Drowned MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Zombie
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Drowned excels in versatility and combo potential, enhancing strategies across various decks.
  2. Some limitations of Drowned include a specific mana cost and a discard requirement that may hinder flexibility.
  3. Countering strategies for Drowned involve using graveyard hate cards or preemptive disruption tactics.

Text of card

oo B Regenerates

We asked Captain Soll what became of the Serafina, but all he said was, "Ships that go down shouldn't come back up."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Drowned card provides a strategic edge by allowing you to potentially return two creatures from your graveyard to your hand. This ability is a powerful means to reclaim resources and sustain a dominant presence on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Drowned facilitates resource acceleration by giving you access to additional creatures without expending turns or additional card draws. Reanimating creatures directly from the graveyard can quickly escalate your board state and overwhelm your opponents.

Instant Speed: The speed at which you can play Drowned adds an element of surprise and flexibility to your game. Being able to react to your opponent’s moves at instant speed, especially during their end phase, allows you to maximize your mana usage and retain the element of unpredictability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Drowned necessitates the player to discard another card as part of its casting cost. This can deplete a player’s hand and potentially lead to a disadvantage should they require a selection of options throughout the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires not just one, but two blue mana to cast. This particular stipulation can restrict the card’s inclusion to primarily blue or two-color decks that can consistently provide blue mana, limiting its overall flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana, including the double blue, Drowned’s impact on the game may not align with its casting cost, especially when you could activate more cost-efficient spells or deploy more impactful creatures for the same or lesser amount of mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The card known as Drowned offers flexibility in gameplay, easily slipping into blue and black-hued decks that value interacting with the graveyard. With its dual capacity to fetch cards from the library to the graveyard, or potentially retrieve them back to your hand, this card serves multiple roles in various deck strategies.

Combo Potential: Drowned shines when paired with cards that benefit from, or contribute to, graveyard tactics. This can lead to powerful combinations that recycle valuable spells or creatures, ultimately enhancing your in-game strategy with every cast.

Meta-Relevance: In a play environment where graveyard manipulation is prevalent or if key spells and creatures are often the target of removal, Drowned maintains a critical position. It can turn the tides by ensuring that your pivotal cards are accessible even from the graveyard, providing persistent strategic options in the midst of fluid and competitive metagames.


How to beat

The Drowned card in Magic: The Gathering serves as a potent threat due to its ability to come back from the graveyard, potentially creating an endless loop. To effectively counter this persistent menace, players need to employ smart tactics and strategic card choices. Graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt can exile The Drowned, thereby removing its recursion capability. Another tactic is disruption via counterspells; negate The Drowned’s initial casting and you avoid dealing with its later return.

Alternatively, one can opt for enchantments like Rest in Peace to turn off graveyard strategies, which limits The Drowned’s effectiveness. For a more direct approach, untargeted exile effects, such as those from Leyline of the Void, permanently remove the problem. Handling The Drowned requires anticipation and a readiness to disrupt graveyard-based strategies before they gain momentum. Staying ahead with preemptive plays is key to ensuring that The Drowned doesn’t become an insurmountable obstacle for your game plan.


Cards like Drowned

The Drowned card has a unique place in the roster of graveyard manipulation spells within Magic: The Gathering. Reminiscent of other cards that interact with creatures in the graveyard, like Animate Dead, The Drowned offers its spin on reanimation. Animate Dead brings creatures directly onto the battlefield, albeit with a drawback to its power. In contrast, The Drowned gives players a more temporary edge by resurrecting creatures only to have them attack and be exiled at the end of combat.

Another peer to The Drowned is Necromancy. Much like The Drowned, Necromancy allows for reviving creatures but offers a versatile casting option as either an instant or a sorcery. Its permanence in play typically makes it a formidable spell, whereas The Drowned’s fleeting nature requires more strategic timing. Finally, Dance of the Dead also performs in a similar league, reanimating creatures with a speed bump due to the tapped status upon entry, and requiring an upkeep cost which The Drowned avoids.

Therefore, The Drowned’s distinctive approach to creature reanimation provides MTG enthusiasts with a strategic tool for sudden offensive surges, particularly appealing in game formats that capitalize on attack phases and surprise comebacks.

Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Necromancy - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Necromancy - Visions (VIS)
Dance of the Dead - Ice Age (ICE)

Cards similar to Drowned by color, type and mana cost

Vodalian Hypnotist - MTG Card versions
Metathran Zombie - MTG Card versions
Dimir Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Dimir Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Inkfathom Witch - MTG Card versions
Zombie Outlander - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hibernation Sliver - MTG Card versions
Woodlot Crawler - MTG Card versions
Returned Phalanx - MTG Card versions
Shipwreck Singer - MTG Card versions
Disciple of Deceit - MTG Card versions
Fathom Feeder - MTG Card versions
House Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Soul Diviner - MTG Card versions
Cunning Nightbonder - MTG Card versions
Shadowstorm Vizier - MTG Card versions
Sygg, River Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Inkfathom Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Krydle of Baldur's Gate - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Hypnotist - Invasion (INV)
Metathran Zombie - Invasion (INV)
Dimir Infiltrator - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Dimir Guildmage - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Inkfathom Witch - New Capenna Commander (NCC)
Zombie Outlander - Conflux (CON)
Vedalken Ghoul - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Hibernation Sliver - Commander Masters (CMM)
Woodlot Crawler - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Returned Phalanx - Masters 25 (A25)
Shipwreck Singer - The List (PLST)
Disciple of Deceit - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Fathom Feeder - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
House Guildmage - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Soul Diviner - War of the Spark (WAR)
Cunning Nightbonder - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Shadowstorm Vizier - Amonkhet Remastered (AKR)
Sygg, River Cutthroat - The List (PLST)
Inkfathom Infiltrator - The List (PLST)
Krydle of Baldur's Gate - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Drowned MTG card by a specific set like The Dark and Masters Edition IV, 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 Drowned and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Drowned Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1994-08-01 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Quinton Hoover.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-08-01The DarkDRK 241993normalblackQuinton Hoover
22011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 471997normalblackQuinton Hoover

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Drowned has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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