Call to the Netherworld MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Madness

Key Takeaways

  1. Recovers creature cards offering card advantage, crucial in maintaining a hand upper-hand.
  2. Instant speed adds depth, letting players react dynamically to ever-changing game states.
  3. The discard synergy of this card empowers specific deck archetypes with graveyard mechanics.

Text of card

Return target black creature card from your graveyard to your hand. Madness (If you discard this card, you may play it for its madness cost instead of putting it into your graveyard.)

The ritual was normally performed only by horrors and pit spawn. Lesser mages had but one sanity to crack in the casting.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Using Call to the Netherworld facilitates card advantage by reclaiming a creature card from your graveyard without spending mana if it’s discarded, effectively cycling back resources to your hand.

Resource Acceleration: This card can accelerate your gameplay by synergizing with self-discard strategies, enabling you to quickly reanimate a powerful creature from your graveyard to the battlefield under certain conditions.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Call to the Netherworld at instant speed grants flexibility, allowing you to respond to opponents’ threats or your own discard actions strategically during either player’s turn, hence maximizing its potential impact in the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the initial drawbacks of Call to the Netherworld is that you must have a creature card in your graveyard to make use of its effect. This means you can’t capitalize on its benefits unless you’ve managed to get a creature card into the graveyard, which at times might not align with your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Call to the Netherworld is locked into black mana, making it a non-flexible option for decks that aren’t heavily invested in black. If your deck doesn’t produce enough black mana or is a multicolor deck that leans on other colors, this card may sit idle in your hand more often than not.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The casting cost of this card is one black mana, which might seem low at first glance. However, its madness cost—where its potential lies—is defined by discarding the card, and this requires setting up the right board state. For decks that don’t regularly utilize the graveyard or have a discard theme, there may be alternative cards that could be more immediately impactful for the same or less mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Call to the Netherworld is a card with high versatility, easily slotting into black-focused decks, particularly those revolving around graveyard manipulation and creature recursion.

Combo Potential: With its ability to return a black creature card from your graveyard to your hand, it can be pivotal in reactivating synergistic creature combos or simply bringing back high-value targets for repeated use.

Meta-Relevance: As graveyard strategies frequently surface in various formats, the inclusion of Call to the Netherworld in a collection could offer crucial support within the ever-evolving meta, providing an edge against opponents in battle.


How to Beat Call to the Netherworld

Understanding the dynamics of Call to the Netherworld can give players a significant edge during gameplay. This black sorcery card allows players to return a target black creature card from their graveyard to their hand for a minimal cost, or even for free with Madness if a card is discarded this turn. However, as with any strategy in Magic: The Gathering, there are ways to mitigate its effectiveness.

To successfully counter Call to the Netherworld, a player should consider utilizing graveyard disruption tactics. Cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt can exile cards from the opponent’s graveyard, rendering the return-to-hand ability of Call to the Netherworld null and void. Additionally, cards like Leyline of the Void can prevent cards from ever hitting the graveyard in the first place, completely bypassing Call to the Netherworld’s retrieval capability.

Moreover, instant-speed removal that can target spells on the stack, like Dispel or Negate, can thwart the execution of Call to the Netherworld before it takes effect. By employing these methods, players can efficiently neutralize the strategic advantage Call to the Netherworld provides and maintain control of the game’s tempo.


BurnMana Recommendations

As an MTG enthusiast seeking to enhance your gameplay, digging into the depths of strategy with cards like Call to the Netherworld marks the beginning of a more nuanced playstyle. Embracing the intricacies of graveyard mechanics can pivot your matches towards victory. This card’s ability to fuse with self-discard tactics or embody a critical recovery tool offers invaluable flexibility. If you’re eager to unearth more insights about optimizing your deck and mastering the playing field with strategic card choices, join our community where expertise meets passion, ensuring your deck-building skills are as sharp as ever. Learn with us, and transform your next duel into a showcase of cunning and finesse.


Cards like Call to the Netherworld

Call to the Netherworld is a versatile addition to the suite of black reanimation spells in Magic: The Gathering. Akin to its peers, this spell has the distinctive task of returning a target creature card from the graveyard to a player’s hand. Unearth is a card with a similar role, but it goes a step further, directly placing the creature onto the battlefield. Although Unearth’s effect is immediate, Call to the Netherworld offers more longevity as the creature returns to hand, setting up potential for repeated use.

Disentomb is another card that shares functionality with Call to the Netherworld, providing a straightforward method to retrieve creatures from the graveyard to the hand. However, Call to the Netherworld’s unique advantage is its madness cost, allowing it to be cast for free if it’s discarded. This pairs well with discard strategies and adds a layer of versatility not seen in Disentomb. Lastly, there’s Macabre Waltz, which returns not one, but two creatures from the graveyard to hand, albeit requiring the player to discard a card.

Taking a closer look at Call to the Netherworld, it’s evident that its benefit shines in decks designed to exploit the madness mechanic, carving its niche among black reanimation spells in Magic: The Gathering for strategy-savvy players.

Unearth - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Macabre Waltz - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Macabre Waltz - MTG Card versions

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Contract from Below - MTG Card versions
Spoils of War - MTG Card versions
Tendrils of Despair - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdling Scream - MTG Card versions
Organ Harvest - MTG Card versions
Duress - MTG Card versions
Bubbling Muck - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Soul Strings - MTG Card versions
Cabal Therapy - MTG Card versions
Confront the Past - MTG Card versions
Stir the Grave - MTG Card versions
Cry of Contrition - MTG Card versions
Deathmark - MTG Card versions
Raven's Crime - MTG Card versions
Imperial Seal - MTG Card versions
Bone Splinters - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Call to the Netherworld MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Commander 2019, 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 Call to the Netherworld and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Call to the Netherworld Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2019-08-23. Illustrated by Vance Kovacs.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 972003NormalBlackVance Kovacs
22019-08-23Commander 2019C19 1082015NormalBlackVance Kovacs

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Call to the Netherworld has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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