Unholy Indenture MTG Card


Card advantage and resource acceleration are fundamental, leveraging creature deaths to benefit your play. Instant speed of Unholy Indenture’s effect can surprise opponents, reinforcing its strategic use in battle. Despite its mana specificity and situational nature, it offers significant gameplay versatility and combo potential.
Unholy Indenture - Core Set 2020
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released2019-07-12
Set symbol
Set nameCore Set 2020
Set codeM20
Number119
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred bySeb McKinnon

Text of card

Enchant creature When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

"Don't think of it as selling your soul. It's more like you're bequeathing it to me." —Vilis, Broker of Blood


Cards like Unholy Indenture

Unholy Indenture is an intriguing spell in Magic: The Gathering, opening up strategies around creature control and reanimation. It shares the theme of resurrection with cards like Supernatural Stamina, which also brings creatures back from the graveyard. However, Unholy Indenture comes with an additional perk of transferring control of the resurrected creature, a facet not found in Supernatural Stamina.

With Reanimate in mind, another potent contender, Unholy Indenture holds its ground. Reanimate allows for direct reanimation of any creature from any graveyard, but at the cost of life points – a price Unholy Indenture circumvents. Conversely, Reanimate offers no control-changing effects.

In the realm of creature resurrection, we also encounter Animate Dead, hallowed for its longevity in game strategy. While also reanimating a creature and attaching to it like Unholy Indenture, Animate Dead may lack the strategic control aspect but compensates by affecting creatures across graveyards and notably reducing the creature’s power. Each of these spells provides a unique twist on the concept of bringing creatures back into play, illustrating the diverse options available within Magic: The Gathering’s rich tapestry of mechanics.

Supernatural Stamina - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Supernatural Stamina - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Unholy Indenture represents a valuable asset in your deck’s arsenal. When the enchanted creature dies, not only do you gain control of it, but it also returns to the battlefield under your control, giving you another opportunity to utilize its abilities or to aggressively block opponents’ threats without fear of losing your creature permanently.

Resource Acceleration: By reanimating a creature directly onto the battlefield, Unholy Indenture saves you the mana cost of casting that creature again. Especially relevant for high-cost creatures, this accelerates your resource management, allowing you to allocate mana elsewhere to continue developing your board presence.

Instant Speed: While Unholy Indenture itself is an aura spell that you cast at sorcery speed, the return to the battlefield effect it grants takes place instantly when the creature it enchants dies. This can catch an opponent off guard, especially during combat or in response to removal, potentially swinging the tide of the match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One noticeable con to Unholy Indenture is it doesn’t directly benefit your card advantage. Instead of offering an immediate effect or additional card draw, it requires a non-token creature to die first, which can be situational and may not always align with your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black mana and one colorless mana, Unholy Indenture can be challenging to cast in multicolored decks, particularly in those that aren’t focused on black mana sources, thereby limiting its versatility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Three mana can be steep for an enchantment with a delayed effect. Many players weigh the benefits of Unholy Indenture against other impactful three-mana spells, finding that immediate returns often take precedence over potential future gains, especially in faster-paced games.


Reasons to Include Unholy Indenture in Your Collection

Versatility: Unholy Indenture offers the flexibility to be used across various deck themes, particularly those capitalizing on creature control and graveyard mechanics. The ability to reanimate a creature right after its demise adds a layer of resilience against your opponent’s removal spells.

Combo Potential: This card can be strategically paired with self-sacrifice creatures or those with powerful enter-the-battlefield effects. It opens the door to repeating these effects and potentially exploiting combos that can turn the tide of the game.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy decks frequently in play, having a card that lets you take control of key creatures when they die can be a game-changer. Unholy Indenture’s existence in your deck means opponents must think twice before eliminating your valuable creatures, giving it subtle power in the current meta.


How to beat Unholy Indenture

Unholy Indenture is a unique piece of the MTG realm, particularly in decks focusing on creature control. This enchantment’s main draw is its ability to bring creatures back from the grave, but onto your battlefield when they die. While initially the card may seem daunting, understanding its mechanics can turn the tide.

One effective strategy against Unholy Indenture is to employ targeted exile removal spells. Cards like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares can effectively bypass the enchantment’s resurrection ability by removing the creature from the game entirely. Another approach is using counterspells such as Negate or Cancel to prevent Unholy Indenture from ever hitting the board. Moreover, cards that allow you to bounce permanents back to hand, like Cyclonic Rift, can disrupt your opponent’s strategy and force them to spend more resources to achieve their plans.

While Unholy Indenture has the potential to create turning points in matches, its power is mitigated when faced with prepared contenders. Knowing how to dismantle the enchantment’s influence is key, and by including the right mix of removals, counters, and bounce spells, you can confidently clash with decks built around this eerie enchantment.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the nuances of MTG strategies with Unholy Indenture as your guide to outsmarting the opposition. Embrace the art of resurrection and command, mastering the timing and pairing it with cards that maximize its potential. Explore the landscape of black mana-focused decks and enrich your collection with a card that promises both subtlety and power. Whether it’s pairing with self-sacrificing creatures or adding an unexpected twist to the battlefield, Unholy Indenture beckons to be wielded by the cunning. Expand your MTG expertise and outplay your opponents. Join our community for more insights and master this captivating aspect of the game.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unholy Indenture MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020, 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 Unholy Indenture and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Unholy Indenture has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-07-12 If Unholy Indenture enchants a token, it won’t be returned to the battlefield when it dies.
2019-07-12 If multiple players each control an Unholy Indenture attached to one creature, the player who will control the returned creature is the last player in turn order from the player whose turn it is at the time the creature dies. In a two-player game, this means the player whose turn it is not. In a multiplayer game, this means the player closest to the right of the player whose turn it is.
2019-07-12 If the returned creature enters with any other counters, it enters with those counters plus an additional +1/+1 counter.
2019-07-12 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, the creature you control from Unholy Indenture’s effect is exiled.
2019-07-12 Once Unholy Indenture returns the creature, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras that were attached to it won’t return to the battlefield (including Unholy Indenture itself). Equipment that was attached to it will remain unattached. Any counters that were on it won’t be put on the new creature.
2019-07-12 You control the returned creature, regardless of who controlled it before it died.