Zombify MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

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Text of card

Return target creature card from your graveyard to play.

"The first birth celebrates life. The second birth mocks it." —Mystic elder


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Zombify provides a significant boost in presence on the battlefield by returning a powerful creature card directly from your graveyard to play. This turnaround can shift the game in your favor as it bypasses casting costs and creature summoning delays.

Resource Acceleration: By reanimating a creature, you essentially cheat its mana cost, offering a way to accelerate your resource efficiency. High-cost creatures become more accessible, enhancing your board state sooner than expected.

Instant Speed: Though Zombify operates at sorcery speed, its strategic placement in your turn can catch opponents off guard, particularly post-boardwipe or when their defences are low, leading to sudden shifts in game dynamics.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Zombify necessitates the removal of a creature card from your graveyard, which can deplete a valuable resource, especially if your strategy relies on a well-stocked graveyard.

Specific Mana Cost: Binding players to a specific mana requirement, Zombify demands both black mana and generic mana, which can hinder its inclusion in multi-colored decks not heavily focused on black.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Zombify comes with a mana value of four, which can be quite steep for reanimation effects, considering other cards in MTG may offer lower-cost alternatives or additional benefits along with the resurrection.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Zombify allows players to bring back powerful creatures from their graveyard directly to the battlefield. Its flexibility makes it a valuable tool in any deck aimed at utilizing the graveyard as a resource.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combos, particularly in decks built around creature recursion and sacrifice strategies. With Zombify, you can reanimate key creatures to repeatedly take advantage of their powerful enter-the-battlefield or death-triggered abilities.

Meta-Relevance: Reanimation tactics remain a consistent threat in various MTG metas. Deploying Zombify can tilt the scales in your favor by unexpectedly returning a critical creature to play, often turning the tide of the game.


How to beat

Confronting Zombify in your Magic: The Gathering matches requires a strategic approach to prevent opponents from exploiting its resurrecting capabilities. Zombify’s power lies in its ability to bring back a creature from the graveyard directly onto the battlefield. Key to thwarting this move is maintaining graveyard control. Consider using cards that exile creatures from graveyards like Scavenging Ooze, which can preemptively remove key targets for Zombify before your opponent gets the chance to cast it.

Another method is to employ counterspells such as Negate or Dispel, which can disrupt the casting of Zombify itself. Remember that hindering your opponent’s graveyard strategy can be as effective as targeting the spell. Tormod’s Crypt is a versatile card, offering a low-cost opportunity to exile all cards from a player’s graveyard at a moment’s notice, thus undercutting the potential value of Zombify.

By keeping these tactics in mind, players can effectively neutralize the threat posed by Zombify, ensuring that their opponent’s creatures stay in the graveyard, and maintain a stronger position on the battlefield. As with any MTG card, understanding and anticipating your opponent’s strategy is key to victory.


Cards like Zombify

Zombify is a compelling choice in the realm of creature reanimation in Magic: The Gathering, standing alongside spells like Animate Dead. While Zombify straightaway returns a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, Animate Dead also resurrects creatures but with a slight drawback – it attaches to the creature as an Aura and gives the creature -1/-0.

In comparison, we find the card Unearth, which brings back smaller creatures at a significantly lower cost and at instant speed, offering an element of surprise. However, Unearth limits its resurrection to creatures with a converted mana cost of 3 or less, an important factor to consider for decks with larger, game-changing creatures. Then there’s the iconic Reanimate, which does a similar job for any size of creature but at the cost of life points equivalent to that creature’s mana value. This can turn into a double-edged sword, particularly in high-stakes situations where life totals are critical.

Ultimately, when evaluating Zombify among its counterparts, it has a stable position for those looking to bring back powerful allies without the associated life cost, making it a desirable inclusion for graveyard-centric decks looking for reliable reanimation options.

Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Reanimate - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Unearth - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Reanimate - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Zombify by color, type and mana cost

Stench of Evil - MTG Card versions
Fatal Lore - MTG Card versions
Mind Warp - MTG Card versions
Final Strike - MTG Card versions
Persecute - MTG Card versions
Ancient Craving - MTG Card versions
Unmask - MTG Card versions
Reprocess - MTG Card versions
Befoul - MTG Card versions
Mutilate - MTG Card versions
Extinction Event - MTG Card versions
Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Aphetto Dredging - MTG Card versions
Agonizing Memories - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Tutor - MTG Card versions
Memoricide - MTG Card versions
Massacre - MTG Card versions
All Hallow's Eve - MTG Card versions
Gruesome Discovery - MTG Card versions
Stench of Evil - Ice Age (ICE)
Fatal Lore - Alliances (ALL)
Mind Warp - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Final Strike - Portal (POR)
Persecute - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Ancient Craving - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Unmask - From the Vault: Lore (V16)
Reprocess - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Befoul - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Mutilate - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Extinction Event - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Terisiare's Devastation - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cranial Extraction - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Aphetto Dredging - Premium Deck Series: Slivers (H09)
Agonizing Memories - Tenth Edition (10E)
Diabolic Tutor - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Memoricide - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Massacre - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
All Hallow's Eve - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Gruesome Discovery - Dark Ascension (DKA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Zombify MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Odyssey, 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 Zombify and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Zombify Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2018-03-16. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1711997normalblackMark Romanoski
22001-10-01OdysseyODY 171†2015normalblackMark Romanoski
32002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 351702003normalblackAlan Pollack
42003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1742003normalwhiteMark Romanoski
52003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 174★2003normalblackMark Romanoski
62003-08-07World Championship Decks 2003WC03 pk1742003normalgoldMark Romanoski
72005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 171★2003normalblackMark Romanoski
82005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1712003normalwhiteMark Romanoski
92006-01-01Magic Player Rewards 2006P06 62003normalblackAlan Pollack
102010-06-18ArchenemyARC 292003normalblackMark Romanoski
112018-03-16Masters 25A25 1162015normalblackJason A. Engle

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Zombify has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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