arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When casting Disturbed Burial, players may feel the pinch of its discard requirement. This can put the player at a disadvantage, particularly when their hand is already depleted, and the strategic reserves of cards they’re holding onto are pivotal for their game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitating both black mana and generic mana, Disturbed Burial demands a specific mana sequence to play. This can sometimes be restrictive, as not all decks may run efficiently on a black mana base or have the means to acquire the needed mana composition when this card is poised for play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that’s higher than some alternatives, Disturbed Burial can lean towards the expensive side for its effects. Savvy players must weigh its cost against their deck’s curve and the overall utility provided versus other cards in the same slot. It’s essential to understand that while the ability to retrieve creatures from the graveyard is powerful, the investment must be justified within the greater scheme of the deck’s mechanics.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Disturbed Burial offers a unique flexibility by allowing players to repeatedly retrieve creatures from the graveyard. Its ability to be played turn after turn makes it a valuable asset in formats where endurance and resource regeneration are key.

Combo Potential: In combination with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or sacrifice synergies, Disturbed Burial can become an engine for controlling the pace of the game, generating value with each re-use. The potential to recur key creatures can turn the tides in a drawn-out match.

Meta-Relevance: Considering various meta environments, Disturbed Burial can be a crucial sideboard card or even main deck inclusion, particularly in a meta that’s heavy on removal. Outlasting your opponent’s resources becomes much easier when you can ensure a steady stream of creatures coming back to hand, ready to be replayed.

How to Beat

Disturbed Burial holds a distinctive place in the Magic: The Gathering landscape as a spell capable of recurring creatures from the graveyard to the player’s hand. This repeatable effect, for a cost of three mana and the buyback mechanic, is what gives the card its resilience in the longer, grinding matches. Opponents can find themselves facing the same threats repeatedly, which can make overcoming a deck with Disturbed Burial a daunting challenge.

To effectively counteract Disturbed Burial, considering graveyard hate strategies is a wise choice. Employing cards that exile creatures from the graveyard or that restrict players from casting spells from graveyards can nullify the advantages provided by Disturbed Burial. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void become essential tools in such circumstances. Additionally, direct disruption through thoughtseize effects, which forces the opponent to discard cards, can preemptively remove Disturbed Burial before it becomes an active threat on the board.

The key to beating Disturbed Burial lies in diminishing its recursion capability. Containing the graveyard and managing your opponent’s resources limits their ability to derive value from this spell, thus maintaining the balance of the game in your favor.

Cards like Disturbed Burial

Disturbed Burial is a unique card in MTG that offers reusable creature retrieval from the graveyard, reminiscent of other reanimation spells. When compared to Unearth, which also returns creatures to the battlefield, Disturbed Burial provides ongoing value as it can be used repeatedly due to its buyback mechanic. Unearth, however, is a one-time use with the benefit of being cheaper and providing haste to the creature.

Morbid Plunder is another card that strikes a resemblance, allowing players to return up to two creature cards from their graveyard to their hand. While it doesn’t offer the repeatability of Disturbed Burial, Morbid Plunder does provide immediate double value. On the higher end of the spectrum, we see the card Dread Return, which has the ability to bring a creature directly onto the battlefield. This is a more powerful effect, though it’s balanced by requiring three creatures to be sacrificed, compared to the more resource-friendly nature of Disturbed Burial.

Assessing the balance between cost efficiency, immediate effect, and long-term value, Disturbed Burial appeals to a strategy of sustained advantage, making it a distinctive choice for players who aim to build their game around graveyard interactions.

Cards similar to Disturbed Burial by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Disturbed Burial MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Disturbed Burial and other MTG cards: