good old gravedigger he's still a budget heavy card advantage
HuntedWumpusMustDie
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
@don_miguel
Very well put. Should also be mentioned that his card advantage is a weak tutor ability, making him a pinch better.
Amature_Hero
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This guy is a key player in my zombie deck. Slightly expensive, one less mana would have been nice, but a reliable workhorse never the less.
Tigerguy786
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I really think this guy needs new art. It's not bad art, it's gotten its value and now I think it's time for something different.
Not a bad card either. It's one of the many good cards for teaching players how to play.
"This is one of several things the black does really well. Whole decks are built on using this kind of effect."
DfctvDtctv
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Disentomb. Just saying. This card attracts cancel attention (depending if you actually have something in the graveyard that's a threat), it being a 2/2 with recursion.
deth2munkies
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Gravedigger for Gravedigger, block your shit, gravedigger back gravedigger....
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Wassup mai gravedegro?
Magnor_Criol
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@ DfctvDtctv - That 2/2 body is precisely why this is far and away a better card than Disentomb in almost every deck (that would run either of them). If they cancel it for the creature it'd recur, then they'd cancel a Disentomb as well, and if they cancel it for the 2/2 body...then that's probably a very good thing, because they just blew a counterspell on a 2/2.
Disentomb, meanwhile, doesn't affect the board in any positive way on its own whether it resolves or not. This gets you a 2/2 to block or pick up an equipment and swing while you wait to recast your recurred guy, Disentomb doesn't. If you're in a pinch and just need a dude on the table, this can be used even for no recurred dude; Disentomb can't.
JFM2796
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nice to see Gravedigger again. Had him as long as I can remember.
Gained the "How the hell did I pull one of these form every single M12 booster pack I opened" award.
I saw that as an omen an started putting together a zombie deck with this, Cemetery Reaper, Call to the Grave and the like.
Then Innistrad came out and I found Ghoulraiser, which is better than this in zombie tribal (unless I also add one heartless Summoning to the mix).
Either way I'm going to add one Army of the Damned to it. AoTD is a really cool win condition, even if not the least bit practical.
AncientTimer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For game balance reasons I have never got it why the same single color (Black obviously) is best-equipped to put creatures in graveyard (by killing and otherwise) and also best-equipped with different kind of raise-dead effects.
Wouldn't it make more sense to separate these between different colors? For instance Black would be best at killing and White at raising the killed. Opposing effects between opposing colors.
Anyways 3/5.
Norrinthewary
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Gravedigger bout to have some unconsensual corpse-sex
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card in self-mill, it pulls creatures you've milled if you want or feeds Skaab Ruinator if you mill it.
Geozeus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Quick question, say you have a sacrifice outlet (for instance a Fallen Angel or Nantuko Husk), can you respond to the come into play ability by sacrificing the Gravedigger and retrieve itself?
Mr.Wimples
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Remember back in middle school when 2 gravediggers was a combo? Ahhh those were the days.
FirstPrime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of the cards that I remember most from my days learning this game so long ago. Great for teaching new players which is probably why it appears in the core set over and over again. I'm glad they stuck with the Tempest artwork, the art from Odyssey is just embarrassing compared to this.
KnexWiz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
now that giant spider isn't going to be in m13 wizzards has started the race for most consecutive appearences in core sets, so far this and pacifism are tied at seven.
Dream_Twist
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Yo I ain't messin' with Gravedigger!
oafkad
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
"One of the cards that I remember most from my days learning this game so long ago. Great for teaching new players which is probably why it appears in the core set over and over again. I'm glad they stuck with the Tempest artwork, the art from Odyssey is just embarrassing compared to this."
No. The effect completes before it is a permanent. This is the same reason you can't kill the target of a phyrexian metamorph in response to it being played.
TheWrathofShane
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
*sips coffee* You thought you killed me, but I'm back!
CORRBentOrgy
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
He's looking at him like "You, stop dying." X3
steinburger1109
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
2 of these + 2 x Heartless Summoning + anything that likes zombies entering or leaving the battlefield, and some swamps. Pretty fun.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@TheWrathofShane lol It does look quite like he's holding a mug, but he's actually holding the corpse's extremely extended chin (examining his face or something).
Very good card in my zombie pauper EDH deck because he allows me to chump block without worry. I block with my black cat, play this guy on my turn, and get my black cat back. Wooh!
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SAUS3: To me it looks like his middle, ring and little finger are bound together by what looks like gauze, with his fingertips just sticking out on the other side.
The thing I love most about Gravedigger is his amusingly squared face. The card itself is very usable in zombie edh, but in 60-card decks you might prefer Ghoulraiser instead.
Comments (26)
Very well put. Should also be mentioned that his card advantage is a weak tutor ability, making him a pinch better.
Not a bad card either. It's one of the many good cards for teaching players how to play.
"This is one of several things the black does really well. Whole decks are built on using this kind of effect."
Disentomb, meanwhile, doesn't affect the board in any positive way on its own whether it resolves or not. This gets you a 2/2 to block or pick up an equipment and swing while you wait to recast your recurred guy, Disentomb doesn't. If you're in a pinch and just need a dude on the table, this can be used even for no recurred dude; Disentomb can't.
Also, combo with Rooftop Storm.
I saw that as an omen an started putting together a zombie deck with this, Cemetery Reaper, Call to the Grave and the like.
Then Innistrad came out and I found Ghoulraiser, which is better than this in zombie tribal (unless I also add one heartless Summoning to the mix).
Either way I'm going to add one Army of the Damned to it. AoTD is a really cool win condition, even if not the least bit practical.
Wouldn't it make more sense to separate these between different colors? For instance Black would be best at killing and White at raising the killed. Opposing effects between opposing colors.
Anyways 3/5.
Ahhh those were the days.
No. The effect completes before it is a permanent. This is the same reason you can't kill the target of a phyrexian metamorph in response to it being played.
You thought you killed me, but I'm back!
lol
It does look quite like he's holding a mug, but he's actually holding the corpse's extremely extended chin (examining his face or something).
Very good card in my zombie pauper EDH deck because he allows me to chump block without worry. I block with my black cat, play this guy on my turn, and get my black cat back. Wooh!
The thing I love most about Gravedigger is his amusingly squared face. The card itself is very usable in zombie edh, but in 60-card decks you might prefer Ghoulraiser instead.