Unearth

Unearth is a keyword ability introduced in Shards of Alara as the Grixis signature mechanic. 
==Description==
Unearth returns a permanent to the battlefield and gives it haste, at the expense of the permanent being exiled at the end of turn. It functions similarly to flashback, providing a one-time effect that can be cast from the graveyard. However, flashback only appears on instants and sorceries, and Unearth is strictly limited to permanent cards.
===History===
Unearth was designed by Brian Tinsman, Devin Low and Erik Lauer. After Shards of Alara it also appeared in the other sets of the Alara block, in Modern Horizons, Warhammer 40K and in The Brothers' War. While one other artifact creature () used Unearth in Alara Reborn as a cross-Shard piece, Warhammer used it extensively with artifacts as the faction keyword of the Necron. In The Brothers' War, it also appeared on noncreatures (artifacts) and was associated with the reactivation of buried war machines, rather than the reanimation of corpses. Further appearances were in Modern Horizons 3 and MH3 Commander. 
The Encore mechanic introduced in Commander Legends is similar to Unearth, with subtle differences. Creatures with Unearth use the card itself, do not necessarily have to attack, and are exiled at end of turn or if they leave the battlefield.
==Rules==
==Rulings==
*You may activate the unearth ability of a card in your graveyard no matter how it wound up in your graveyard.
*If you activate a card's unearth ability but if that card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that unearth ability will resolve and do nothing.
*Activating a creature card's unearth ability isn't the same as casting the creature card. The unearth ability is put on the stack, but the creature card is not. Spells and abilities that interact with activated abilities (such as <c>Stifle</c>) will interact with unearth, but spells and abilities that interact with spells (such as <c>Remove Soul</c>) will not.
*At the beginning of the next end step, a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth is exiled. This is a delayed triggered ability, and it can be countered by effects such as <c>Stifle</c> or <c>Voidslime</c> that counter triggered abilities. If the ability is countered, the creature will stay on the battlefield and the delayed trigger won't trigger again. However, the replacement effect will still exile the creature when it eventually leaves the battlefield.
*Unearth grants haste to the creature that's returned to the battlefield. However, neither of the "exile" abilities is granted to that creature. If that creature loses all its abilities, it will still be exiled at the beginning of the next end step, and if it would leave the battlefield, it is still exiled instead.
*If a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth would leave the battlefield for any reason, it's exiled instead unless the spell or ability that's causing the creature to leave the battlefield is actually trying to exile it. In that case, it succeeds in exiling it. If it later returns the creature card to the battlefield (as <c>Oblivion Ring</c> or <c>Flickerwisp</c> might, for example), the creature card will return as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.
==Examples==
==Creatures that grant Unearth==
*<c>Sedris, the Traitor King</c> 
*<c>Dregscape Sliver</c> (Slivers)
*<c>Solemn Doomguide</c> (Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards)
*<c>Ghost Ark</c> (Artifact creatures)
*<c>Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa</c> (artifacts)
*<c>Fallaji Antiquarian</c> (Conjured creature or artifact)
==Plane card that grants Unearth==
*<c>Grixis</c> (blue, black, and/or red creature cards in your graveyard)
==Trivia==
*Unearth was featured as rules card 3 of 5 in the Shards of Alara set.
*Unearth was considered as a returning mechanic for Innistrad. It was also considered for the Golgari in Guilds of Ravnica, but it just didn't blend in with the guilds around it.
*Unearth's playtest name was "Flashdance of the Dead", "Flashdance" for short, based on the Flashback mechanic and the reanimation card <c>Corpse Dance</c>.
**<c>Shallow Grave</c>, <c>Dawn of the Dead</c>, <c>Goryo's Vengeance</c>, <c>Postmortum Lunge</c>, <c>Whip of Erebos</c>, <c>Kheru Lich Lord</c>, <c>Lukka, Wayward Bonder</c>, <c>Wake to Slaughter</c>, <c>Haunted House</c>, <c>Scampire</c>, <c>Ayara, Furnace Queen</c>, and <c>Moira and Teshar</c> use text similar to Unearth affecting other cards.
**<c>Kami of Industry</c>, <c>Balduvian Atrocity</c> and <c>Thunderkin Awakener</c> sacrifice instead of exile, but they have a numerical cap to avoid reanimation of game-ending threats. <c>Apprentice Necromancer</c> does not cap due to being from Urza's Destiny.
**<c>Puppeteer Clique</c> and <c>Gruesome Encore</c> takes from an opponents' graveyard. <c>Macabre Mockery</c> does also but does not exile.
**<c>Feldon of the Third Path</c>, <c>Mimic Vat</c> and <c>Nahiri, the Unforgiving</c> use a token copy template, though the former two are repeatable.
*Oil Scavenge is a similar ability featured on an Unknown Event test card.
==References==
==External links==
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