Aphetto Dredging MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Aphetto Dredging allows strategic hand fortification with key creatures previously lost in the game.
  2. Its instant nature integrates seamlessly into gameplay, offering surprise plays and flexibility.
  3. While beneficial in recovery, the card’s discard requirement and specific mana cost are considerable.

Text of card

Return up to three target creature cards of the creature type of your choice from your graveyard to your hand.

Phage became both executioner and savior, helping others to the same rebirth she had found.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aphetto Dredging grants the ability to return up to three target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. This offers a significant card advantage as it provides access to key creatures that may have been eliminated earlier, allowing for a strategic comeback or the fortification of your hand with essential assets.

Resource Acceleration: By bringing creatures back from the graveyard directly to your hand, Aphetto Dredging effectively cuts down the cost and circumvents the typical wait time associated with reanimating or recasting creatures. This resource acceleration can be a crucial factor in regaining momentum and securing your position in the game.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Aphetto Dredging gives you the flexibility to respond promptly to the shifting tides of the game. It fits comfortably into your strategy, allowing for an end-of-turn setup or an unexpected twist during combat, catching opponents off-guard and maximizing the potential impact of your returned creatures.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When considering the mechanics of Aphetto Dredging, players will find that having to discard another card can be a challenging prerequisite. This is particularly true in tight gameplay situations where maintaining a substantial hand can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Specific Mana Cost: The black mana requirement for Aphetto Dredging is another aspect that needs consideration. This cost can restrict its integration into multi-colored decks, especially for those not heavily weighted towards black mana resources, potentially leading to difficulties in consistently playing the card on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its potential to return creatures from the graveyard to your hand, Aphetto Dredging’s mana cost is on the higher side when compared to other cards with similar effects. Savvy players are always looking for the most efficient use of their mana each turn, and there might be more cost-effective options available for recursion strategies in the game.


Reasons to Include Aphetto Dredging in Your Collection

Versatility: Aphetto Dredging offers a unique flexibility to players, allowing them to recover key creatures from the graveyard. This can be particularly crucial in decks focused on recurring creatures or those looking to protect themselves against removal-heavy opponents.

Combo Potential: When synergy matters, Aphetto Dredging shines by potentially returning combo pieces that have been carelessly discarded or destroyed. It opens up strategic plays in reanimator or sacrifice-focused decks, enabling recurrent threats that can be difficult for an opponent to deal with.

Meta-Relevance: As the metagame ebbs and flows, the ability to bring creatures back can be a game-changer. In a format where graveyard strategies are prevalent or where creature-based combos dictate the pace, Aphetto Dredging can be an under-the-radar inclusion that gives an edge over decks that aren’t prepared to handle recurring threats.


How to beat

Understanding the dynamics of Aphetto Dredging can give players a significant edge in Magic: The Gathering matches. This card allows a player to return up to three target creature cards from their graveyard to their hand, making it a strategic play in creature-centric decks. Yet, every card has its counter, and Aphetto Dredging is no exception.

To effectively neutralize this card, players need to disrupt the graveyard. Tactics like leveraging graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt can be highly effective. These cards remove a player’s graveyard from the game, rendering Aphetto Dredging impotent. Another strong strategy is to apply exile effects through cards like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void, permanently removing the key creatures that Aphetto Dredging would target. Understanding these interactions helps savvy players mitigate the advantage this card provides by preemptively cutting off access to the very resources it depends on — creatures in the graveyard.

While Aphetto Dredging grants significant recovery potential, its strength can be dampened by thoughtful deck building and a keen sense of when to disrupt an opponent’s graveyard. Keep these counters in mind and the advantage will likely tilt in your favor.


Cards like Aphetto Dredging

Aphetto Dredging offers a nuanced twist in the MTG world of creature recovery spells. In its league, we see cards such as Raise Dead, a classic go-to for single target creature retrieval from your graveyard. Aphetto Dredging scales this up by allowing the return of up to three creatures but with the restriction of them being goblins or zombies. This specificity is a key differentiator and can be particularly potent in dedicated tribal decks.

Unearth stands in comparison with its capability to bring back any small creature for a single mana, though it exiles the creature afterwards. Aphetto Dredging permits repeated use because the targets remain in the graveyard. Then there’s the card Footbottom Feast which, like Aphetto Dredging, interacts with multiple creatures in your graveyard but places them on top of your library instead of returning them directly to your hand.

Ultimately, while assessing such recovery options in MTG, Aphetto Dredging shines in scenarios where your deck hinges on tribal synergies, granting multiple card recovery and sustaining the potential for repeatable graveyard interaction.

Raise Dead - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Footbottom Feast - MTG Card versions
Raise Dead - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Unearth - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Footbottom Feast - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Aphetto Dredging 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
Agonizing Memories - MTG Card versions
Mutilate - MTG Card versions
Extinction Event - MTG Card versions
Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions
Zombify - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Devouring Greed - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Tutor - MTG Card versions
Consuming Vapors - MTG Card versions
Memoricide - MTG Card versions
Massacre - 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)
Agonizing Memories - Tenth Edition (10E)
Mutilate - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Extinction Event - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Terisiare's Devastation - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Zombify - Masters 25 (A25)
Cranial Extraction - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Devouring Greed - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Diabolic Tutor - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Consuming Vapors - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Memoricide - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Massacre - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aphetto Dredging MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught 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 Aphetto Dredging and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aphetto Dredging Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-10-07 and 2009-11-20. Illustrated by Monte Michael Moore.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-10-07OnslaughtONS 1251997normalblackMonte Michael Moore
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL D402003normalwhiteMonte Michael Moore
32005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL D412003normalwhiteMonte Michael Moore
42009-11-20Premium Deck Series: SliversH09 282003normalblackMonte Michael Moore

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aphetto Dredging has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 You need to choose the creature type before choosing the targets.

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