Disturbed Burial in the spotlight (long)
Marcus Malden
Disturbed Burial - in the spotlight
At first, I want to excuse myself for the bad english I
tend to use, but I am not native to the language and
think that I am doing pretty well...
Perhaps you're doing like me: Buying some displays of
Tempest, filing the rares in the binder, the uncommons
in a box and the commons.. well - you know, you sort
the Lotus Petals out and throw the rest into a corner.
But sometimes, when looking through those commons I find
a card that I become instantly addicted to, in this
case, the Disturbed Burial.
Disturbed Burial is a black sorcery for 1B that reads
'Buyback: 3; Return target creature card from your
graveyard to your hand'. Doh!
Ok, you might think, this is a Raise Dead with Buyback,
and it even costs 1 more to cast without Buyback. And
that was my initial thought. But I gave it a try.
I won't discuss the advantages of Buyback here, you
should know already that the Buyback cost is to get
card advantage and virtually, you are paying the Buyback
to draw a (virtual) card (the spell itself). So any
Buyback of less than 4 is cheaper than drawing a
card with a Jaymedae Tome.
Also, Buyback enables you to play with combos every turn.
Some other spells are not perfect examples for this, the
Whim could also be a Mind Bend and the trick would be
permanent, the Whispers of the Muse could be a Jaymdae
and do the same trick, and so on. But for Disturbed Burial
(and its Cousin Corpse Dance) there are no such permanents.
Oops... this _was_ discussing buyback?! Sorry.
Now, will I tell you that these two spells would allow
for completly new combos? Unfortunatly, they don't,
we are not talking about a new combo here.
Do you remember the Enduring Renewal madness? Enduring
Renewal did the same (in general). But the buyback has
to be paided over and over again, and can be countered
every time. For the rest of this article, let's simply
assume that it does not fizzle or get countered, since
every spell can be countered or opposed by other cards.
While I have written about the drawbacks, now I'll write
about the possible uses:
Let's start by saying you'd play with a Raise Dead. Many
beginners do, and it's not a bad card even if noone I
know would consider to use it. A Raise Dead is a combo
card, it won't work if you have no creature cards in your
graveyard, and it's limited to owners graveyard. So most
prefer an Animate Dead (or similar) that can reanimate
a creature out of any graveyard.
This leads to the first point of Disturbed Burial:
1. YOU MUST HAVE A CREATURE IN YOUR GRAVEYARD
Most players have the delusion that sacrifice is a bad
thing, and losing a creature is a bad thing, too. Times
haven't changed much but it's getting better. Black has
creatures that call for a sacrifice, and more often than
that, your opponent will concentrate on doing this job
for you.
Back to the Raise Dead:
The beginners play it to get a creature back that the
opponent has killed. I haven't seen other uses for Raise
Dead since it's a one time effect, you cannot be sure
enough to get one (RD) to build a combo around it.
If one would use a Lord of the pit, he would consider
packing a Breeding Pit, something you can rely on (more
or less...) but not a Raise Dead.
But to retrieve a lost fatty it can be useful. Raise
Dead is also neutral for the card advantage, if the
opponent has killed the creature by loosing a card by
herself. (Blocking a Craw Wurm with a Black Knight and
then Incinerate on the Wurm would be an example for this).
The Disturbed Burial is slower than the Raise Dead since
it costs more, and to use it efficiently (casting both
DB and the creature in a single turn) requires a lot of
mana. But by buying the spell back, you've actually
drawn the creature from your graveyard and have gained a
card.
2. CARD ADVANTAGE
You use the graveyard as secondary library to _chose_
your 'draw' from. So in this meaning, DB works like a
specialized version of Whispers of the Muse here. But
you know that it's a creature card and you get to chose
one.
As beginners tend to play every land they draw, the Dis-
turbed Burial would need that much mana. But to trust in
the lands could be spoiled by some opponents that use
Armageddon, Winter Orb or Jokulhaups to hinder your mana
production. If DB is a key to your combo, having additional
mana sources beside lands is a good idea (it's always a
good idea). Creatures don't make perfect choices here be-
cause the clever opponent will kill them first and leave
you unable to buyback the DB, then destroying the others
(or all in one swoop!).
3. YOU'LL NEED LOTS OF MANA
Artifact Mana works well, and the black Medallion is a
very smart choice since it 'pays' on the DB and a black
creature you would play. (Helm of Awakening for multi-
colored decks). Black is famous for mana production but
it sometimes requires a sacrifice - no prob for you...
Ok, now I wrote 110 lines and still haven't a combo handy?
I just mentioned the Lord of the Pit, DB, (any creature)
Combo, but what creatures are usefull to feed the engine?
As I wrote about point 1, you need a creature that has to
hit the graveyard and it would be nice if there is some
special effect. Luckily we have the Bookworms that can
discarb an opponent's card when going to the graveyard,
and the Abyssal Gatekeeper that really works well with
DB.
The Abyssal Gatekeeper has the advantage that if he leaves
play, every player has to sac a creature. (And it's even
in-color). Normally, this equals card advantage, but by
getting Gates again and again, you win cards and your
opponent looses cards.
Another thing that came to my mind was the Atog/Ornithopter
combo. Since it was always a good choice to sacrifice Arti-
fact creatures to the Atog (of various reasons that will
really not be discussed here), the DB keeps bringing them
back again for the next turn. This is not really efficient
but a nice move, and shortens the time you'll wait for
Necratog.
While I was playing the DB it seemed to me that it was
superior to having a Hell's Caretaker in play. The Care-
taker is too fragile and with anyone packing DD against
Shadow or Flyers, it is hard to keep it alive long enough,
at least with creatures like Bookworms or Gates out.
Unless the opponent plays blue, he cannot deal with DB in
the same way, the only chance would be to make DB fizzle
what is equally hard because the target card is in the
graveyard (Only Headstone, Phyrexian Furnace, Night Soil,
Eater of the Dead, Tormod's Crypt and the ??-charm will help)
Virtually, any old Enduring Renewal/Hell's Caretaker combos
works with DB, even Infinity Engines:
DB, Initiates of the Ebon Hand, Su-Chi, 3 Helms of Awakening,
Soul Net, Fallen Angel
How it works: Have these cards in play. Say the Su-Chi to the
Fallen Angel, FA gets +2/+1, Su-chi gives you 4 mana. Use one
generic on the Soul Net to gain a life. Play DB (with Buyback)
for 1B (channeling one generic through the Initiates first)
and recast Suchi for 1. Repeat!
You'll have: X life, Fallen Angel with 3+X+X,3+X
Or, type 2 legal:
DB, Initiates, Straw Golem, Asnod's Altar, Helm of Awakening,
4 Medallions, Altar of Dementia
How it works: Have the cards in play. Sac the Straw Golem to
the Altar, giving you 2 mana. Cast DB for B (channel as above)
on the Straw Golem, recasting it for 0. Sac it to the Altar,
milling two cards away (your opponents or your own to get the
creature you really want?). Cast DB for B (channeled), cast
the Straw Golem for free. Repeat!
You'll have: milled opponent (or tutored-creature(tm))
Any comments welcome, but positive comments prefered ;-)
--
Marcus Malden (rp1...@online-club.de) http://online-club.de/m3/rp11910
Die Wunder dieser Welt werden Dir geschenkt/Glück ist nicht käuflich
Sehnsucht bleibt unerreicht/Preisrätsel winken nimmersatt
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit -KMFDM, MegaloManiac, 6:07
Dwarves774
> (Only Headstone, Phyrexian Furnace, Night Soil,
>Eater of the Dead, Tormod's Crypt and the ??-charm will help)
Ebony charm. :)
Kendall Redburn
People tend to overlook the power of buyback in the sealed and draft
tournament formats. It is very powerful there, where mana tends to be
plenty, and small advantages are magnafied.
In constructed format,
First, drawing the disturbed burial costs you a card. This may be obviouse,
but then, maybe not. The cost is important, because in it'self, it is not a
threat. You cannot kill an opponent with it (well Rosewater asside, not
usually!) So if you were looking for a creature to toss down as a blocker,
or a card to put some heat on your opponent (fire) then disturbed burial
doesn't fit the bill. First you have to cast it, and, if you have a creature
in the graveyard, the disturbed burial has at least replaced itself so that
you didn't loose a card. If you buy it back, the second time you use it,
you have gained a one card advantage.
Compare this to Urza's Bauble. For zero mana, the card replaces itself,
let's you look at a card the opponent is holding, and decreases your deck
size by 1.
The reason for the comparison, is both cards net you a card in hand to
replace the one you drew.
While DB get's you a creature, it does not decrease your virtual deck size,
which UB does. UB on the other hand, get's you a new card, but not
nessesarily a creature. In terms of card advantage, Urza's Bauble has the
edge (IMHO)
Where Disturbed Burial starts to come out further ahead, is with the 187
creatures, Ukatobi Oragutan, Nekrataal, Man-0-war, knights of mist, and
Cloud Chaser Eagle. However, animate dead gives you the same advantage.
In order to get the best utility of this card, you should consider the
reason why you want to get a creature into your hand, as opposed to on the
table. Skysrhoud Vampire comes to mind, and so does hidden horror. Pitch
the creature, get the +2/+2 bonus, bring the creature back to your hand and
repeat each turn.
Kendall
George W. Bayles
Kendall Redburn (kred...@echip.com) wrote:
: People tend to overlook the power of buyback in the sealed and draft
: tournament formats. It is very powerful there, where mana tends to be
: plenty, and small advantages are magnafied.
: In constructed format,
: First, drawing the disturbed burial costs you a card. This may be obviouse,
: but then, maybe not. The cost is important, because in it'self, it is not a
: threat. You cannot kill an opponent with it (well Rosewater asside, not
: usually!) So if you were looking for a creature to toss down as a blocker,
: or a card to put some heat on your opponent (fire) then disturbed burial
: doesn't fit the bill. ...
Unless you have a creature in the graveyard and can afford 1B extra
casting cost. If you have creatures in the graveyard and can afford
4B mana drawing the Disturbed Burial is better than drawing another
creature.
: ... First you have to cast it, and, if you have a creature
: in the graveyard, the disturbed burial has at least replaced itself so that
: you didn't loose a card. If you buy it back, the second time you use it,
: you have gained a one card advantage.
True.
: Compare this to Urza's Bauble. For zero mana, the card replaces itself,
: let's you look at a card the opponent is holding, and decreases your deck
: size by 1.
: The reason for the comparison, is both cards net you a card in hand to
: replace the one you drew.
: While DB get's you a creature, it does not decrease your virtual deck size,
: which UB does. UB on the other hand, get's you a new card, but not
: nessesarily a creature. In terms of card advantage, Urza's Bauble has the
: edge (IMHO)
: Where Disturbed Burial starts to come out further ahead, is with the 187
: creatures, Ukatobi Oragutan, Nekrataal, Man-0-war, knights of mist, and
: Cloud Chaser Eagle. However, animate dead gives you the same advantage.
If all that you are interested in is bringing back creatures from the
graveyard.
: In order to get the best utility of this card, you should consider the
: reason why you want to get a creature into your hand, as opposed to on the
: table. Skysrhoud Vampire comes to mind, and so does hidden horror. Pitch
: the creature, get the +2/+2 bonus, bring the creature back to your hand and
: repeat each turn.
Disturbed Burial works best with cards that feature creature sacrifices.
In a Tempest only deck Disturbed Burial rocks with Mogg Fanatics and
Mogg Raiders, Dauthi Mindripper!!! etc. It's like Enduring Renewal except
with a different set of drawbacks - it costs 4B to bring back each
creature but you don't have to expose your hand or discard creatures
you draw.
Mark Jacobson
George W. Bayles wrote:
_Snip_
>
> Disturbed Burial works best with cards that feature creature sacrifices.
> In a Tempest only deck Disturbed Burial rocks with Mogg Fanatics and
> Mogg Raiders, Dauthi Mindripper!!! etc. It's like Enduring Renewal except
> with a different set of drawbacks - it costs 4B to bring back each
> creature but you don't have to expose your hand or discard creatures
> you draw.
What!?! umm.... ok. I'll try to keep my cool about this but I'm not sure
I can handle what you just said. Let me make sure I understand you. You
think that Disturbed Burial and Mogg Fanatic is a good combo? hmmm...
Lets see what we are using, shall we.
Mogg Fanatic -arguably one of if not the best 1 casting cost creatures
in type 2.
Disturbed Burial -easily one of the abusable black cards since Necro,
IMHO (many many many disagree. its just my opinion. ok?)
Fanatics are great because they are a first turn creature, they are
staple for a red weenie deck, and they can sac to deal a damage. The
only thing that seperates them from being a new Mons Goblin Raiders is
that it can sac to deal a point of damage.
I assume that you intend on saccing the fanatic since you named it among
other good creatures that can sac to do something. Now, to pull off your
combo we need 6 mana. 1 must be red and 1 must be black. Lets assume we
have 3 mountains and three swamps in play. You want to disturbed burial
the mogg to cast it to deal a damage by saccing, right? Six mana. 1
damage. two cards.
Hmmmm.... why not just use a searing touch? Six mana, dont need black,
deals 1 for 6, and only uses one card.
At the same time, why would you disturbed burial for a weenie. With at
least 6 mana out, why not get a fattie and cast it the next turn.
Assuming your playing a good deck, you shouldn't have to pay 6 to deal 1
damage. Espicialy when you can only do it on your turn. There are better
ways of dealing direct damage when playing red. :>
Now. same situation as before, but lets say we have 8 mana avalible,
three of which are mountains, at least 1 a swamp. Wouldn't it be better
(Assuming they dont have a fanatic out this late in the game or a first
striker) to use disturbed burial to grab umm... oh I dont know lets say
a Ball Lightening. For 2 more mana you have the potential to deal 5 more
damage.
If you are a truly sick individual, you will play blue in place of red
(blue and black work better IMHO) With 8 mana out you can grab a
Man-O-War and play it. That is often better than a single damage with a
fanatic. If they have few or no creatures out and you do, getting a
Man-o-War will slow them down, and remove a creature/blocker from
them(which is often crucial late in the game)
The cards you mentioned were the Fanatic, Raiders, and Dauthi Mind
Ripper)
Raiders suck. no way around it. a goblin churogen(spelling?) is better
than that. Mind ripper is a nice combo, I like that.
Saccing creatures are useful, but their sac abilities usually arent
worth 5 mana to bring back to you hand. Here are some of my picks for
Disturbed Burial.
Ball Lightening - need 8 mana to cast that turn
Abyssal Gatekeeper - need 7 mana to cast that turn (such a beautiful
combo)
Grave Digger - usually better left sitting in your hand for a turn. 9
mana to use
Man-O-War - need 8 mana to cast that turn
Necretall - need 9 mana, sometimes better to wait a turn because of mana
intensity
Sage Owl - Not a great combo, but usefull if it is a theme deck. 7 mana
Mongrel Pack - 9 mana, another mana intensive pick, but a good card to
get back again and again. it is also ok to wait a turn to cast.
Crypt Rats - a good way to kill everything again and again. 8 mana
hmm.. Bottle gnomes might not be that bad. It sacs to. :> 8 mana
These cards can all be considered a recursive combo and are all better
than grabbing a Mogg.
Anyway, thats my .02
Ken Jacobson
bl...@yfn.ysu.edu
Rod and Jen Rombauer
Mark Jacobson <@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Disturbed Burial -easily one of the abusable black cards since Necro,
>IMHO (many many many disagree. its just my opinion. ok?)
I have a Disturbed Burial deck thats fairly simplistic but works quite
well, and its VERY easy to improve/modify/alter you specific likes.
Green
4 Veteran Explorer
4 Thicket Basilisk
2 Cockatrice
8 Forest
Artifact
3 Nevvys Disks
Black
4 Disturbed Burial
4 Abyssal Gatekeeper
2 Dread Specter
2 Infernal Tribute
4 Pillar Tombs of Aku
4 Drain Life
2 Dregs of Sorrow
3 Mind Warp
14 Swamp
Give it a whirl and see how you like it. :>
Ideas for additions:
Natural Balance
Stream/Hurricane
Grim Feast
Any Animate Enchantment/Corpse Dance