Shattered Crypt MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Released	1997-06-09
Set symbol
Set name	Weatherlight
Set code	WTH
Number	80
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Gary Leach

Key Takeaways

Enables creature revival, improving board presence and offsetting potential card disadvantage during gameplay.
Demands careful hand management and precise mana, challenging players to optimize their strategic decisions.
Excels in decks with graveyard synergy, potentially altering the tide of MTG matches in your favor.

Text of card

Return X target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand and lose X life.

"You must be mad to want one such as I aboard the *Weatherlight*. But I would be mad to remain here with my rotting family. I accept." —Crovax

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Shattered Crypt grants players the potential to revive key creatures from their graveyard, therefore negating the loss of card presence on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: The ability to return creatures to your hand from the graveyard can act as a form of acceleration, by recirculating resources that would otherwise be inaccessible, thereby saving mana that would be spent on drawing and casting new creatures.

Instant Speed: Operating at instant speed provides the flexibility to react and adapt during the opponent’s turn, making Shattered Crypt a versatile tool to surprise opponents and maximize strategic plays without committing resources prematurely.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shattered Crypt demands that you discard a card, a stipulation that can backfire when your hand is already running thin. This can put players at a strategic disadvantage by reducing their choices and potential plays during critical turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Shattered Crypt requires a precise combination of mana to cast. This can be challenging to fulfill in multicolor decks that may not always have the right mana at the crucial moment, thereby restricting its viability across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that might be considered steep by some players for its offered graveyard interactions, Shattered Crypt may fall by the wayside in favor of cards with lower costs, quicker effects, or both, making it a less optimal choice in mana-tight situations.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shattered Crypt offers great flexibility across various deck types since graveyards are a common element in MTG. The ability to return a creature card from the graveyard to your hand makes it valuable in maintaining board presence.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with self-mill strategies or decks focused on graveyard synergies, elevating your tactical play with multiple ways to reclaim key creatures that further your game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In an ever-shifting metagame where graveyard interaction is pivotal, Shattered Crypt could be a sleeper hit. Its functionality in disrupting opponent’s graveyard strategies or reinforcing your own places it as a strategic asset in numerous match-ups.

How to beat

Shattered Crypt enters the battlefield with an aura of mystery, functioning as both a threat and an opportunity in the dynamic world of MTG. This card, reminiscent of effects seen on other potent graveyard interaction spells, allows players to return any number of creature cards from their graveyard to their hand. The twist lies in its cost—exiling that many cards from the top of your library. This can be a robust late-game play, refilling your hand with creatures to re-deploy.

However, there are strategies to undermine Shattered Crypt’s formidable presence. Graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can significantly neutralize this card before it impacts the game, as they remove the fuel that Shattered Crypt requires. It’s also critical to maintain pressure and force your opponent to use their resources inefficiently, making Shattered Crypt less effective. Board wipes paired with graveyard removal can be devastating against decks relying on this mechanic. Lastly, aggressive strategies that can win before Shattered Crypt becomes relevant can bypass the need to address it directly.

Understanding how Shattered Crypt integrates into your opponent’s strategy will guide you toward the most effective countermeasures, ensuring your victory on the battlefield.

Cards like Shattered Crypt

In the realm of graveyard manipulation, Shattered Crypt emerges as a noteworthy card among Magic: The Gathering strategic assets. It shares a thematic kinship with cards like Exhume, which also permits players to raise creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield. What sets Shattered Crypt apart is its flexibility to return multiple creatures at once, albeit at the expense of discarding a card per creature retrieved.

Aligned with this concept, we find Animate Dead, yet another card that specializes in reanimation. Unlike Shattered Crypt which allows multiple uses at once, Animate Dead focuses on singular, albeit potentially more powerful, targets. Furthermore, there’s the classic spell Zombify, offering a less conditional resurrection effect compared to Shattered Crypt’s card disadvantage, but at a higher mana investment and returning only one creature.

Analyzing the benefits and tactical uses of these cards, Shattered Crypt holds its ground as a valuable component in any deck that thrives on graveyard synergy and creature recursion strategies in Magic: The Gathering. By affording players the option to recover an entire fleet of fallen creatures, it plays a pivotal role in strategies that other single-target reanimation spells simply cannot fill.

Cards similar to Shattered Crypt by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shattered Crypt MTG card by a specific set like Weatherlight, 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 Shattered Crypt and other MTG cards: