Death Denied MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeInstant — Arcane

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides significant card advantage by recovering multiple creatures from the graveyard to hand.
  2. Instant speed allows for flexible and reactive gameplay, fitting various strategic needs.
  3. No discard requirement helps maintain valuable cards while utilizing Death Denied.

Text of card

Return X target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.

Takenuma was filled with a chorus of moans, shrieks, and wails. Some came from the living, some from the dying, and some, most horribly, from the dead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Death Denied allows you to return any number of target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand, ensuring crucial pieces are brought back into your hand for future strategy execution – a significant swing in card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By strategically retrieving key creatures with various mana costs, you effectively accelerate your resource utilization, as the returned cards can offer more immediate board presence or serve other synergistic purposes in your deck.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Death Denied at instant speed means you have the flexibility to react swiftly to battlefield developments, making it a versatile tool for both defensive maneuvers and setting up surprise comebacks during an opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Death Denied, you don’t face a discard requirement, which is an advantage for maintaining card advantage, ensuring you aren’t forced to toss valuable cards from your hand when casting it.

Specific Mana Cost: Death Denied comes with a specific mana cost requirement that includes black mana. This limits the card’s integration to decks that can generate black mana, potentially excluding it from various multicolored or mono-colored decks that don’t run black.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost for Death Denied may prove to be steep, especially when you are planning to return multiple creatures from the graveyard to your hand. The X in its mana cost means that you need to invest a lot of mana for a significant effect, which can affect your ability to play other cards in the same turn. In a game where tempo is important, this can put you at a disadvantage compared to other, more mana-efficient, graveyard recovery options.


Reasons to Include Death Denied in Your Collection

Versatility: Death Denied operates as a powerful card in any MTG deck archetype that thrives on recurring its creatures from the graveyard. Its scalable mana cost makes it adaptable for different stages of the game.

Combo Potential: This card can be the lynchpin in a combo, returning a multitude of creatures to your hand, thus setting the stage for potential game-winning plays or enabling re-use of creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects.

Meta-Relevance: Given the often creature-heavy metagame, Death Denied’s ability to salvage key pieces after a board wipe or targeted removals can be a critical factor in sustaining your presence on the board and maintaining card advantage.


How to beat

Death Denied occupies a unique spot in the vast array of Magic the Gathering spells, offering players the ability to return multiple creatures from their graveyard to their hand. This card’s flexibility makes it a formidable asset, especially in the late game where its X casting cost can be a game-changer, bringing back an entire army to your hand.

Nevertheless, to effectively counter Death Denied, disrupting the graveyard is a key strategy. Employing cards with graveyard hate capabilities, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void, can exile cards from the graveyard, rendering Death Denied less potent or even obsolete. Additionally, proactive countermeasures like counterspells, such as Counterspell or Mana Leak, enable players to stop Death Denied before its effects can even materialize. The rationale is straightforward – mitigating the card’s impact through stellar graveyard management or timely disruption. This preventive approach can significantly diminish the strategic advantage Death Denied aims to confer upon the user.

Understanding the nuances of your opponent’s deck and anticipating the critical moment when Death Denied could turn the tide is the linchpin of mastery. How you adjust your strategy to prepare for and overcome this potential pivot point reflects the complex beauty of Magic the Gathering’s strategic depth.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the nuanced world of MTG means understanding the intricacies of each card, like Death Denied. Its ability to shift the tide of a game by recovering precious creature cards can’t be overstated. Reflecting on the analysis provided, whether it’s leveraging its versatile nature or formulating counters, it’s evident that this card deserves a closer look. Are you keen to harness its power or equip yourself with knowledge to defeat it? Immerse yourself further into the strategic dimensions Death Denied brings to your deck-building and gameplay. Join the fervent discussion and elevate your MTG experience with us.


Cards like Death Denied

Death Denied serves as a trusty revival spell in Magic: The Gathering. It acts in concert with other recovery spells like Disentomb, which similarly retrieves a creature from the graveyard. Yet, Death Denied presents a scalable advantage, allowing the retrieval of multiple creatures at a greater mana cost. This flexibility can be a game-changer in the late stages of the match, compared to the one-off nature of Disentomb.

Moreover, there’s Zombify, offering creature return capabilities with a different twist. Zombify brings back a single creature to the battlefield directly, though at a higher cost and less choice than Death Denied provides in selecting creatures from the graveyard. Stirring the potency of revival spells, March of the Returned mirrors Death Denied in recuperating two creatures, but the inflexibility of retrieving exactly two, not more or less, offers a contrasting strategy for players.

Examining these revival dynamics, Death Denied situates itself as a multifaceted tool in Magic: The Gathering, ideal for players who seek an upper hand through revival quantity and strategic maneuvering in their gameplay.

Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
March of the Returned - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - Magic 2010 (M10)
Zombify - Odyssey (ODY)
March of the Returned - Theros (THS)

Cards similar to Death Denied by color, type and mana cost

Word of Command - MTG Card versions
Terror - MTG Card versions
Simulacrum - MTG Card versions
Transmutation - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Edict - MTG Card versions
Headstone - MTG Card versions
Soul Rend - MTG Card versions
Wicked Reward - MTG Card versions
Urborg Justice - MTG Card versions
Imps' Taunt - MTG Card versions
Rapid Decay - MTG Card versions
Tainted Pact - MTG Card versions
Toxic Stench - MTG Card versions
Doom Blade - MTG Card versions
Go for the Throat - MTG Card versions
Cast Down - MTG Card versions
Smother - MTG Card versions
Hero's Demise - MTG Card versions
Sickening Shoal - MTG Card versions
Chill Haunting - MTG Card versions
Word of Command - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Terror - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Simulacrum - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Transmutation - Legends (LEG)
Diabolic Edict - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Headstone - Homelands (HML)
Soul Rend - Mirage (MIR)
Wicked Reward - Visions (VIS)
Urborg Justice - Weatherlight (WTH)
Imps' Taunt - Tempest (TMP)
Rapid Decay - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Tainted Pact - Odyssey (ODY)
Toxic Stench - Judgment (JUD)
Doom Blade - Magic 2012 (M12)
Go for the Throat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cast Down - Commander Legends (CMR)
Smother - Worldwake (WWK)
Hero's Demise - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Sickening Shoal - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Chill Haunting - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Death Denied MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa and Salvat 2005, 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 Death Denied and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Death Denied Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2005-06-03 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-06-03Saviors of KamigawaSOK 632003normalblackGreg Hildebrandt
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL F542003normalwhiteGreg Hildebrandt
32005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL F422003normalwhiteGreg Hildebrandt
42013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 772003normalblackJames Paick
52015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 762015normalblackJames Paick
62018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 922015normalblackJames Paick
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 6182015normalblackJames Paick
82020-09-26The ListPLST MM2-762015normalblackJames Paick

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Death Denied has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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