Frankenstein's Monster

Creature — Zombie

As Frankenstein's Monster enters the battlefield, remove X creature cards in your graveyard from the game. If you can't, put Frankenstein's Monster into its owner's graveyard instead of into play. For each creature card removed this way, Frankenstein's Monster enters the battlefield with a +2/+0, +1/+1, or +0/+2 counter.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Oldschool 93/94	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
PreDH	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (19)

legendofa on Universes Beyond and Secret Lair …

8 months ago

theNeroTurtle If I may ask, what do you consider "pure" fantasy? In my weird-take-y opinion, Bloomburrow is just about one urbanization and Omenpath away from being the New York City presented by Spider-Man and TMNT. It's not that much different from old Kamigawa compared to Neon Kamigawa. It sounds like the core of your dislike is basically how recognizable the characters are. Arabian Nights and Portal Three Kingdoms already got mentioned. Is Frankenstein's Monster a problem? If you've been playing since Tempest, do you remember the hatred many people had for original Innistrad?

I do have one major problem that I have with some Secret Lairs that's been looked at but not really addressed here: mechanically unique SLs. I don't really care that Lara Croft, Tomb Raider and Super State are Universes Beyond. I care about how limited and poorly implemented the releases are--if you don't buy them directly from WotC within a very narrow window of time, or one of the restricted supply from a WPN store, you probably aren't going to get one easily. Limiting access to functionally unique and useful material like this is one of the more predatory, FOMO-y things an entertainment company can do, and it's frustrating that it's happening here. I understand they're trying to reduce the impact by selling through the WPN. I also understand that most cards in the game are unlikely to be reprinted. But you don't have to drop everything, make a special appointment, and pray you're not ten minutes late to get Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm the same way you do for Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima.

legendofa on How many Universes Beyond IP's …

1 year ago

My point of view is that they're not really out of place. The usual comment that I agree with is that M:tG has mechsuits and lasers in some of its earliest sets, going from Arabian to African to Chinese themes around that. Frankenstein's Monster is a fully in-universe card. There's never really been a unifying theme, and it syncretizes everything easily.

If it's an issue of originality, I would say that the game has never been especially original with its story and settings--Mirrodin and Alara are some of the most unique locations, and pretty much everything else is an exploration of some genre or another. Original Innistrad has references to a ton of specific Gothic Horror stories.

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I just haven't really had this discussion before and I'm curious why people don't like UB.

Caerwyn on Using the graveyard as a …

5 years ago

DuTogira

Alpha already had various ways to interact with the graveyard--there might not have been mechanisms to fill your graveyard with relative ease, but it was clear from the very beginning of the game that the graveyard was intended to be useful. Five cards, spread across three colors (though mostly black) specifically allow you to use the graveyard as a resource: Animate Dead, Nether Shadow, Raise Dead, Regrowth, Resurrection.

Alpha also already had exile, though it went by "remove from the game entirely": Swords to Plowshares and Disintegrate.

Arabian Nights skipped over these effects, but they came back very quickly in Antiquities, which also expanded graveyard shenanigans to Blue, and Legends, which had more recursion options.

Then we got The Dark, which is the first real set to focus on using the graveyard as a tool outside of "get my card back"--cards like Eater of the Dead, Frankenstein's Monster, and Grave Robbers, which allowed you to weaponize your graveyard for additional boons. The Dark also saw the introduction of Tormod's Crypt, the first real piece of dedicated graveyard hate.

Even in the initial sets, it is clear that the graveyard was designed to serve as a possible second hand and, by August 1994, it was clear that the graveyard was to be considered a resource in other manners as well. Saying that it was "originally designed to be the modern equivalent of exile" ignores how many early-game effects interacted with the graveyard, as well as ignores the fact that exile has existed since the game's very first set.

FormOverFunction on Underrated EDH Cards

5 years ago

Now I’m just looking at cards I’ve had fun with: Energy Tap, Preacher and Exorcist, Frankenstein's Monster....man, there are SO MANY weird cards that bring back the Old Weird(tm) of M:tG. You all should just take a stroll through some of the old sets. You don’t even have to thank me! ;p

Caerwyn on Halloween Deck Ideas

5 years ago

First off, welcome to Magic!

The most classic Halloween card would be All Hallow's Eve, but that card is rather pricey, so, if you intend to play with real cards, that might be impractical.

Magic has a whole lot of other fun cards though. Headless Horsemanand Frankenstein's Monster both depict classic spooky characters. There are all manner of Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, shades, and Spirits, any number of which could make a solid tribal deck (i.e. deck based around a single creature type). If you do a search for Black Wizards and/or Clerics, you will find a number of witches and cultists.

Lots of great options to choose from!

DreadKhan on Mary Shelley's Delight

6 years ago

I wish Frankenstein's Monster wasn't so unplayable, because it would be a real flavor-win for you to get it out and have it not be rubbish. It looks at Diregraf Colossus and knows it's inadequacy.

Have you thought about a side-business of using Haakon, Stromgald Scourge and some of the non-garbage zombie knights to recycle? Buried Alive can set you up with Haakon, Foulmire Knight, and Midnight Reaper, which would be probably be viable if you ever want another backup. All 3 are still zombies, and Haakon lets you use Nameless Inversion as repeated removal, since it's a knight.

passimo on Frankenstein's playground

8 years ago

Hey Spinq1974, thanks for your opinions. I was in fact planning to add either Stitched Drake or even Delver of Secrets  ^Flip (24 cards of the deck are instants/sorceries, which means 1/3 and soon 1/2 possibilities to turn it), but i really don't know what to remove, and I don't think I can remove Gurmag Angler, because i'm almost always able to cast it without removing creatures or reusable cards from the graveyard! Regarding Frankenstein's Monster, i really like the idea, but it is a rare card and I want this deck to remain pauper, so...Anyway, thanks a lot, and if you figure out what I should remove, let me know it!

Spinq1974 on Frankenstein's playground

8 years ago

You'll have a real problem with decks that feature fliers. Your Stitched Drake is a good idea. But what goes? The Gurmag Angler is going to cost you several creatures/cards (totally negating the idea of recursion). Maybe add some Geists from Innistrad block? Their Undying ability fits nicely with your overall theme. And I know it's only tangential, but if you have access to it, put in Frankenstein's Monster. It's in the deck's name!