Pillar Tombs of Aku MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	World Enchantment
Released	1997-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Visions
Set code	VIS
Number	67
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Terese Nielsen

Key Takeaways

Provides graveyard control and disrupts opponents, crucial for certain MTG deck strategies.
Generates extra mana, allowing for quicker and more robust spell casting or ability usage.
Flexibility in use due to instant speed emblem benefit enhancing strategic MTG gameplay.

Text of card

During each player's upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature, or that player loses 5 life and you bury Pillar Tombs of Aku.

"Aku, City of Hidden Graves / Aku, City of Lost Kings / Aku, welcome me." —Pillar tomb inscription

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Pillar Tombs of Aku card is a noteworthy asset for players looking to stay ahead in the game since it gives you the ability to exile cards from a graveyard. This can be a major game-changer by disrupting your opponent’s strategy while bolstering your own card utility.

Resource Acceleration: When using Pillar Tombs of Aku, you obtain an emblem with the power to generate an additional black mana during your turns. This bonus can significantly boost your mana pool, allowing you to cast more spells or use abilities that require a substantial amount of mana resources. The increased mana flow is vital for maintaining a pace that could overwhelm your opponents.

Instant Speed: While this card itself isn’t cast at instant speed, it grants you an emblem that allows for resource acceleration smoothly, without waiting for sorcery speed timing. This quality ensures that your gameplay remains both flexible and efficient, providing a tactical edge by optimizing your mana usage on the fly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For Pillar Tombs of Aku, activating its exile ability necessitates discarding a card. This can be a setback, especially in situations where your hand is already depleted or if the cards in hand are too valuable to discard.

Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a specific mana cost that requires two black mana. This can be a limitation for decks that are not heavily invested in black or multi-color decks that may struggle to provide the necessary mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At four mana (two of which are black), Pillar Tombs of Aku’s cost is on the higher side for its ability to exile a creature until it leaves the battlefield. In a game where efficiency is key, there might be alternatives that offer a more immediate impact or lower cost solutions for creature removal or control.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Pillar Tombs of Aku finds its place in a variety of deck types, particularly those that capitalize on graveyard play or end game strategies. Its ability to exile cards from graveyards for a delayed yet impactful resource advantage makes it a diverse tool in many game situations.

Combo Potential: This card holds the potential to set off combos by disrupting opponent’s graveyard strategies while fueling your own graveyard-based synergies. It can be a key piece in strategies that benefit from managing both players’ graveyards.

Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard-centric decks often emerge in various metas, Pillar Tombs of Aku remains a relevant sideboard option or even a main deck card, depending on the current state of play. Its ability to intervene in graveyard strategies makes it a tactical inclusion in many collections.

How to beat

Pillar Tombs of Aku stands out as an intriguing enchantment in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It has the peculiar ability to force players into a tough decision by choosing between sacrificing a creature or losing life equal to the highest mana value among creatures they control. This card encourages a tighter deck strategy, demanding players to consider the weight of their creatures on the battlefield.

To mitigate the potential damage, players can adopt a few strategies. One effective method is to focus on low mana value creatures, which minimizes the life loss should the need to sacrifice arise. Another approach is utilizing instant-speed spells or abilities that can remove or sacrifice your own creatures in response to the trigger, controlling the outcome on your terms. Cards like Fatal Push or Village Rites can be particularly useful in this scenario by not only negating the negative impact but also by providing additional benefits, such as destroying an opponent’s threat or drawing cards.

Ultimately, overcoming the uniquely demanding challenge that Pillar Tombs of Aku presents requires foresight and flexibility within your deck build, making it a test of both strategy and adaptability for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts.

Cards like Pillar Tombs of Aku

Pillar Tombs of Aku is a notable card in the realm of MTG, striking a chord with players who appreciate a unique blend of control and graveyard interaction. Standing in comparison to it is the well-known Tormod’s Crypt, which serves a similar purpose of exiling an opponent’s graveyard, but without an activation cost, offering a zero-cost solution that is also a tad quicker to deploy without a significant impact on mana resources.

Another comparable card is Relic of Progenitus, which provides flexible graveyard control. Relic of Progenitus can either chip away at a graveyard card by card or be sacrificed to remove entire graveyards at once while also drawing a card, thus providing a subtle card advantage. Conversely, Pillar Tombs of Aku requires a consistent mana investment to maintain its effect across multiple turns.

In summary, while each of these cards offers distinctive strengths and playstyles for managing graveyards, Pillar Tombs of Aku distinguishes itself with its ongoing threat to opposing graveyards, making it a steadfast addition to decks that thrive on continual disruption.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Pillar Tombs of Aku MTG card by a specific set like Visions, 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 Pillar Tombs of Aku and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Pillar Tombs of Aku has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-10-01	This has the supertype world. When a world permanent enters the battlefield, any world permanents that were already on the battlefield are put into their owners’ graveyards. This is a state-based action called the “world rule.” The new world permanent stays on the battlefield. If two world permanents enter the battlefield at the same time, they’re both put into their owners’ graveyards.