Drag to the Underworld MTG Card

Drag to the Underworld - Theros Beyond Death

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set name	Theros Beyond Death
Set code	THB
Number	89
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Victor Adame Minguez

Key Takeaways

Ratio of cost to utility improves with greater devotion to black, enabling efficient gameplay strategies.
Instant speed allows for flexible responses, adding a layer of surprise and control during matches.
Lacks noncreature targeting, suggesting a diverse deck build to mitigate its impact.

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast, where X is your devotion to black. (Each in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.) Destroy target creature.

The more you struggle against death, the tighter its grip becomes.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Drag to the Underworld allows for efficient removal of a creature at a potentially reduced cost. If your devotion to black is high enough, this card becomes an inexpensive way to deal with high-threat targets, potentially leaving you with available resources to play other cards or further your board state.

Resource Acceleration: While Drag to the Underworld doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low potential mana cost, based on your devotion to black, frees up mana that can be used elsewhere. This effective use of mana bolsters your ability to progress your strategy at an impressive pace.

Instant Speed: This removal spell’s capability to be played at instant speed gives you the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s plays on their turn. You can efficiently manage your mana while keeping your opponent guessing about your next move. The ability to react to threats instantaneously makes Drag to the Underworld a valuable tool in maintaining control of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Drag to the Underworld does not have a discard requirement, it’s important to consider that if it did, it would impose a cost on your hand size, a valuable resource in the game. The absence of this hindrance is a subtle advantage for the card, streamlining its use in game play.

Specific Mana Cost: Drag to the Underworld demands both generic and black mana, which makes it a less flexible option for multicolor decks. To cast it efficiently, your deck must have a reliable source of black mana, which can be a constraining factor during the deck-building phase.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that might be considered steep in fast-paced games, Drag to the Underworld has to compete with a suite of other removal spells. In formats where speed is crucial, its cost effectiveness may be outweighed by alternatives that offer similar removal capabilities for less mana.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Drag to the Underworld boasts flexibility by offering targeted creature removal, which is crucial in almost any deck. Being able to scale its mana cost with the devotion mechanic makes it suitable for a wide variety of black-focused builds.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks that benefit from having creatures in the graveyard, whether for recursion tactics or to power up spells that count the number of creature cards in the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-present need for efficient removal options in most MTG metas, Drag to the Underworld holds its ground as a reliable choice. Its ability to potentially lower its casting cost can be particularly relevant in matches where establishing board control with minimal mana investment is key.

How to beat

Drag to the Underworld has become a mainstay in decks running black in Magic: The Gathering. It is an instant speed removal spell that carries the weight of its devotion mechanism. When facing it, understanding its limitations is key. While its cost may decrease with higher devotion to black, it can only target creatures. Thus, having non-creature threats or diversifying the colors of your permanents dilutes its effectiveness. Enchantment removals, like Banishing Light, or utilizing counterspells when your opponent is reaching for four mana, can be the turning tide in your favor.

If you keep pace by developing your board and maintaining threats across varying card types, Drag to the Underworld’s impact is lessened. It’s also crucial to bait out removal before playing your key creatures. Once Drag to the Underworld has been used, your path is clearer to resolve your most potent threats safely. Lastly, instant speed interaction, such as Heroic Intervention, can save your creature from being dragged down and maintain your board presence.

Countering this powerful tool involves strategic play and careful consideration of when to deploy your threats. Keep these tactics in mind, and you’ll find yourself overcoming the shadows cast by Drag to the Underworld.

BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the intricacies of Drag to the Underworld in your MTG strategy is key to controlling the battlefield. With its flexibility and potential for cost efficiency, this removal spell is a powerhouse in any black devotion deck. Whether you’re looking to clear the way for a game-winning blow or maintain board superiority, this card can be a pivotal addition to your arsenal. Our careful analysis underscores its strengths and provides insightful counters for when you face it across the table. Boost your play and outsmart your opponents by enhancing your collection with Drag to the Underworld. Continue your journey with us for more strategies and deck-building tips.

Cards like Drag to the Underworld

Drag to the Underworld is an intriguing removal spell in Magic: The Gathering that finds its uniqueness within the realms of creature elimination mechanics. Its closest counterparts include cards like Murder, which simply offers an unconditional destruction of a target creature for three mana. The advantage that Drag to the Underworld holds is its potentially lower cost in a devotion to black strategy, allowing for a creature to be removed at just two black mana under ideal circumstances.

Similarly, there’s Doom Blade, another efficient kill spell that removes nonblack creatures at just two mana. While Doom Blade also boasts low-cost efficiency, Drag to the Underworld doesn’t discriminate against creature color, giving it a wider range of targets. On the heavier side of mana requirements, we find Eat to Extinction, offering exile removal along with a surveil-like effect, thus providing additional deck manipulation at the cost of speed and efficiency.

In weighing the balance of cost, target restrictions, and additional effects, Drag to the Underworld demonstrates its strength in mono-black builds and in games where keeping four mana open isn’t as taxing on the player’s strategy. Its flexibility and scaling cost make it a formidable tool in the removal suite of any black mage in Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Drag to the Underworld MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Drag to the Underworld and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Drag to the Underworld has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-01-24	Colorless and generic mana symbols (, , , , , and so on) in mana costs of permanents you control don’t count toward your devotion to any color.
2020-01-24	Hybrid mana symbols, monocolored hybrid mana symbols, and Phyrexian mana symbols do count toward your devotion to their color(s).
2020-01-24	If an activated ability or triggered ability has an effect that depends on your devotion to a color, you count the number of mana symbols of that color among the mana costs of permanents you control as the ability resolves. The permanent with that ability will be counted if it’s still on the battlefield at that time.
2020-01-24	If you put an Aura on an opponent’s permanent, you still control the Aura, and mana symbols in its mana cost count towards your devotion.
2020-01-24	Mana symbols in the text boxes of permanents you control don’t count toward your devotion to any color.
2020-01-24	Once you announce that you’re casting a spell, no player may take actions until the spell has been paid for. Notably, opponents can’t try to change by how much Drag to the Underworld’s cost is reduced.
2020-01-24	The cost reduction ability reduces only the generic mana in Drag to the Underworld’s cost. The colored mana must still be paid.
2020-01-24	To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Drag to the Underworld). The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.