Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Enchantments, Artifacts, and the Graveyard: a Black Instant’s Playbook
When you crack open The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, you’re often greeted with moments that tug at two MTG loves simultaneously: a clever graveyard plan and the push-pull dance with enchantments and artifacts. Another Chance is a lean, black instant that plays the long game in a compact two-for-one package. For a mana cost of {2}{B} and a common rarity, you’re not just trading cards—you’re trading tempo, mill fuel, and graveyard fear in equal measure 🧙🔥💎.
The card’s text is a snapshot of modern graveyard strategy: “You may mill two cards. Then return up to two creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.” In plain speak: you can put the top two cards from your library into your graveyard, then pick any two creature cards from that graveyard and sling them back into your hand. That two-step cadence can tilt midgame boards in your favor, letting you reload threats or answers you’ve already seen, while also stocking your hand with creatures you want ready to deploy on the next turn ⚔️🎲.
“The pull of duty was so strong that they barely paused to notice they'd died.” — Flavor text from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Flavor aside, the practical upshot is clear: Another Chance leans into two resonate MTG themes—mill (putting cards into the graveyard) and rebound (pulling back usable creatures from that graveyard). It’s a tool that shines in decks that want to sculpt their graveyard, not just to deck out the opponent but to fund a reanimation or cost-controlled recovery plan. In black, that means a little bit of selfish card-advantage, a dash of recursion, and just enough risk to keep the decision interesting 🧙🔥.
Strategic angles: mill, recuse, and rebound
- Mill for value: The “you may mill two cards” line is not just filler text. It’s an engine. Milling fuels graveyard-based strategies but also loves to cascade into reanimation plays via enchantments or artifacts that interact with graveyards. The two-card mill is small, but in a late-game setup, it can empty a key need from your library and fill your graveyard with just the right creature threats.
- Graveyard-to-hand recursion: Returning up to two creatures gives you a direct line to refill your hand with creatures you plan to cast or cheat out again via other spells. This is particularly potent when you have a surge of creatures with flashback, dash, or luminously cheap reanimation options waiting in your deck. The instant speed also means you can react to an opponent’s play, keeping pressure up as you rebuild your board ahead of their next swing 🧙🔥🎨.
- Tempo and resilience: In games where both players are milling or grimping for value, Another Chance acts as a tempo-preserving tool. You’re converting a potentially downsizing mill into a keepable reclamation, which is the essence of resilient midrange play—pulling back two critters while your life total and battlefield stability remain within striking distance 🔥⚔️.
Enchantments and artifacts: crossovers you can plan for
To really maximize the flavor and power—how enchantments and artifacts influence the dance—consider these archetypal interactions. They illustrate both synergy and caveats that come with graveyard recursions in black decks 🧙♀️💎.
- Reanimation enchantments like Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, or Recurring Nightmare create clear pathways from graveyard to battlefield or back to hand and then onto the battlefield again. When Another Chance fills your graveyard with creature cards, these enchantments can reanimate them for lasting pressure. The synergy is a classic: mill, reanimate, repeat, with the occasional sacrifice outlet or trigger utility to keep the board honest. (Note: some of these effects are not always in the same tempo range, but the idea is there—graveyard fuel meets reanimation engines.)
- Graveyard hate from enchantments such as Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void exist to disrupt your plan if the table is pushing graveyard strategies hard. In a deck running Another Chance, you’ll want to assess whether you’re the aggressor or the one facing heavy graveyard exile. When those hate-enchantments are on the battlefield, your mill-to-graveyard plan can backfire, converting what you thought would be fuel into a security blanket for your opponents’ graveyard strategies. It’s a friendly reminder that in Magic, every engine needs a counterbalance 🧭.
- Graveyard-granting and graveyard-exiling artifacts like Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus illustrate the classic artifact-versus-graveyard dynamic. On one hand, they’re a solid hate piece to deny opponents’ graveyard-based plays; on the other, if you’re leaning into graveyard recursion, you’ll want to navigate around or through these tools with timing and priority. The two-card mill from Another Chance means you’ll be watching your own graveyard with care—are you stocking it for your own reanimation, or are you leaning into a plan that could be neutered by a well-timed artifact or enchantment exile? The art of timing becomes the backbone of the deck’s endurance 🧙♂️⚒️.
- Artifact- and enchantment-supporting inclusions can help you squeeze extra value out of a single Another Chance. For example, you might pair the card with a low-cost creature suite that thrives on graveyard recursions or with a couple of mana-efficient reanimation triggers that kick in the moment you pull those creatures back into hand for a second or third swing.
Practical notes for play and collection value
Even though Another Chance is a common with a modest market footprint (roughly a few cents in non-foil, slightly more in foil), its power in the right configuration makes it a compelling pick for casual table magic and budget-friendly graveyard decks. The The Lost Caverns of Ixalan set itself loves the tomb-touched flavor of Ixalan’s subterranean mythos, and cards like this underscore how the set designers balanced modern graveyard play—emergent, sometimes explosive, but always with room for clever, low-cost playlines 🧙♀️🎨.
If you’re newer to the graveyard-centric space, this instant is a friendly entry point. You can experiment with mill tempo, or you can anchor a broader strategy of reanimating cheap creature threats while your bigger, value-packed haymakers come online. The small but meaningful flavor of the card—duty, death, and the pull of the next turn—also makes it a; memorable pick for your kitchen-table narratives and EDH anecdotes alike 🧙🔥💎.
Notes on art, lore, and culture
Irina Nordsol’s illustration carries a quiet, somber mood that complements the flavor text about duty beyond death. In a multiverse full of bombastic creatures and flashy rares, a grounded, character-driven moment like this reminds us that grief, purpose, and memory are chapter markers in the MTG story. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan leans into tombs, tomb raiders, and the rituals of reclaiming what’s been buried, and Another Chance fits snugly into that tapestry with its practical, spartan design and a dash of poetic melancholy 🎨.
For collectors and players chasing a balanced portfolio, the card’s common status makes it accessible, but its potential synergy with reanimation and graveyard strategies earns it a solid reputation in the broader ecosystem. And if you’re hunting for a neat way to weave it into some EDH or Modern-friendly lists, remember to read the room: graveyard hate can shift the entire tempo of a game, and that’s part of the joy of playing with and against enchantments and artifacts in the same breath ⚔️.