Death Denied
Instant — Arcane
Return X target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #10753
Death Denied returns any number of creature cards from your graveyard to your hand for X plus two mana — the whole pile, not just one. It's the mass recursion spell graveyard decks have always wanted, and at instant speed it punishes opponents who tap out to exile your yard.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Death Denied earns its keep — graveyard decks accumulate enough creatures over a long game that a single cast can refuel an entire hand. In Pauper, it's a legitimate finisher in self-mill shells that can't access rares, and it sees occasional Legacy play in Dredge sideboards as a one-of insurance piece. Modern has faster and more redundant recursion at uncommon and rare, so Death Denied sits at the fringes there. It's not legal in Pioneer or Standard, which is where most competitive graveyard play currently lives.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
Death Denied sits firmly in bulk territory at $0.20, and there's no reason to expect upward pressure — it's been reprinted enough times that supply is deep. Grab a copy without thinking twice; the price floor here is the floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.