Sleep of the Dead is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. Escape—, Exile three other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)
Complete guide
Sleep of the Dead is a versatile blue sorcery that keeps your opponent's best threats out of the action. By using its Escape ability, you can repeatedly freeze creatures from beyond the grave to ensure your path to victory remains clear.
Freeze and Lock Down
When you cast Sleep of the Dead, you target a creature to tap it down. That creature gains a temporary restriction: it will not untap during its controller's next untap step. This effectively removes a creature from combat for two full turns, as it misses its natural window to refresh.
Escape from the Underworld
The Escape keyword is an alternative cost that allows you to cast this sorcery from your graveyard. To do so, you must pay {2}{U} and exile three other cards from your graveyard. Once the spell resolves, it returns to the graveyard, where it can potentially be escaped again if you have enough cards to exile.
Strategic Timing
Because Sleep of the Dead is a sorcery, you can usually only cast it during your own main phases when the stack is empty. If you put this card into your graveyard during your turn, you have priority to cast it using Escape before your opponent can use graveyard hate to remove it.
Targeting Tapped Creatures
A common misconception is that you can only target standing creatures. You can absolutely target a creature that is already tapped; the spell will still apply the effect that prevents it from untapping during its controller's next untap step.
Interaction examples
Ponder
PreordainIf you have Ponder and Preordain in your graveyard alongside one other card, you can exile all three to pay the Escape cost for Sleep of the Dead. This allows you to reuse your control magic by turning spent cantrips into a valuable resource.
During your first main phase, you cast Sleep of the Dead targeting an opponent's blocker. After it resolves and goes to the graveyard, if you have three other cards to exile and enough mana, you can immediately cast it again via Escape to tap a second creature, ensuring your attackers get through safely.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sleep of the Dead
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Sleep of the Dead can target a creature that's already tapped. That creature won't untap during its controller's next untap step.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Escape's permission doesn't change when you may cast the spell from your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying (such as an escape cost), add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was and no matter whether an alternative cost was paid.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
After an escaped spell resolves, it returns to its owner's graveyard if it's not a permanent spell. If it is a permanent spell, it enters the battlefield and will return to its owner's graveyard if it dies later. Perhaps it will escape again—good underworld security is so hard to come by these days.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a card has multiple abilities giving you permission to cast it, such as two escape abilities or an escape ability and a flashback ability, you choose which one to apply. The others have no effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you cast a spell with its escape permission, you can't choose to apply any other alternative costs or to cast it without paying its mana cost. If it has any additional costs, you must pay those.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If a card with escape is put into your graveyard during your turn, you'll be able to cast it right away if it's legal to do so, before an opponent can take any actions.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Once you begin casting a spell with escape, it immediately moves to the stack. Players can't take any other actions until you're done casting the spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Sleep of the Dead
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.