Underworld Sentinel MTG Card

Underworld Sentinel can drastically alter a game by reanimating multiple exiled creatures upon its destruction. Although it requires a strategic mana base, its graveyard synergies enhance deck versatility in specific archetypes. Countering its abilities involves strategic exile, bounce effects, or graveyard hate cards to prevent creature revival.

Underworld Sentinel - Theros Beyond Death

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Skeleton Soldier
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Power	4
Toughness	5
Number	293
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Vincent Proce

Text of card

Whenever Underworld Sentinel attacks, exile target creature card from your graveyard. When Underworld Sentinel dies, put all cards exiled with it onto the battlefield.

Deathless soldiers called phylaskia guard the borders of the Underworld.

Cards like Underworld Sentinel

Underworld Sentinel steps into the MTG arena as a peculiar creature within graveyard mechanic strategies. It draws a parallel to cards such as Golgari Thug, which also interacts with the graveyard by enabling you to place a creature card from your graveyard on top of your library upon death. Yet, Underworld Sentinel goes a step further, exiling creature cards from your own graveyard to only later reanimate them when the Sentinel itself meets its demise.

There is also Embalmer’s Tools which, while not a creature itself, accentuates graveyard manipulation by allowing you to tap untapped Zombies you control, making the Sentinel’s job effortless in a zombie-themed deck. On the other end of the spectrum stands Acolyte of Affliction—a dual-purpose creature that allows you to return a permanent card from your graveyard to your hand, while also milling your deck, thus contributing differently to the sentinel’s graveyard amassing role.

In the grand tapestry of MTG strategies, Underworld Sentinel finds its unique niche in reanimator decks, offering an intriguing blend of offensive capabilities and posthumous value retrieval, thus enriching the gameplay with strategic depth and resurrection plays.

Acolyte of Affliction - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Underworld Sentinel offers a unique twist on card advantage. Upon departing from the battlefield, it ensures that any exiled creatures it accumulated during combat come back to life, potentially offering a massive swing in board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While this card itself does not directly accelerate your resources, the creatures it brings back could potentially offer mana abilities or other effects that ramp up your resources for subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: Although Underworld Sentinel is a creature that operates at sorcery speed, its synergy with instant-speed removals or combat tricks can be advantageous. Evading blockers or surviving combat to exile more creatures adds a strategic layer to gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Underworld Sentinel doesn’t demand a discard itself, it does require a strategic setup in your graveyard, which might necessitate planning and potentially discarding valuable cards to ensure its ability is maximized.

Specific Mana Cost: Underworld Sentinel comes with a mana cost that is strictly black and generic, requiring a dedicated mana base. This can restrict the card’s inclusion to mostly black-centered or two-color decks that can reliably produce the necessary black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, which includes two black, Underworld Sentinel’s deployment to the battlefield may come later in the game. Given this higher mana cost, players might find themselves choosing between the Sentinel and other high-impact cards that could be played earlier or have a more immediate effect on the game state.

Reasons to Include Underworld Sentinel Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Underworld Sentinel’s mechanic to exile creatures from your graveyard offers a unique way to get value from creature cards even after they’ve been dealt with. As a result, this card can slot into various deck archetypes that capitalize on graveyard strategies.

Combo Potential: With its ability to bring multiple creature cards back into play, Underworld Sentinel proves to be a powerful combo enabler. It can partner with sacrifice and recursion strategies, causing a formidable board presence that can overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the shifting landscape of the game, the Underworld Sentinel can be a game-changer in environments where players rely on mill or discard strategies. Its presence on the battlefield can deter opponents from targeting your graveyard, providing a persistent threat that requires an answer.

How to beat Underworld Sentinel

Underworld Sentinel from Magic: The Gathering presents a notable challenge on the battlefield with its unique ability to store exiled creatures and bring them back once it dies. To tackle this undying behemoth, it’s essential to control the board and use exile or bounce effects that circumvent its death-triggered ability. Cards such as Swords to Plowshares offer a swift and effective solution, removing Underworld Sentinel from the game entirely, thus preventing any creatures from making a surprise return.

Another strategy involves denying your opponent the chance to attack with the Sentinel, using lock-down enchantments like Pacifism or countering it outright with spells such as Cancel when it’s cast. A well-timed Counterspell can ensure that the Sentinel never even hits the board. If the Sentinel does manage to sneak through, graveyard hate cards such as Rest in Peace can nullify its ability by removing creatures from the game instead of letting them reach the graveyard, ensuring there are no creatures for the Sentinel to bring back.

Ultimately, dealing with Underworld Sentinel requires a mix of foresight and preparedness. By keeping these key strategies in mind and having the right answers in your deck, you can turn the tide against this menacing card and maintain control of the game.

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underworld Sentinel has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Underworld Sentinel card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2020-01-24	If Underworld Sentinel leaves the battlefield without dying, the exiled creature cards are exiled for the rest of the game. If Underworld Sentinel returns to the battlefield later, it’ll be a new object with no memory of the creatures it exiled previously.
2020-01-24	If you gain control of another player’s Underworld Sentinel and it then dies, you’ll put the exiled cards onto the battlefield under your control.
2020-01-24	In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any permanents you control from Underworld Sentinel but don’t own are exiled.
2020-01-24	Underworld Sentinel can attack even if there’s no creature card in your graveyard to exile.