Understanding the Impact of Rest in Peace

TL;DR Summary

Rest in Peace is an enchantment that exiles all graveyards when it enters the battlefield, taking control of graveyard-based interactions. This allows it to have a significant impact on graveyard-based strategies and removal.

Detailed Card Mechanics and Interactions

As an enchantment, Rest in Peace can only be attached to a permanent creature or planeswalker. When it enters the battlefield, all graveyards are exiled. This is a game-changing effect that significantly impacts graveyard-based strategies.

Preventing Graveyard-Based Removal Spells

Rest in Peace also interacts with other graveyard-related effects. For example, if an opponent has a spell like Abusive Sebascut in their hand and they try to cast it, Rest in Peace will exile that card before it can be cast. This makes it difficult for opponents to use graveyard-based removal spells.

Affecting the Reanimation of Creatures

One important interaction to note is how Rest in Peace affects the reanimation of creatures. In a standard game state where no other enchantments are on the board, any creature exiled by Rest in Peace will not be able to come back into play through reanimation or any other means.

Strategic Uses, Combos, and Synergies

Rest in Peace is particularly useful in decks that rely on graveyard-based strategies, such as Merfolk or Azorius Control. It allows these decks to take control of the graveyard, making it difficult for opponents to reanimate their creatures.

Combining with Removal Spells

In terms of combos, Rest in Peace can be used in conjunction with spells like Sword of Light and Shadow or Path to Exile, which can exile entire boards of cards.

Pairing with Planeswalkers

It also pairs well with planeswalkers that have graveyard-based abilities or exiling effects, as these can create a powerful synergy where both the enchantment and the planeswalker are trying to remove all life from the board.

Deckbuilding Roles and Archetypes

Rest in Peace is primarily used as a removal spell or disruption effect. In aggressive decks like Merfolk, it allows for more efficient graveyard cleaning and clears the way for other creatures to come into play.

Complementing Other Enchantments

In control decks, Rest in Peace helps prevent opponents from reanimating creatures that were killed off by removal spells.

Serving as a Complement to Graveyard-Based Enchantments or Planeswalkers

It can also serve as a complement to other graveyard-based enchantments or planeswalkers. By pairing this card with an opponent's graveyard-based artifact, the game becomes even harder for them to play cards.

Format Viability and Competitive Context

Rest in Peace has seen significant playtest and competitive results across several formats, including Modern and Standard. However, its impact can be less pronounced in certain formats due to the presence of opposing graveyard removal or reanimation spells.

Specific Cards That Pair Well with Rest in Peace

In terms of specific cards that pair well with Rest in Peace, decks often include other graveyard-clearing enchantments like Soul Warden alongside planeswalkers that provide graveyard-based abilities.

Rules Interactions and Technical Notes

Rest in Peace is considered a "permanent" enchantment, which means it remains on the battlefield until the end of the turn or as specified by its text. In this case, when it enters the battlefield, all graveyards are exiled.

Interacting with Graveyard-Based Spells

The card also interacts with graveyard-based spells like Grave Titan. If an opponent casts that spell and puts a creature into a graveyard, Rest in Peace takes control of that graveyard instead, ensuring their dead creatures do not come back.

Preventing Objects from Being Put into the Graveyard

Additionally, if a player attempts to put a token or other non-creature object into the graveyard while Rest in Peace is on the battlefield, it will also be exiled instead.

Art, Flavor, and Historical Context

Rest in Peace's art depicts an angelic guardian holding a scythe over the grave of a fallen soul. The card's flavor fits well within an afterlife-themed strategy and pairs well with other enchantments that target life totals or cards from the graveyard.

Historical Significance of Rest in Peace

Historically, this spell has been present since its introduction to the game in the late 1990s, where it was designed to disrupt graveyard-based strategies while also providing a means of exile for all graveyards when entering the battlefield.

Summary of Key Points

• Rest in Peace is an enchantment that exiles all graveyards and takes control of graveyard-based interactions
• It is particularly useful in decks relying on graveyard-based strategies, such as Merfolk or Azorius Control
• Combos well with removal spells like Path to Exile or Sword of Light and Shadow for efficient graveyard cleaning
• Provides a powerful synergy when paired with planeswalkers that have graveyard-based abilities

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rest in Peace is an enchantment that allows players to control their opponent's graveyard by exiling it. It serves as a disruption effect, making it difficult for opponents to reanimate creatures using removal spells.