Cemetery Tampering (SNC)

Cemetery Tampering
Casting Cost: {2}{B}
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text:
Hideaway 5 (When this enchantment enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library, exile one face down, then put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may mill three cards. Then if there are twenty or more cards in your graveyard, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Artist: Taras Susak

Strengths and Weaknesses:

• Strengths:
  • Encourages a mill strategy and synergizes with cards that utilize the graveyard.
  • Allows for potentially high-value plays by casting an exiled card for free.
  • Pairs well with self-mill or graveyard-based decks.
• Weaknesses:
  • Requires a build-up of 20 cards in the graveyard, making it somewhat slow.
  • Milling could be a double-edged sword if not properly utilized.

Deck Utility:

• Mill Decks: This card can provide a constant mill engine while offering the ability to play a powerful spell for free.

• Dredge or Reanimator Decks: Would synergize well in a deck that wants to fill the graveyard quickly.

• Control Decks: Can be a long-term value engine in a control deck that can protect it.

Interactions and Combos:

• Lurrus of the Dream-Den or other Reanimation Spells: With a filled graveyard, you can bring back creatures or other permanents.

• Threshold or Delirium Mechanic: These mechanics rely on a certain number or types of cards in the graveyard, which this card helps to achieve.

• Graveyard Exile Effects: Be cautious when using this card alongside cards that can exile your graveyard, like Rest in Peace, as it would nullify its effect.

Flavor and Lore:
The card's art and mechanic paint a picture of a macabre ritual or dark act. The name and mechanic suggest a forbidden, clandestine operation that may offer power at a cost.

Overall Impression:
Cemetery Tampering is a compelling build-around card for decks focused on the graveyard. Its requirement for 20 or more cards in the graveyard can be both an interesting challenge and a rewarding goal. Perfect for decks that can turn their graveyard into an extension of their hand.