Compost MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Compost offers card advantage against green-heavy opponents, drawing cards as green cards enter their graveyard.
  2. It indirectly accelerates resources via additional card draws, potentially uncovering more lands or ramp spells.
  3. As a green enchantment, Compost thrives versus black-focused decks and ensures consistent card draw without costs.

Text of card

Whenever a black card is put into one of your opponents' graveyards, you may draw a card.

A fruit must rot before its seed can sprout. —Yavimaya saying


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Compost provides a continuous stream of card advantage as long as green cards are hitting your opponent’s graveyard. This constant replenishment of your hand can tilt the game in your favor by ensuring you have more options each turn.

Resource Acceleration: While Compost doesn’t directly produce mana, the extra cards drawn can lead to finding more lands or ramp spells, indirectly accelerating your resources and allowing you to outpace your opponent.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Compost can synergize with instant-speed removal or counterspells by rewarding you with card draw each time a green card from an opponent’s strategy is dispatched to the graveyard during either player’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Compost demands that you discard a creature card to utilize its effect, which can deplete hand advantage and diminish your ability to respond to threats.

Specific Mana Cost: Locked behind a singular green mana cost, it may not seamlessly fit into every deck, especially those not aligned with green mana strategies or multicolored decks that can’t consistently produce green mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a two-mana cost, including one green, Compost can be considered expensive for its conditional advantage—only paying off when black cards are placed into the opponent’s graveyard, which is not always a guarantee in every game scenario.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Compost card is a green enchantment that thrives in various deck builds, especially those facing black-heavy strategies. Its ability to draw you a card whenever an opponent’s black card is put into their graveyard means it can seamlessly integrate with and enhance numerous green deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: This enchantment shines in scenarios where you’re playing against decks that utilize a high volume of black cards. It pairs well with cards that force opponents to discard or sacrifice creatures, turning each black card’s demise into a new card for you, thus fueling your hand and granting ongoing advantages.

Meta-Relevance: If black cards are prevalent in your current play environment, Compost can become a key sideboard card or even a main deck staple. It enables a consistent draw mechanic that keeps your options open while potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategy by making every loss they suffer benefit you.


How to beat

The Compost card can sometimes feel like an insurmountable advantage for players who capitalize on it effectively within the realm of Magic: The Gathering. This card thrives in metas where black spells are predominant, allowing a player to draw an additional card whenever a black card is placed into an opponent’s graveyard. In such scenarios, the key to negating Compost’s influence lies in limiting the ways in which your opponent can benefit from its ability.

To combat the advantage Compost provides, consider altering your deck’s strategy to avoid sending black cards to your opponent’s graveyard, or employ card effects that can exile cards instead of discarding them. Moreover, incorporating enchantment removal into your deck can help you eliminate Compost directly from the battlefield. By integrating these tactics, you can ensure that the presence of Compost on the other side of the table doesn’t tilt the match in your opponent’s favor, thus maintaining a level playing field.

Understanding how to undermine Compost’s potential can be pivotal in games where gaining an extra card could tip the scales. Effective strategy and card selection are essential in these matchups, making knowledge about cards like Compost crucial for every Magic: The Gathering player’s arsenal.


BurnMana Recommendations

Having dissected the ins and outs of Compost, you can see how this card can be a beacon of advantage in the right setting. Whether you’re up against decks laden with black cards or seeking to bolster your green deck’s card draw capacity, Compost offers nuances that can swing games in your favor. Taking into account its strategic use and the current meta, incorporating Compost into your roster can enrich your gameplay experience. Delve deeper into strategies and find ways to optimize every aspect of your deck with us. Begin your journey to outsmart the competition with a well-tuned arsenal at your fingertips.


Cards like Compost

Compost is a unique card in MTG, falling into the narrow niche of enchantment spells that revolve around card advantage and graveyard interaction. Similar to it, we have Deathreap Ritual, a card that also rewards a player during each end step if a creature died with the potential of drawing a card. Compost specifically benefits you when an opponent’s black card is sent to their graveyard by granting you the opportunity to draw a card, while Deathreap Ritual is broader, triggering for any color.

Another enchantment that’s often compared with Compost is Underworld Connections, allowing for consistent card draw with the extra cost of one life and tapping a land. Unlike Compost, this ability can be activated at will, ensuring card draw during your turn, which Compost doesn’t guarantee. However, Compost shines in metagames where black spells are predominant, providing card advantage without any additional cost once it’s in play.

In essence, while each card has its own scenario where it excels, Compost can become a powerful sideboard option, especially poised against strategies reliant on numerous black cards, offering significant advantages without recurring costs or additional resources needed to operate.

Deathreap Ritual - MTG Card versions
Underworld Connections - MTG Card versions
Deathreap Ritual - MTG Card versions
Underworld Connections - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Compost by color, type and mana cost

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Quest for the Gemblades - MTG Card versions
Quest for Renewal - MTG Card versions
Regeneration - MTG Card versions
Aspect of Wolf - MTG Card versions
Lifeforce - MTG Card versions
Gaea's Touch - MTG Card versions
Night Soil - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Library - MTG Card versions
Primal Rage - MTG Card versions
Survival of the Fittest - MTG Card versions
Crosswinds - MTG Card versions
Fortitude - MTG Card versions
Treetop Bracers - MTG Card versions
Root Cage - MTG Card versions
Elfhame Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Thoughtleech - MTG Card versions
Weaver of Harmony - MTG Card versions
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary - MTG Card versions
Fertile Ground - MTG Card versions
Quiet Disrepair - MTG Card versions
Quest for the Gemblades - MTG Card versions
Quest for Renewal - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Compost MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and Seventh Edition, 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 Compost and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Compost Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-06-07Urza's DestinyUDS 1021997NormalBlackDouglas Shuler
22001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 2351997NormalWhiteMarc Fishman
32001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 235★1997NormalBlackMarc Fishman
42002-08-14World Championship Decks 2002WC02 rl235sb1997NormalGoldMarc Fishman
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 10472015NormalBlackVictor Adame Minguez

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Compost has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2004-10-04 The ability triggers on a black card being discarded, milled, or countered, as well as a black card going to the graveyard from the battlefield.

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