Claim // Fame: Optimizing Its Effect in Midrange MTG

In TCG ·

Claim // Fame split card art—Hour of Devastation color clash of black and red

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Claim // Fame in Midrange: A Curious Blend of Graveyard and Aggression

Midrange decks live on the knife-edge between value and tempo, and Claim // Fame slides into that space with a mischievous grin. This split card from Hour of Devastation isn’t just a quirky oddity; it’s a toolkit that rewards thoughtful sequencing and graveyard literacy 🧙‍♂️. The black half, Claim, fetches a small creature from your graveyard back to the battlefield, while the red half, Fame, casts from your graveyard to buff a creature’s power and grant haste for a swing. The two halves complement each other in a way that feels both elegant and a little savage—exactly the vibe midrange players crave ⚔️. In a world where tempo and value often collide, this pair invites you to choreograph a sequence that turns the graveyard into an extra hand of threats.

From a design perspective, the card’s Aftermath mechanic on Fame is the star: you pay the mana cost while you’re alive, then—if you can navigate the timing—you get to unleash an additional effect from the graveyard. It’s not just nostalgia fuel; it’s a nuanced risk-reward dance. Casting Claim early sets up the board by returning a creature with mana value 2 or less, often a small but sturdy beater or a defensive anchor. Then, later in the game, Fame can flip the script by pumping that or another creature and granting it haste for a surprise alpha strike. The synergy is clean, the math straightforward, and the payoff often surprising. The hour of devastation era art and flavor only amplify the thrill of pulling off a well-timed play 🧪🎨.

What the two faces actually do

  • Claim — Return target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
  • Fame — Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.) Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.

That simple dichotomy is why Claim // Fame finds a home in midrange shells that lean into graveyard synergy without leaning entirely into dedicated reanimator engines. It’s the graceful, scalpel-like tool you can pull out when the board stalls and you need to convert incremental advantage into a decisive push 🔥.

Strategic roles in a midrange plan

In midrange mirrors and grindier matchups, Claim // Fame shines as a value engine that rewards precise timing. The black half helps you recover a cheap creature after removal-heavy exchanges, effectively turning a temporary setback into a foothold. The red half then turns that foothold into momentum, potentially allowing a single threat to threaten multiple angles of attack in a single swing. When you combine this with graveyard-aware decks that don’t fear their own chirpy little ghosts, you create windows where your opponent has to answer both the post-revival threat and the immediate, haste-empowered attacker.

To optimize its effect, you’ll want to plan around the graveyard as a secondary battlefield. Cards that help you refill your graveyard or protect your own, while preventing the opponent from abusing their graveyard, increase the odds of landing Fame on a pivotal creature. You’ll also favor creatures with natural tankiness or that can push through damage with trample or evasion, since the +2/+0 boost from Fame is most punishing when it’s landing on a creature that can leverage the extra juice on the swing. The result is a deck that doesn’t go overboard on blitz—rather, it accrues incremental pressure until a single, well-timed Fame swing seals the deal 💎.

Practical runtimes and sequencing

One common line looks like this: early game, cast Claim to bring back a small, sticky creature from your graveyard—perhaps something that survived removal or a flexible blocker. Midgame, your graveyard hosts Fame; you cast Fame from the graveyard to empower a creature for an alpha strike, ideally when the opponent has tapped out or must commit to a block you predict. The key is avoiding dead weight: if Fame sits in your graveyard too long, you miss the chance to push through. The timing is all about maximizing value from both halves in the same game—without cluttering your hand or the board with clunky or redundant cards. It’s a delicate balance, but when you nail it, the board state often feels like you’ve nudged reality into your preferred rhythm 🧙‍♂️⚔️.

In addition, consider support around the graveyard—cards that help you fill it or protect your threats can tilt the odds toward favorable trades. Since Claim // Fame is not standard-legal in every older shell, think in terms of modern-era analogs with a similar flow: a creature-light control shell that can slip a cheap recast or a post-macabre boost into the late game. When your plan comes together, you’ll hear the satisfying toast of a card that quietly locks in a win while your opponents stare at the clock and wonder when the second half is going to resolve 🧠🎲.

For fans who love a little spice with their grind, it’s hard not to fall for the way this card marries the graveyard with an explosive finish. The color pairing—B/R—offers the right mix of disruption and reach, giving you tools to interact with almost any board state. If you’re building toward a midrange path that tangles with destiny and tempo, Claim // Fame is a pocketful of clever, sneaky power you’ll want to keep close at hand 🔥.

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