Underworld Cerberus MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Mythic
Type	Creature — Dog
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Power	6
Toughness	6
Number	208
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Svetlin Velinov

Key Takeaways

Underworld Cerberus excels in card advantage, disrupting opponent’s graveyard plays while bolstering your resources.
Resilient strategies utilize Cerberus’s retrieval effect for accelerating gameplay and enabling comeback plays.
Despite potential drawbacks, the Cerberus’s versatile nature justifies its inclusion in specific deck archetypes.

Text of card

Underworld Cerberus can't be blocked except by three or more creatures. Cards in graveyards can't be the targets of spells or abilities. When Underworld Cerberus dies, exile it and each player returns all creature cards from his or her graveyard to his or her hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The unique ability of Underworld Cerberus to return creature cards from the graveyard to hand when it dies provides an invaluable boost in resources. This means not only do you recover the creatures you’ve lost, but you also disrupt your opponent’s graveyard strategy, thereby potentially gaining a significant edge in card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Underworld Cerberus doesn’t directly accelerate your mana resources, its effect can potentially speed up your gameplay by returning key creatures to your hand. This can allow for a swift redeployment of threats and accelerate your board presence, catching opponents off guard.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Underworld Cerberus interacts favorably with spells of instant speed. The ability to play creatures during your turn and keep mana available for instant-speed interactions makes it a flexible addition to any deck, granting you versatility during each phase of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One potential drawback of Underworld Cerberus is that when it leaves the battlefield, each player returns all creature cards from their graveyard to their hand. This effect can backfire if opponents benefit more from the retrieved cards than you do.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Underworld Cerberus includes both red and black mana. This specific mana requirement may restrict the card’s inclusion to only certain types of decks, typically Rakdos or multicolored decks that can easily generate both colors of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a cost of five mana to cast this creature, Underworld Cerberus falls on the higher end of the mana curve. For decks looking to operate quickly or efficiently, there may be hesitation to include a card with such a demanding mana cost, especially when considering other creatures or spells that could be more immediately impactful on the game.

Reasons to Include Underworld Cerberus in Your Collection

Versatility: Underworld Cerberus is a flexible card that can shine in multiple strategies. It serves as both a significant threat and a graveyard hate piece. With its dual ability to keep creatures from being targeted in graveyards and returning them to your hand when it dies, it’s a superb addition to any red-black deck archetype.

Combo Potential: This mythic rare hound offers interesting synergies, particularly in decks that manipulate graveyard resources. Players can explore various combos, setting up their graveyard with the right creatures to benefit from the Cerberus’s death-trigger effect, leading to powerful turns and potential game-winning comebacks.

Meta-Relevance: During metas where graveyard strategies are prevalent or creature-based decks dominate, Underworld Cerberus becomes a critical asset. It can deter opponent’s recursion tactics while awaiting its moment to swing for lethal or to unleash a boatload of creatures back into your hand, giving you unmatched board presence and momentum.

How to Beat Underworld Cerberus

Confronting the Underworld Cerberus on the battlefield can be a complex challenge due to its ability to prevent cards in graveyards from being targeted and giving each player back all creature cards in their graveyard when it dies. However, it’s not without vulnerabilities. One effective strategy is to take control of the board without engaging this powerful hound directly. Strategies such as exile effects, which bypass the Cerberus’s death-triggered ability, can be incredibly effective.

Control decks equipped with exile spells can cleanly remove the Cerberus without the drawback of returning creatures to hands. Exiling the Cerberus with spells like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares negates its revival ability, helping maintain graveyard control. Additionally, utilizing sacrifice effects can force your opponent to kill their own Cerberus without benefiting from its death-trigger, maintaining the delicate balance of graveyard strategy.

In decks that don’t run exile, focus on building a dominant board presence and applying pressure to force the Cerberus to the sidelines. Deny resources or build counters to the diverse threats the Cerberus represents. In these nuanced exchanges, crafty players find the path to victory.

Cards like Underworld Cerberus

The Underworld Cerberus is a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering that brings multifaceted dynamics to the battlefield. With similar cards in mind, one might think of Hellspark Elemental, which also has a potent interaction with the graveyard. Although it lacks the board impact of the Cerberus, its Unearth ability mirrors the Cerberus’ potential for a second chance at combat. In contrast, the Cerberus stands out for preventing other cards from leaving the graveyard, adding a strategic layer to gameplay.

Another card that shares some synergy with Underworld Cerberus is Feldon of the Third Path. Feldon’s focus on reanimating creatures as tokens presents another approach to leveraging the graveyard. While the Cerberus locks down graveyard interactions, Feldon cleverly circumvents this by creating token copies, highlighting different yet complementary graveyard mechanics.

Evaluating these cards through creature abilities and graveyard manipulation emphasizes Underworld Cerberus’s unique position. It offers a distinctive combination of attacking strength, board presence, and graveyard control that sets a high bar for creatures occupying this niche in the game.

Feldon of the Third Path - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

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

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Underworld Cerberus has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	If two of these die at the same time, the last ability of each will trigger. If each player controlled one, the nonactive player's ability will resolve first. The Underworld Cerberus controlled by that player will be exiled, and all other creature cards in graveyards (including the Underworld Cerberus controlled by the active player) will be returned to their owners' hands. Then the active player's ability will resolve. That Underworld Cerberus won't be exiled, but any creature cards in graveyards at that time, perhaps because they died in response to this ability, will be returned to their owners' hands.
2013-09-15	If you can't exile Underworld Cerberus when its last ability resolves, perhaps because it's been exiled by another spell or ability, each player will still return all creature cards from their graveyard to their hand.