The Dead Shall Serve MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Scheme |
| Released | 2010-06-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Archenemy Schemes |
| Set code | OARC |
| Number | 7★ |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Scheme |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jesper Ejsing |
Text of card
When you set this scheme in motion, for each opponent, put up to one target creature card from that player's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. Each of those creatures attacks its owner each combat if able.
"Tell your old master I said hello."
Cards like The Dead Shall Serve
Entering the ominous realm of reanimation spells, The Dead Shall Serve finds its niche among MTG’s vast library of resurrection magic. It echoes the sinister abilities of other cards such as Animate Dead, which is a staple in reanimator decks for its efficiency in bringing creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield. While both enchant a creature in the graveyard, The Dead Shall Serve differs by allowing for the resurrection of multiple undead creatures, provided you have enough tapped creatures to fulfill its requirements.
Another comparable card is Rise from the Grave, which brings any single creature back to play under your control as a black Zombie. Similar to The Dead Shall Serve, it can target creatures from any graveyard, but it doesn’t offer the same potential for a wider revival. Zombify also plays a similar role by returning a single creature from your graveyard to the battlefield but lacks the ability to affect multiple creatures or to convert them to Zombies.
Each of these similar cards offers a distinct approach to reanimation strategies, but The Dead Shall Serve can uniquely alter the course of a game by swarming the field with an undead legion. For players weaving necromantic strategies, this card could prove to be an invaluable asset in their MTG arsenal.
Cards similar to The Dead Shall Serve by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With The Dead Shall Serve, graveyards offer an untapped library of creatures. This card lets you harness the potential of creature cards that are no longer in play, effectively utilizing what others may consider spent resources. By reanimating creatures under your control, you’re gaining more units on the board without the need to exhaust cards in hand.
Resource Acceleration: This card accelerates your board presence without depleting your hand or existing mana resources. By allowing you to bring a creature directly onto the battlefield from any graveyard, it bypasses the need for conventional casting costs and can potentially put you turns ahead of your opponent in terms of threats on the board.
Instant Speed: The distinction of acting at instant speed delivers great tactical flexibility. It enables you to respond to your opponent’s attacks or end-of-turn actions with a surprise blocker or attacker, transforming the battlefield’s power balance without warning.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Dead Shall Serve poses a toll on your hand by necessitating the discard of another card, constricting your strategic options and depleting your hand’s versatility.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s demand for a precise combination of mana types for its activation could restrict its inclusion to decks that can consistently generate both black and generic mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a heftier mana requirement, The Dead Shall Serve could lag behind in the race against lower-cost alternatives, potentially slowing your gameplay in fast-paced matches.
Reasons to Include The Dead Shall Serve in Your Collection
Versatility: This card offers strategic flexibility in gameplay, seamlessly integrating into various deck builds that are centered around graveyard manipulation or creature control strategies.
Combo Potential: The Dead Shall Serve can effectively trigger and complement synergies with other cards that capitalize on the resurrection of creatures or the deployment of undead armies, creating impactful board states.
Meta-Relevance: With a dynamic meta that rewards innovative combos and control tactics, The Dead Shall Serve holds potential as a sleeper hit, particularly in metagames where graveyard-centric decks are prevalent.
How to Beat
The Dead Shall Serve, in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, stands out with its ability to harness creatures from the graveyard. To counter this card effectively, players should consider graveyard manipulation strategies. Integrating cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void into your deck can exile cards before The Dead Shall Serve has the opportunity to reanimate them.
Another strategy is to utilize control elements such as counterspells. By keeping mana open, you can directly neutralize The Dead Shall Serve before it even hits the battlefield. Cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto are excellent at this, targeting noncreature spells directly. Remember, the key is to be proactive and aware of the graveyard’s contents, as well as any upcoming threats that could be turned against you.
Tapping into exile effects is yet another angle to disrupt The Dead Shall Serve. Direct exile cards such as Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze offer the utility to continuously manage graveyard populations, therefore limiting the pool of creatures available for reanimation. By maintaining a steady control over the state of the graveyard you can neutralize the advantage that The Dead Shall Serve aims to create.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase The Dead Shall Serve MTG card by a specific set like Archenemy Schemes, 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 The Dead Shall Serve and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering The Dead Shall Serve card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-06-15 | Each of the creatures you put onto the battlefield this way must attack its owner, not a planeswalker that player controls. |
| 2010-06-15 | For each opponent, you may choose not to target any creature cards in that player’s graveyard. |
| 2010-06-15 | If one of these creatures can’t attack its owner during any given turn (due to a spell or ability such as Chronomantic Escape, or because a player on the opposing team has gained control of it, for example), it may attack another player, attack a planeswalker an opponent controls, or not attack at all. If there’s a cost associated with having that creature attack its owner, you aren’t forced to pay that cost, so it may attack another player, attack a planeswalker an opponent controls, or not attack at all. |
| 2010-06-15 | If there are multiple combat phases in a turn, each of these creatures must attack its owner in each of them that it’s able to. |
| 2010-06-15 | If, during your declare attackers step, one of these creatures is tapped or is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, then it doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having that creature attack, you aren’t forced to pay that cost, so it doesn’t have to attack in that case either. |