Undead Alchemist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Zombie
Abilities Mill
Power 4
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Mills opponents, possibly creating zombies to increase board dominance and control.
  2. Converts defeated creatures into an undead army, fueling your strategy effectively.
  3. Syncs with instant-speed spells for flexible, disruptive gameplay within your turn.

Text of card

If a Zombie you control would deal combat damage to a player, instead that player puts that many cards from the top of his or her library into his or her graveyard. Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from his or her library, exile that card and put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token onto the battlefield.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Undead Alchemist, whenever a zombie controlled by you deals combat damage to a player, that player mills cards, potentially creating more zombies and boosting your board presence for overwhelming control.

Resource Acceleration: Transforming your opponents’ graveyard into an army provides a unique form of acceleration, effectively using defeated creatures to fuel your strategy and pressure your adversary without spending extra mana.

Instant Speed: While Undead Alchemist is not an instant itself, it synergizes exceptionally well with instant-speed zombie-related spells, allowing you to adapt and exploit opportunities to disrupt or outpace your opponents’ plans during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Undead Alchemist requires a strategic setup to benefit from its ability, necessitating the presence of other zombies in your deck to maximize its potential. This could lead to a scenario where your hand is depleted to fulfill its synergistic needs, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage against resource-heavy opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: At a casting cost that includes two specific blue mana, the card demands a commitment to blue mana sources, limiting its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce such mana, which might not be feasible in a multi-colored or mana-intensive deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Undead Alchemist arrives on the battlefield for a four mana investment, which may be considered steep for an effect that is conditional on dealing combat damage to a player. There are alternative cards in the same mana range that could impact the board immediately or provide other forms of card advantage, making the Alchemist a potentially less favorable choice in some deck-building scenarios.


Reasons to Include Undead Alchemist in Your Collection

Versatility: Undead Alchemist offers a unique angle to zombie tribal decks and milling strategies alike. It serves as both an offensive and a defensive tool, converting potential zombie damage into more milling and zombie token generation.

Combo Potential: This card is capable of creating an army of zombies as you mill your opponent’s library. When combined with other cards that boost zombie creatures or further exploit milling, the synergies can quickly become overwhelming for your opponent.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard-based strategies often present in the meta, Undead Alchemist can turn an opponent’s graveyard into a liability. Given its utility in disrupting decks that rely on a well-stocked graveyard, it becomes a strategic inclusion against such archetypes.


How to beat

Dealing with Undead Alchemist in Magic: The Gathering requires a solid strategy, as this creature can drastically shift the dynamics of a game. One effective approach is to limit its ability to trigger its milling and zombie-creating effect. Tactics such as graveyard shuffling with the use of cards like Perpetual Timepiece or employing graveyard hate cards such as Tormod’s Crypt can undermine the capabilities of Undead Alchemist. Removal spells that exclude the creature from hitting the graveyard directly, like Path to Exile or exile-based board wipes, also effectively neutralize this threat.

Focus on maintaining board control with sweepers to handle the incoming zombie tokens and save direct removal for the Alchemist itself. Additionally, making use of instant-speed interaction will allow you to respond adeptly during your opponent’s turn, minimizing the milling of your own deck. Anticipating your opponent’s plays and disrupting them with counter spells can prove invaluable when facing such a mill-centric card.

Understanding the importance of managing your graveyard and maintaining a robust defense against an army of zombie tokens are key to overcoming the seemingly insurmountable challenge presented by Undead Alchemist in a match of MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embark on a strategic exploration with Undead Alchemist, a perfect card for players seeking to strengthen their zombie-themed decks or milling tactics. This card offers the duality of defense and offense, gradually depleting an opponent’s library while amassing a formidable army of the undead. As metagames evolve, Undead Alchemist remains a tactical advantage against graveyard-dependent decks. Curious about honing your deck’s strategy or wanting to understand the synergy between milling and swarming with zombies? Dive deeper into the nuances of this compelling strategy and ensure your deck is a cut above the rest, starting with Undead Alchemist. Learn more and enhance your MTG prowess.


Cards like Undead Alchemist

The Undead Alchemist is a unique creature in MTG that blurs the lines between zombie prowess and mill strategy. Much like Nephalia Drownyard, the alchemist also targets an opponent’s library to frustrate and deplete their resources. However, the alchemist takes things a step further by converting milled creatures into zombie tokens that bolster your undead army.

Comparably, Altar of the Brood leverages a similar philosophy of milling opponents but does so passively as new permanents appear on your battlefield. While the altar is consistent, it lacks the creature-transforming impact of the alchemist. Stitcher Geralf exhibits a kinship to our card at hand, milling as a pathway to creating large zombie monstrosities, but it doesn’t provide the relentless token generation of the Undead Alchemist.

Ultimately, the Undead Alchemist stands out in the confluence of zombie tribal and mill techniques. It offers the ability to strategically weaken opponents while simultaneously amassing an unyielding horde, making it a formidable card to wield within MTG’s vast array of deck-building possibilities.

Nephalia Drownyard - MTG Card versions
Altar of the Brood - MTG Card versions
Stitcher Geralf - MTG Card versions
Nephalia Drownyard - Innistrad (ISD)
Altar of the Brood - Khans of Tarkir (KTK)
Stitcher Geralf - Commander 2014 (C14)

Cards similar to Undead Alchemist by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Phantom Monster - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Dreamborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Turtleshell Changeling - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Archmage - MTG Card versions
Fatestitcher - MTG Card versions
Argent Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lumengrid Drake - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Forces - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Phantom Monster - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Vapor - Chronicles (CHR)
Tradewind Rider - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Archivist - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Thieving Magpie - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Inga Rune-Eyes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Laboratory Drudge - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Johnny, Combo Player - Unhinged (UNH)
Dream Prowler - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Clone - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Cytoplast Manipulator - Dissension (DIS)
Crookclaw Transmuter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dreamborn Muse - Tenth Edition (10E)
Turtleshell Changeling - Lorwyn (LRW)
Glen Elendra Archmage - Eventide (EVE)
Fatestitcher - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Argent Sphinx - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Lumengrid Drake - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Undead Alchemist MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Midnight Hunt Commander, 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 Undead Alchemist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Undead Alchemist Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2021-09-24. Illustrated by Michael C. Hayes.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 842003normalblackMichael C. Hayes
22021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 1052015normalblackMichael C. Hayes

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Undead Alchemist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 If you control multiple Undead Alchemists, the multiple replacement abilities will have no added effect. Combat damage dealt to a player by a Zombie you control will be replaced only once with cards being put into that player's graveyard.
2011-09-22 Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from their library, the triggered ability of each Undead Alchemist you control will trigger. The first such ability to resolve will exile that creature card and create a Zombie token. Subsequent abilities won't exile the creature card, but each will create another Zombie token.

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