Funeral Rites MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Mill

Key Takeaways

  1. Draws two cards, potentially swinging the game with sudden card advantage and strategic depth.
  2. Thins the deck and fuels graveyard synergies, enabling powerful combo possibilities.
  3. Cost and discard requirements may limit utility, making inclusion highly strategy-dependent.

Text of card

You draw two cards, lose 2 life, and put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.

Funerary masks help the newly dead resist the erosion of memory and identity in the Underworld.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Funeral Rites is crafted to draw players deeper into their deck. When cast, it provides a sudden influx of options by allowing the player to draw two cards. This surge in resources can tip the scales, bolstering your strategy and keeping you one step ahead of your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While its primary effect is to draw cards, Funeral Rites also delves into thinning your deck by putting two cards from the top of your library straight into the graveyard. This accelerates the potential activation of graveyard-based synergies, letting you harness your resources from both your hand and graveyard concurrently.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Funeral Rites is best timed to follow your opponent’s turn or when your mana is untapped. This ensures that you make the most out of your turn by drawing into more actions and opening up a myriad of strategic possibilities.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A notable drawback of Funeral Rites is the necessity to discard a card. This additional cost can be particularly taxing when you’re already dealing with a depleted hand, potentially putting you in a tougher spot in terms of card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost for Funeral Rites is set specifically at two black and one colorless, which can restrict its versatility. Decks that are not heavily focused on black mana may find it challenging to consistently cast this spell when needed, thereby limiting its inclusion only to those that can accommodate its mana demands.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While drawing cards and gaining life are beneficial actions, dedicating three mana to do so can be costly. When considering the mana investment relative to the outcome, other options in the game may provide a more cost-efficient means to draw cards or gain life, which could lead to Funeral Rites being overlooked in favor of cards with a lower mana cost or more impactful effects.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Funeral Rites offers dual utility — drawing cards and milling your library. This enables graveyard strategies and card advantage in decks that crave both.

Combo Potential: With each cast, you’re incrementally setting up your library for potent graveyard combos. This card complements strategies that revolve around reanimation or utilizing the graveyard as a resource.

Meta-Relevance: The ability to sift through your deck and fill your graveyard can be particularly powerful in a meta with graveyard-centric mechanics or where card draw is at a premium.


How to beat

Funeral Rites is a card that delves into the mechanics of self-mill and card draw within Magic: The Gathering. This black sorcery allows players to draw two cards at the cost of losing two life and putting the top two cards of their library into their graveyard. This can be a powerful move in decks designed to leverage graveyard strategies or when fishing for crucial components in a tight situation.

To efficiently counter Funeral Rites, one can employ graveyard disruption tools such as Tormod’s Crypt or Grafdigger’s Cage, which can negate the benefits of self-mill. Counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto could also prevent the spell from resolving entirely, preserving your opponent’s life total and deck integrity. Additionally, providing consistent pressure on your opponent’s life total with a swift aggro deck can make the two life point loss significant enough to deter them from even casting the card. Being strategic about when to interrupt or let the spell pass can make all the difference when facing off against Funeral Rites in MTG.

Understanding the potential fallout and having a plan to mitigate the impact can give players the upper hand against this card’s seemingly beneficial effects at first glance. By being prepared with counter tactics and not underestimating the cost of its life and cards, one stands a better chance at rendering Funeral Rites less effective in any MTG match.


BurnMana Recommendations

Funeral Rites offers an intriguing balance for players looking to enhance their MTG gameplay by meshing card draw with graveyard mechanics. Whether you’re adapting your deck to the current meta or exploring new combos, this card is an essential consideration. It’s designed for those who relish in setting up their next moves from beyond the battlefield, ensuring your hand remains a force to be reckoned with. Keen to discover how Funeral Rites can revolutionize your deck strategy? Deepen your MTG knowledge, unearth robust tactics, and find out why this card might be your next game-changer by joining us now.


Cards like Funeral Rites

Funeral Rites infuses a unique blend of card drawing and life elements into the game of Magic: The Gathering. Its innate ability to draw cards parallels that of other black spells like Read the Bones, where scrying and card drawing are also key aspects. Funeral Rites, however, trades the scry for a mandatory life loss and milling strategy, adding both cards to your hand and fuel to your graveyard, with a fine balance of risk and reward.

Another compatriot in this vein is Sign in Blood. While this card offers a direct card draw for two, it lacks the self-milling capability that enriches Funeral Rites’ potential graveyard synergy. Then there is Altar’s Reap, a spell that exchanges creature sacrifice for card advantage, offering immediate fuel for your hand but less overall card quantity than Funeral Rites provides.

Reviewing the spectrum of similar spells, Funeral Rites stands out by paving a road towards deeper strategies that meld life, draw, and graveyard tactics. It is a card that rewards players seeking to leverage their graveyard as a resource while also keeping their hands ready for action.

Read the Bones - MTG Card versions
Sign in Blood - MTG Card versions
Altar's Reap - MTG Card versions
Read the Bones - MTG Card versions
Sign in Blood - MTG Card versions
Altar's Reap - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Funeral Rites MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death and Jumpstart, 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 Funeral Rites and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Funeral Rites Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by John Stanko.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 972015NormalBlackJohn Stanko
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2352015NormalBlackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Funeral Rites has restrictions

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

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