(10/1/2008) If, during a check of state-based actions, you'd lose the game at the same time a creature you own would be put into your graveyard (due to an Earthquake for 10 or combat damage dealt to both you and the creature, for example), that creature's controller has a choice to make
Whether youre a lapsed duelist or a dedicated player, the sheer commitment to its own archives is staggering
2019-01-25 Because blockers are chosen all at once, you can't block with a creature with afterlife, wait for it to die, then block with the resulting Spirit tokens.
The mechanic draws inspiration directly from the fantasy stories which inspired the games creators, where wizards reanimate the fallen as shambling undead or reincarnate them to full glorious power
Of course, it can simply fuel strategies that need cards in the graveyard, like Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger