Animate Dead

Enchantment — Aura

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.

Set

Fifth Edition (5ED #140)

Rarity

Uncommon

Mana value

2

Released

1997-03-24

Artist

Anson Maddocks

EDHREC rank

#223

Colour identity

Finishes

Nonfoil

Served from

Local database

Commander bracket

EDHREC

Combos 85

Showing the 50 most played of 85.

Format legality

Rulings

• 2016-06-08

  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.

• 2016-06-08

  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.

• 2016-06-08

  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.

• 2016-06-08

  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.

• 2016-06-08

  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.