Bone Walker of Mictlán

The myth

For the Mexica, those who died of ordinary causes — illness, old age, accident — went to Mictlán, the land of the dead in the north. The journey took four years and crossed nine levels: a river, clashing mountains, an obsidian hill, a wind of blades, places where arrows fly and hearts are eaten, until the ninth, where the soul finally rested. The dead carried offerings for the lords there and, according to Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, the numbers 4 and 9 structured the journey. The game’s wandering skeleton is one of these travelers.

Why it has this power

A Level 3 Common with 1000 ATK and 900 DEF: an ordinary dead soul, still halfway there. Darkness and Moon are Mictlán’s gloom; Scarab, the constellation of what returns from the earth. It is a material for the Rite of the Serpent Skirt, which calls Coatlicue, and can fuse with the Xoloitzcuintle to create Xólotl.

Did you know

Mictlán’s nine levels mirrored, below, the thirteen heavens the Nahua pictured above the earth.

Connections

• In Yolotl, Mistress of the Mirror's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
• Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
• Craft with card dust: 40 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. El largo viaje al Mictlan y los números 4 y 9 (Arqueología Mexicana) — Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
2. Mictlan and its inhabitants (Mexicolore) — Ignacio de la Garza Gálvez
3. ¿A dónde iban los muertos? (Arqueología Mexicana) — Enrique Vela