Awaken the Honored Dead
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Destroy target nonland permanent.
II — Mill three cards.
III — You may discard a card. When you do, return target creature or land card from your graveyard to your hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BGU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Tarkir: Dragonstorm
- Price
- $0.70
- EDHREC rank
- #5631
Awaken the Honored Dead puts two 2/2 white Spirit tokens onto the battlefield and draws you a card — all at instant speed for three mana. Teval, Arbiter of Virtue decks treat it as a core piece, but any graveyard or token shell that wants flash-speed interaction should be running it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Teval, Arbiter of Virtue
Teval, Arbiter of Virtue cares about creatures dying and value accruing at instant speed, and Awaken the Honored Dead delivers both: two bodies to sacrifice or trade plus a card drawn, all on the opponent's end step.
Teval, the Balanced Scale
Teval, the Balanced Scale wants a steady stream of creatures entering and leaving play, and Awaken the Honored Dead supplies two Spirits at instant speed while replacing itself with a draw.
Terra, Magical Adept
Terra, Magical Adept rewards casting spells at instant speed, and Awaken the Honored Dead is exactly the kind of end-step play that keeps Terra's triggers ticking while building a board.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide
Muldrotha, the Gravetide cares less about the token production and more about the graveyard activity the spell generates over multiple turns — Awaken the Honored Dead is a cheap enchantment or sorcery depending on how it's cast, feeding Muldrotha's recursion engine.
Sin, Spira's Punishment
Sin, Spira's Punishment wants expendable bodies to throw at problems, and Awaken the Honored Dead manufactures two of them at instant speed while keeping the hand healthy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Awaken the Honored Dead is a role-player in token and graveyard decks — the instant speed is what makes it viable, letting you develop your board on opponents' end steps rather than tapping out on your own turn. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, it's too slow and too low-impact: three mana for two 2/2s and a draw is fine value but nowhere near the efficiency those formats demand. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in it. Standard is the one 60-card context where Awaken the Honored Dead could see occasional fringe play if a token or aristocrats shell needs redundancy at a low price point.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.70 bulk tier
At $0.70, Awaken the Honored Dead is firmly bulk — easy to pick up without a second thought. Bulk rares with narrow homes rarely climb unless a new commander pushes demand, so don't expect price movement, but at this price it's a low-risk include for any deck that wants it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Teval, Arbiter of Virtue
- Teval, the Balanced Scale
- Terra, Magical Adept
- Muldrotha, the Gravetide
- Sin, Spira's Punishment
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.