Skip to main content
4bb set symbol

Animate Dead

Enchantment — Aura |
mana symbol mana symbol
Animate Dead

🛒 Marketplace Links
Live Value $56.95
Foil Multiplier: Flat Baseline (1.0x)
Reprint Profile:
Printed 26 times HIGH RISK

Reprinted 26x, including dedicated reprint sets like Secrets of Strixhaven Commander, Murders at Karlov Manor Commander.

See other high reprint risk cards →

Clicking links to purchase cards directly supports ManaBleed via affiliate commissions at no extra cost to your order pool.

🛡️
Asset Protection
Card Value: $56.95
Protect this card against scuffs and edge-wear inside archival double-sleeves.

30-Day Market Trend

Rarity
uncommon
Set Origin
Daily Shift
0.00%
EDHREC Rank
#223
Mana Cost
mana symbol mana symbol

Oracle Data

Card Type Enchantment — Aura
Color Identity Black
🖋️ Curator's Notes
Enchant creature card in a graveyard

When this Aura enters, if it's on the battlefield, it loses "enchant creature card in a graveyard" and gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with this Aura." Return enchanted creature card to the battlefield under your control and attach this Aura to it. When this Aura leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it.

Enchanted creature gets -1/-0.
⚖️

Official Judge Precedents

5 Precedents

If the creature put onto the battlefield has protection from black—or if the creature can't legally be enchanted by Animate Dead for another reason—Animate Dead won't be able to attach to it. It will be put into the graveyard as a state-based action, causing its delayed triggered ability to trigger. When the trigger resolves, if the creature's still on the battlefield, its controller will sacrifice it.

Animate Dead is an Aura, albeit with an unusual enchant ability. You target a creature card in a graveyard when you cast it. It enters the battlefield attached to that card. Then it returns that card to the battlefield, and attaches itself to the card again (since the card is a new object on the battlefield). Animate Dead itself never moves into a graveyard during this process.

If Animate Dead isn't on the battlefield as its triggered ability resolves, none of its effects happen. The creature card won't be returned to the battlefield.

Once the creature is returned to the battlefield, Animate Dead can't be attached to anything other than it (unless Animate Dead somehow manages to put a different creature onto the battlefield). Attempting to move Animate Dead to another creature won't work.

Abilities such as shroud and protection function only on the battlefield unless otherwise specified. A creature card with shroud may be targeted by Animate Dead, and Animate Dead will become attached to the creature that enters the battlefield.

📜 Technical Attributes
Release Date: 1995-04-01
Artist Reference: Anson Maddocks
Border Profile: black
✨ Variants & Finishes
Available Finishes Standard
Promo Status NO
Edition Status Reprint

Sanctioned Formats

standard not_legal
modern not_legal
legacy legal
commander legal
pioneer not_legal
pauper not_legal
vintage legal
brawl not_legal
explorer not_legal
penny not_legal
predh legal
🔍 Related Entries