Assemble the Rank and Vile MTG Card

Assemble the Rank and Vile - Conspiracy: Take the Crown

Rarity	Common
Type	Conspiracy
Abilities	Hidden agenda
Released	2016-08-26
Set symbol
Set name	Conspiracy: Take the Crown
Set code	CN2
Number	2
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Seb McKinnon

Key Takeaways

Generates creature tokens efficiently, providing a significant advantage in board presence and strategy execution.
Instant speed casting adds tactical versatility, allowing for surprise plays and better control of the game state.
Requires careful management of resources due to its card discard and specific mana cost for optimal play.

Text of card

Hidden agenda (Start the game with this conspiracy face down in the command zone and secretly name a card. You may turn this conspiracy face up any time and reveal the chosen name.) Creatures you control with the chosen name have "When this creature dies, you may pay . If you do, put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token onto the battlefield tapped."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Assemble the Rank and Vile offers the crucial edge of swarming the battlefield with creature tokens. Generating multiple bodies with one card is an efficient way of outpacing your opponent in terms of on-board presence.

Resource Acceleration: This card seamlessly plays into strategies that benefit from a high creature count. It feeds into synergies with cards that capitalize on the number of creatures you control, setting the stage for explosive plays and swift mana ramp when used in combination with other cards that turn creatures into resources.

Instant Speed: The real kicker is the ability to cast Assemble the Rank and Vile at instant speed. This flexibility allows for tactical surprise attacks, the bolstering of defenses on your opponent’s turn, or simply waiting for the opportune moment to maximize its impact without jeopardizing your other plans.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Assemble the Rank and Vile necessitates discarding a card, potentially draining your hand and leaving you at a disadvantage if you’re already behind on card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s strict color identity requirement for both black and green mana can present problems in a multicolored deck that might struggle with mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Needing three mana, including one black and one green, to cast this creature could be challenging in the early game, making it a less than optimal play when compared to other low-cost alternatives that establish board presence more quickly.

Reasons to Include Assemble the Rank and Vile in Your Collection

Versatility: This card is an excellent addition for players who love versatility in their gameplay. Assemble the Rank and Vile can create token creatures, which are useful in a variety of deck themes, from zombie tribal to strategies focused on creature count.

Combo Potential: For those keen on crafting game-winning combos, this card has the potential to synergize with other undead cards or any strategy that benefits from a sudden influx of creature tokens. This can lead to explosive turns that overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, having answers to popular strategies is crucial. Assemble the Rank and Vile stays relevant due to its ability to produce multiple blockers or attackers, disrupting the plans of opponents reliant on creature superiority.

How to beat

Assemble the Rank and Vile stands out amongst spells that empower creature tokens in Magic: The Gathering. Its strength lies in not only producing a number of 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens but also giving them deathtouch until the end of turn. To counteract this card effectively, one must employ strategies that disrupt token generation or deploy spells that can clear multiple creatures at once.

Methods such as using board wipes like Wrath of God, which can destroy all creatures, can negate the built-up token army, resetting your opponent’s progress. Another tactic is to prevent the spell from resolving by using counter spells. Cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can serve as shields, stopping Assemble the Rank and Vile from ever taking effect. Additionally, utilizing instant-speed removal such as Lightning Bolt to eliminate key zombie tokens before they can leverage deathtouch can be a smart play. Overall, while Assemble the Rank and Vile can quickly amass a threatening board state, a well-planned defense with appropriate spell choices can ensure your victory against this formidable card.

Cards like Assemble the Rank and Vile

Assemble the Rank and Vile is a unique enchantment in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering, sharing some similarities with other cards that also favor go-wide strategies. Liken it to From Under the Floorboards, which similarly creates multiple zombie tokens. Assemble the Rank and Vile stands out with its persistent ability to generate these tokens every combat, as opposed to the one-off effect of From Under the Floorboards’ madness-triggered burst.

Another analogue is Endless Ranks of the Dead, an enchantment steadily augmenting your zombie army’s size based on the number of zombies you already command. While Assemble the Rank and Vile requires active participation to raise your undead legion, Endless Ranks of the Dead passively relies on the current state of the battlefield. A third card in this comparison could be Zombie Infestation, a spell with the capability to discard two cards to create a 2/2 zombie. However, this card demands a higher resource sacrifice unlike the convenience offered by Assemble the Rank and Vile’s repeatable token creation.

Tallying the traits and evaluating how these cards synergize with zombie-themed decks, Assemble the Rank and Vile demonstrates its merit in sustained token generation, making it an appealing choice for players aiming to overwhelm their opponents with numbers.

From Under the Floorboards - MTG Card versions

Endless Ranks of the Dead - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Assemble the Rank and Vile MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Assemble the Rank and Vile and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Assemble the Rank and Vile has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Banned
Legacy	Banned
Oathbreaker	Banned
Vintage	Banned
Duel	Banned

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2016-08-23	A conspiracy doesn’t count as a card in your deck for purposes of meeting minimum deck size requirements. (In most drafts, the minimum deck size is 40 cards.)
2016-08-23	A conspiracy with hidden agenda that has a triggered ability must be face up before that ability’s trigger condition is met in order for it to trigger. Turning it face up afterward won’t have any effect.
2016-08-23	A conspiracy’s static and triggered abilities function as long as that conspiracy is face-up in the command zone.
2016-08-23	As a special action, you may turn a face-down conspiracy face up. You may do so any time you have priority. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. Once face up, the named card is revealed and the conspiracy’s abilities will affect the game.
2016-08-23	At the end of the game, you must reveal any face-down conspiracies you own in the command zone to all players.
2016-08-23	At the end of the game, you must reveal any face-down conspiracies you own in the command zone to all players. Notably, you can’t bluff conspiracies with hidden agenda by putting other cards into the command zone face down as the game starts.
2016-08-23	Conspiracies are colorless, have no mana cost, and can’t be cast as spells.
2016-08-23	Conspiracies are never put into your deck. Instead, you put any number of conspiracies from your card pool into the command zone as the game begins. These conspiracies are face up unless they have hidden agenda, in which case they begin the game face down.
2016-08-23	Conspiracies aren’t legal for any sanctioned Constructed format, but may be included in other Limited formats, such as Cube Draft.
2016-08-23	If you play multiple games after the draft, you can name a different card in each new game.
2016-08-23	There are several ways to secretly name a card, including writing the name on a piece of paper that’s kept with the face-down conspiracy. If you have multiple face-down conspiracies, you may name a different card for each one. It’s important that each named card is clearly associated with only one of the conspiracies.
2016-08-23	You can look at any player’s face-up conspiracies at any time. You’ll also know how many face-down conspiracies a player has in the command zone, although you won’t know what they are.
2016-08-23	You don’t have to play with any conspiracy you draft. However, you have only one opportunity to put conspiracies into the command zone, as the game begins. You can’t put conspiracies into the command zone after this point.
2016-08-23	You must name a Magic card. Notably, you can’t name a token (except in the unusual case that a token’s name matches the name of a card, such as Illusion).
2016-08-23	You name the card as the game begins, as you put the conspiracy into the command zone, not as you turn the face-down conspiracy face up.