Alesha, Who Smiles at Death MTG Card


Enables sustained board presence through creature recursion, enhancing defense and offensive pressure strategies. Alesha’s triggered ability accelerates resource usage, freeing up mana for diversified spell casting. Tactical advantage gained from surprise interactions with instant speed resurrected creature effects.
Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Warrior
Abilities First strike
Power 3
Toughness 2

Text of card

First strike Whenever Alesha, Who Smiles at Death attacks, you may pay {W/B}{W/B}. If you do, return target creature card with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking.

"Greet death with sword in hand."


Cards like Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death stands out in MTG as a powerful commander for decks focusing on aggressive strategies and recursion. She bears a resemblance to cards like Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, which offers the potential to put creatures directly onto the battlefield. Grenzo, however, relies on the luck of the bottom card of your deck, whereas Alesha has a targeted reanimation, providing more control.

Another comparable card is Tymaret, the Murder King, who shares Alesha’s attributes of aggression and resilience. While Tymaret can be used repeatedly to sacrifice other creatures for damage or to return from the graveyard to your hand, Alesha’s ability to bring back creatures with power 2 or less directly into play is often more impactful in a single turn, swinging games by reestablishing a presence.

Karador, Ghost Chieftain is a card that takes the theme of recursion in a different direction. Instead of combat-focused reanimation, Karador allows you to play creatures from your graveyard as though they were in your hand, thus giving you a wider range of options over the course of a game. Despite this versatility, Alesha’s lower mana cost and specific reanimation ability can often lead to early-game advantages.

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - MTG Card versions
Tymaret, the Murder King - MTG Card versions
Karador, Ghost Chieftain - MTG Card versions
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - MTG Card versions
Tymaret, the Murder King - MTG Card versions
Karador, Ghost Chieftain - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Alesha, Who Smiles at Death by color, type and mana cost

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Kaalia, Zenith Seeker - MTG Card versions
Kelsien, the Plague - MTG Card versions
Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter - MTG Card versions
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Alesha, Who Smiles at Death. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Rakdos AggroRakdos Aggro GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 09 2024
Boros AggroBoros Aggro LegacyMO82#CS

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Alesha, Who Smiles at Death excels at recurring creatures with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. This ability can give you a consistent presence on the board and ensure you’re never without creatures to apply pressure or defend with.

Resource Acceleration: With Alesha’s ability to cheat creatures onto the battlefield, you essentially accelerate the use of your resources. You’re able to use your mana for other spells and actions while still developing your board presence through Alesha’s triggered ability.

Instant Speed: While Alesha’s ability isn’t at instant speed, the creatures she brings back can have instant speed effects, such as sacrificing them for various benefits or using their abilities at critical moments in your opponent’s turn. This interaction can provide tactical advantages and surprise elements against adversaries.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One significant drawback is the need for a specific card to be in your graveyard to leverage Alesha’s ability, which isn’t always guaranteed in the midst of battle, potentially rendering her ability situationally useful.

Specific Mana Cost: Alesha Who Smiles at Death has a mana cost that requires red, white, and generic mana, necessitating a precise mana base to cast reliably, which could pose challenges in multicolored decks, especially early in the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including two that are color specific, Alesha can be challenging to deploy promptly on the battlefield, especially compared to other aggressive commanders that might hit the board sooner, thus affecting the tempo of your gameplay.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Alesha Who Smiles at Death fits comfortably in a variety of Commander and Cube draft strategies, championing themes such as Warrior tribal or reanimator tactics. Her low mana cost and recurrence ability lend to a high degree of flexibility on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Alesha’s ability to bring creatures with power 2 or less from the graveyard to the battlefield creates dynamic synergies with numerous ETB (Enter the Battlefield) and death-trigger abilities, unlocking avenues for intricate and potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: Alesha maintains relevance in competitive circles, adeptly contending with creature-based strategies by recurring key pieces that can disrupt opponents’ plans. As metagames evolve, she adapts, offering consistent value as a commander or part of the 99 against an array of decks.


How to beat Alesha Who Smiles at Death

In the intricate world of MTG, encountering Alesha Who Smiles at Death on the battlefield can indeed be daunting. This legendary creature comes with the unique ability to resurrect smaller creatures from the graveyard, thereby setting the stage for a dynamic and relentless combat strategy.

To successfully navigate against Alesha, consider using removal spells that exile rather than destroy. Since Alesha’s strength lies in recursion, spells like Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze’s ability to remove creatures from the game can be more effective than traditional destruction. Additionally, adjusting your gameplay to include a strong defense with creatures that have deathtouch such as Deadly Recluse or spells that prevent blocking creatures from dying, like Ride Down, could stifle Alesha’s offensive. Counteracting her trigger by employing graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, can also be a game-changer by completely shutting down her ability to leverage the graveyard.

By interrupting Alesha’s game plan with these tactics, you can tip the scales to your favor and keep the smile from this formidable warlord’s face.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re keen on honing your MTG skills and optimizing your deck, Alesha Who Smiles at Death is a card that deserves your attention. Her unique ability to breathe life into your battlefield by resurrecting smaller creatures offers a significant edge in various game scenarios. Utilizing this card strategically can turn the tide of battle in your favor, allowing for unexpected comebacks and sustained offensive pressure. Understanding Alesha’s strengths and weaknesses, along with the right combos, can enhance your gameplay. Elevate your deck and sharpen your competitive edge. Dive deeper with us, and let’s master the strategies together.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Alesha, Who Smiles at Death MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged Promos and Fate Reforged, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Alesha, Who Smiles at Death and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Alesha, Who Smiles at Death Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2022-09-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-01-23Fate Reforged PromosPFRF 90s2015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
22015-01-23Fate ReforgedFRF 902015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
32016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1192015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 8372015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 10072015NormalBorderlessWinona Nelson
62020-04-17Commander 2020C20 1432015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
72020-09-26The ListPLST FRF-902015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
82021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 3381997NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
92022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 4472015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
102022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 1012015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
112022-07-28Explorer Anthology 1EA1 82015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova
122022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 1182015NormalBlackAnastasia Ovchinnikova

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Alesha, Who Smiles at Death has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Alesha, Who Smiles at Death card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-03-19 Alesha's triggered ability checks the card's power only in your graveyard. The creature will still be tapped and attacking if its power is greater than 2 after it's on the battlefield.
2021-03-19 Although the returned creature is an attacking creature, it was never declared as an attacking creature. This means that abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks won't trigger when it enters the battlefield attacking.
2021-03-19 Any effects that say that the returned creature can't attack (such as that of Propaganda, or if the creature has defender) affect only the declaration of attackers. They won't stop the returned creature from entering the battlefield attacking.
2021-03-19 While resolving Alesha's triggered ability, you can't pay the cost multiple times to return more than one creature card.
2021-03-19 You choose which player or planeswalker the returned creature is attacking. It doesn't have to be attacking the same player or planeswalker Alesha is attacking.