Can You Exile a Creature from the Graveyard in Magic: The Gathering? A Comprehensive Guide
Absolutely! The short answer is yes, you can exile a creature card from your graveyard in Magic: The Gathering (MTG). The graveyard, a temporary holding zone for fallen creatures, spells, and other permanents, is not a final resting place. Many cards and abilities specifically target cards in graveyards, allowing you to interact with them in various ways, including exiling them.
Understanding Exile and the Graveyard
Before diving into the specifics, it’s crucial to understand what the exile zone is and how it differs from the graveyard. The graveyard is essentially a discard pile for cards that have been destroyed, sacrificed, or otherwise put there from the battlefield or hand. Cards in the graveyard are often accessible and can be brought back into play or manipulated with various spells and abilities.
The exile zone, on the other hand, represents cards that are essentially removed from the game for most practical purposes. While some cards and abilities can retrieve cards from exile, it’s generally a much more difficult task than retrieving them from the graveyard. Think of it as a more permanent removal.
Why Exile from the Graveyard?
Exiling a creature from the graveyard can be strategically advantageous for several reasons:
- Preventing Recursion: Many decks are built around recurring creatures from the graveyard. Exiling key creatures disrupts these strategies.
- Disabling Abilities: Some creatures have abilities that trigger when they die or when they’re put into the graveyard. Exiling them avoids these triggers.
- Fueling Other Abilities: Some cards require you to exile cards from your graveyard as a cost or to activate their abilities.
- Answering Specific Threats: Some decks are built around reanimating powerful creatures from the graveyard. Exiling them avoids these threats.
Commonly Used Exile Effects Targeting Graveyards
Numerous cards across MTG’s history allow you to exile cards from graveyards. Here are a few examples:
- Rest in Peace: This enchantment exiles all cards that would be put into graveyards.
- Leyline of the Void: Similar to Rest in Peace, this enchantment exiles cards as they hit the graveyard.
- Relic of Progenitus: An artifact that can be sacrificed to exile all graveyards.
- Surgical Extraction: Allows you to exile all copies of a card from a graveyard and the hand and library.
- The Scarab God: Allows you to exile a creature card from your graveyard and create a token copy of it.
These cards showcase the diverse ways in which you can interact with graveyards and exile creatures within them. Some are preventative, while others are reactive, allowing you to respond to specific threats.
Important Considerations
When exiling creatures from the graveyard, keep these points in mind:
- Timing: Most exile effects can be played at instant speed, allowing you to respond to your opponent’s actions. However, some abilities, like the one mentioned in the introduction, can only be activated as a sorcery.
- Targeting: Some exile effects target specific cards, while others affect all cards in a graveyard. Pay close attention to the wording of the card.
- Replacement Effects: Some cards have replacement effects that prevent cards from entering the graveyard in the first place, exiling them directly instead.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions regarding exiling creatures and graveyards in MTG:
1. Does exiling from the graveyard count as “leaving the graveyard”?
Yes. Exiling a card from the graveyard means it’s no longer in the graveyard, effectively “leaving” that zone. This can trigger abilities that activate when a card leaves the graveyard.
2. Can you exile a token as it hits the graveyard?
Yes, tokens do briefly enter the graveyard before ceasing to exist. You can respond to a token entering the graveyard with an exile effect if you act quickly, although exiling a token provides little advantage since it would disappear regardless.
3. Can you exile a creature before it “dies”?
A creature “dies” when it is put into the graveyard from the battlefield. You can’t exile a creature directly instead of it going to the graveyard unless a replacement effect is in play. You can, however, use instant-speed exile effects in response to a removal spell being cast, but that spell will resolve first, sending the creature to the graveyard.
4. Can I sacrifice a creature and then exile it from the graveyard?
Yes, you can. The sacrifice happens first, sending the creature to the graveyard. Then, you can activate an ability or cast a spell to exile it from the graveyard.
5. Can I exile my Commander from the graveyard?
Yes, you can. However, your opponent has the option to move the Commander back to the command zone instead of leaving it in exile. This is a state-based action, and they can choose to do so when they have priority.
6. Can you bring token creatures back from the graveyard after they are exiled?
Generally no. If a token is exiled and you try to bring it back, state based actions will remove it from the game.
7. Can you exile Planeswalkers from the graveyard?
Just like creatures, Planeswalkers go to the graveyard after being destroyed. And yes, you can exile Planeswalkers from the graveyard using appropriate spells or abilities.
8. Can you exile a card from your hand?
Yes, certain cards, such as Spellbinder, allow you to exile a card from your hand.
9. If I exile my Commander from the graveyard, can I still return it to the Command Zone later?
No. The replacement effect that allows you to move your commander to the command zone must be used when the commander is moving to the graveyard or exile. Once it’s in the exile zone, it’s there for good (unless another card specifically retrieves it).
10. Can you exile Fleeting Spirit from the graveyard to trigger its ability?
Yes. Fleeting Spirit specifically uses exiling itself from the graveyard as part of its activated ability, then returning to the battlefield at the next end step.
11. Do Undying creatures still trigger if they are exiled from the graveyard?
No. The Undying ability triggers when the creature goes to the graveyard. If it’s exiled instead of going to the graveyard, the ability doesn’t trigger. If it goes to the graveyard and then is exiled, the Undying ability already triggered, and exiling it won’t stop the creature from returning to the battlefield.
12. Do artifact creatures count as artifacts for effects that exile artifacts from the graveyard?
Yes. Artifact creatures are both artifacts and creatures. Therefore, they are affected by any effect that targets either artifacts or creatures.
13. Can my opponent steal my Commander if I put it in the graveyard, even if I intend to move it to the command zone?
Yes, temporarily. Your opponent can target your Commander with a reanimation spell before you choose to move it to the Command Zone. This happens because state-based actions are not checked during the resolution of a spell or ability. Once the spell resolves and priority passes to you, you can then move your Commander to the Command Zone.
14. Can I blink a sacrificed creature to prevent it from going to the graveyard and being exiled?
No. Sacrificing is a cost. By the time you have the opportunity to use blink effect it is already in the graveyard and it is too late.
15. Can I regenerate a sacrificed creature to prevent it from going to the graveyard and being exiled?
No, you cannot regenerate a sacrificed creature. Sacrifice means that permanent is being removed from play, so regeneration cannot apply.
Conclusion
Exiling creatures from the graveyard is a crucial aspect of MTG strategy. It allows you to disrupt your opponent’s plans, fuel your own abilities, and control the flow of the game. By understanding the rules and interactions surrounding the graveyard and exile zone, you can gain a significant edge over your opponents.
As you continue to learn and grow as a Magic: The Gathering player, remember to seek out resources and communities that can further enhance your understanding of the game. The Games Learning Society offers excellent resources and a supportive community for gamers of all levels. Check out GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more. The game is not just about winning but also about engaging with a passionate community.