All Hallow's Eve is a rare four mana black sorcery card from Magic: The Gathering. At the time of this noding, it has four printings: two physical - one in Legends (LEG), Collector #088, and an oversized league prize, #42; and two digital - one in Masters Edition III (ME3), #57, and another in Magic Online Theme Decks, #A35, as part of the Deathdancer Xira Commander deck. All editions are illustrated by Christopher Rush. As part of the Reserved List, there should be no more. However, this didn't stop it from having three of its four versions: the two digital, as well as an oversized print with a non-standard Magic back making these three not legal for physical constructed play, thus bending the rules on not reprinting cards on the Reserved List (as well as examples of following the letter and not the spirit of that list).
As of 2023-10-31, it is legal in the following formats: Vintage, Legacy, Commander, and Oathbreaker.
Springing from the same set that also, ultimately, sowed the seeds for the Commander format, All Hallow's Eve can be cast by a player for two generic and two black mana. Upon resolution, it allows its controller to exile All Hallow’s Eve with two scream counters on it. Then, at the beginning of its controller's upkeep, if All Hallow’s Eve is exiled with a scream counter on it, remove a scream counter from it. If there are no more scream counters on it, move it from exile into its caster's graveyard and each player returns all creature cards from their graveyard to the battlefield as though they were just summoned. This is an example of creature reanimation and can be a game changer in certain situations, especially when facing decks that rely on less creatures than one's own. Just ask the Sliver Queen or Reaper King. As with almost all Magic cards, its effectiveness will depend on the context in which it is used and the specific deck it's included in. For example, its unique suspend mechanic allows one two turns to fill one's graveyard with creatures but it also gives one's opponent(s) two turns to exile that same graveyard and stock their own. Sorceries one and all, similar cards include: Living Death, Living End, Patriarch's Bidding, Rise of the Dark Realms, Twilight's Call, and Zombie Apocalypse.
Notes and rules information for All Hallow's Eve:
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Since you can respond to triggered abilities, it is legal to sacrifice creatures using some spell or ability prior to resolving the ability that removes the final counter from All Hallow’s Eve.
(2004-10-04)
- The only thing that happens when All Hallow’s Eve resolves is that it’s exiled with two scream counters on it.
(2009-10-01)
- All Hallow’s Eve’s triggered ability functions from the exile zone. This ability has an “intervening ‘if’ clause.” It won’t trigger at all unless All Hallow’s Eve is exiled and has a scream counter on it (which can happen only if it resolves as a spell). (2009-10-01)
- Each creature returned to the battlefield by All Hallow’s Eve enters the battlefield under its owner’s control.
(2009-10-01)
Sources:
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=201119
https://scryfall.com/card/leg/88/all-hallows-eve
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