Underground Mortuary MTG Card

Underground Mortuary enables card retrieval and strategic advantage, enhancing player’s tactical play. While versatile in function, its color-specific mana cost may limit its inclusion in varied decks. Graveyard interaction and land efficiency solidify its valued role in the shifting MTG meta.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
RarityRare
TypeLand — Swamp Forest
Abilities Surveil

Text of card

Underground Mortuary enters the battlefield tapped. When Underground Mortuary enters the battlefield, surveil 1.

Cards like Underground Mortuary

Underground Mortuary carves its niche in the pantheon of graveyard interaction spells in MTG. With echoes reminiscent of famed cards like Entomb or Buried Alive, this card creates a unique spot for itself. Unlike Entomb, which places a single card directly into the graveyard, the strengths of Underground Mortuary come into play with its broader sweep, allowing for multiple cards to be selected and reorganized. Unlike Buried Alive, which exclusively tutors creatures into the graveyard, Underground Mortuary broadens its scope to any card types, providing a versatile edge.

Looking further, we have cards like Final Parting, which shares the duality of both adding to the graveyard while also ensuring a card reaches your hand. Although Final Parting offers direct tutorship to hand and graveyard, Underground Mortuary’s cost-efficiency and the potential for deck stacking provides a strategic advantage. Meanwhile, another relative in this category is Corpse Connoisseur. It also conveys creatures to the graveyard but requires a creature body to do so, narrowing its utility compared to the flexibility of Underground Mortuary.

In assessing the roles these cards play, Underground Mortuary emerges as a potent tool. Its unique combination of graveyard setup and deck manipulation can pivot the course of a game, securing its place within the strategic MTG landscape.

Entomb - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Final Parting - MTG Card versions
Corpse Connoisseur - MTG Card versions
Entomb - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Final Parting - MTG Card versions
Corpse Connoisseur - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Underground Mortuary by color, type and mana cost

Bayou - MTG Card versions
Pine Barrens - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Tainted Wood - MTG Card versions
Undergrowth Stadium - MTG Card versions
Twilight Mire - MTG Card versions
Temple of Malady - MTG Card versions
Necroblossom Snarl - MTG Card versions
Deathcap Glade - MTG Card versions
Golgari Rot Farm - MTG Card versions
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway - MTG Card versions
Overgrown Tomb - MTG Card versions
Svogthos, the Restless Tomb - MTG Card versions
Gilt-Leaf Palace - MTG Card versions
Golgari Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Grim Backwoods - MTG Card versions
Jungle Hollow - MTG Card versions
Hissing Quagmire - MTG Card versions
Foul Orchard - MTG Card versions
Blooming Marsh - MTG Card versions
Bayou - MTG Card versions
Pine Barrens - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Wastes - MTG Card versions
Tainted Wood - MTG Card versions
Undergrowth Stadium - MTG Card versions
Twilight Mire - MTG Card versions
Temple of Malady - MTG Card versions
Necroblossom Snarl - MTG Card versions
Deathcap Glade - MTG Card versions
Golgari Rot Farm - MTG Card versions
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway - MTG Card versions
Overgrown Tomb - MTG Card versions
Svogthos, the Restless Tomb - MTG Card versions
Gilt-Leaf Palace - MTG Card versions
Golgari Guildgate - MTG Card versions
Grim Backwoods - MTG Card versions
Jungle Hollow - MTG Card versions
Hissing Quagmire - MTG Card versions
Foul Orchard - MTG Card versions
Blooming Marsh - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Underground Mortuary. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Golgari MidrangeGolgari Midrange StandardGolgari MidrangePro Tour Thunder Junction
YawgmothYawgmoth ModernYawgmothModern Challenge 32 2024-04-23
Golgari VampiresGolgari Vampires PioneerGolgari VampiresPioneer League 2024-04-24
Golgari ScamGolgari Scam LegacyGolgari ScamLegacy League 2024-04-23
MaverickMaverick LegacyMaverickLegacy Challenge 32 2024-04-24
Cradle ControlCradle Control LegacyCradle ControlLegacy League 2024-04-24
Domain ZooDomain Zoo ModernDomain ZooModern Challenge 32 2024-04-23
Mono-Black ScamMono-Black Scam LegacyMono-Black ScamLegacy League 2024-04-23
Devoted ComboDevoted Combo ModernDevoted ComboModern Challenge 32 2024-04-23

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Underground Mortuary offers a significant edge in the realm of card advantage. As it enters the battlefield, it enables the player to potentially bring back a creature from the graveyard to the hand. This not only diminishes the loss from discards or battlefield removals but can set up powerful plays and combinations, keeping the player’s options open and hand replenished for strategic maneuvers.

Resource Acceleration: This card shines when it comes to resource acceleration. By providing an alternative to traditional land-based mana generation, it allows players to tap into additional resources. With its unique ability, players can streamline their gameplay, obtaining the necessary elements to cast impactful spells or creatures ahead of the curve.

Instant Speed: Not only does Underground Mortuary give players tactical advantages through its other traits, but its instant speed aspect cannot be overlooked. This versatile feature gives savvy players the upper hand, by allowing them to act on the fly. Whether it’s during the end step of an opponent’s turn or in response to an unexpected threat, the capacity to operate at instant speed makes this card a stealthy asset in any strategic arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Underground Mortuary card mandates the discard of another card as part of its casting cost. This could be a strategic setback during gameplay, particularly when a player’s hand is almost depleted or when every card held is crucial for maintaining the momentum on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of the Underground Mortuary includes black mana, which necessitates a deck that is either mono-black or has a substantial black mana base. This requirement may exclude it from being an auto-include in more color-diverse or mana-flexible deck builds, limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost being on the higher side, the card might not always be the most efficient choice, especially when considering other cards in the same mana range that could advance your game position more effectively. Easier to cast options or those with lower mana requirements might be preferable in a fast-paced game where tempo is key.

Reasons to Include Underground Mortuary in Your Collection

Versatility: Underground Mortuary’s ability to act as both land and a source of creature recursion makes it a flexible addition to various deck builds. Its dual nature allows players to optimize their mana curve while having access to late-game advantages.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that capitalize on graveyard strategies. Its potential to return creatures to your hand can be a corner piece in combo decks, creating opportunities for repeated use of powerful creatures’ abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where graveyard manipulation and land efficiency can be pivotal, Underground Mortuary holds significant value. As the meta shifts towards utilizing the graveyard as a resource, having this card could give players an edge in competitive play.

How to Beat Underground Mortuary

Underground Mortuary offers MTG players a distinctive advantage by leveraging graveyard mechanics. The card stands out within the realm of graveyard utilization, similar to how Eternal Witness allows for the retrieval of cards from the graveyard to hand, but with a focus on creature cards. Unlike Eternal Witness, which is limited to a single target, Underground Mortuary has potential for wider impact in decks built around creature reanimation strategies.

However, the key to countering Underground Mortuary lies in foresight and disruption. Graveyard hate cards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus can be instrumental in negating the benefit that Underground Mortuary provides, removing its potential targets before they can be leveraged for advantage. It’s this kind of strategic anticipation that can shift the tide of the game, transforming a powerful card like Underground Mortuary into a less threatening prospect on the battlefield.

Furthermore, efficient use of exile effects, like those found on cards such as Swords to Plowshares or Anguished Unmaking, can ensure that key creatures never even reach the graveyard, thereby undercutting the cornerstone of Underground Mortuary’s effectiveness. By combining these tactics, players can diminish the otherwise substantial influence of this unique and powerful MTG card in their games.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Underground Mortuary MTG card by a specific set like Murders at Karlov Manor and Murders at Karlov Manor, 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 Underground Mortuary and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Underground Mortuary Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2024-02-09 and 2024-02-10. Illustrated by Sergey Glushakov.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12024-02-09Murders at Karlov ManorMKM 3332015NormalBorderlessSergey Glushakov
22024-02-09Murders at Karlov ManorMKM 2712015NormalBlackSergey Glushakov
32024-02-10Murders at Karlov Manor PromosPMKM 271p2015NormalBlackSergey Glushakov
42024-02-10Murders at Karlov Manor PromosPMKM 271s2015NormalBlackSergey Glushakov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underground Mortuary has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
StandardbrawlLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal