Genju of the Spires MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Genju of the Spires offers continuous card advantage by turning land into a recurring creature.
  2. It enhances gameplay speed by allowing a single land to act as both mana source and threat.
  3. The enchantment’s instant speed activation heightens its tactical flexibility during play.

Text of card

Enchant Mountain : Enchanted Mountain becomes a 6/1 red Spirit creature until end of turn. It's still a land. When enchanted Mountain is put into a graveyard, you may return Genju of the Spires from your graveyard to your hand.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Genju of the Spires is in play, it transforms the land it enchants into a formidable creature, effectively giving you an extra card’s worth of utility without losing land resources. Even if the enchanted land is destroyed, this card returns to your hand, ready to be reused, ensuring continuous card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By turning a basic land into a potent threat, you get more mileage out of your lands, allowing them to serve as both mana sources and offensive tools. This dual functionality helps you maximize resources and can lead to faster gameplay, as you can maintain pressure without dedicating additional cards to the board.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Genju of the Spires at instant speed offers flexibility, allowing you to take opponents by surprise or wait until the last possible moment to make a strategic move. This adaptability ensures that you’re always ready to respond to your opponent’s actions or capitalize on an unguarded state of the game board.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not directly a discard mechanic, Genju of the Spires demands the presence of a Mountain card. This can be constrictive, as it could render the card useless if you’re facing a shortage of lands or if your Mountain is removed from the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchant land card requires a specific mana color—red—for activation, thereby limiting its versatility. If you’re experimenting with a multi-color deck, you might find the red mana stipulation somewhat restrictive.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Genju of the Spires requires two red mana for initial casting and another red mana to activate its ability each time. For savvy players, this mana could potentially be invested in spells or creatures that provide a quicker or more impactful advantage on the game state.


Reasons to Include Genju of the Spires in Your Collection

Versatility: Genju of the Spires can turn any mountain into a formidable threat, making it an addition that can improve nearly any red deck, especially those that seek to capitalize on land synergies.

Combo Potential: This enchantment has potential in combo scenarios, particularly with cards that allow for multiple land activations or benefit from creatures entering and leaving the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, a card like Genju of the Spires remains relevant, particularly in formats where land-based strategies are prevalent or red decks need a recurring creature that evades conventional removal.


How to beat

Mastering the gameplay nuances in Magic: The Gathering can be as much about understanding powerful cards as it is about knowing how to counter them. Genju of the Spires, while not the most prominent powerhouse, has its unique flair when it animates a mountain into a potent 6/1 red Spirit creature. This transformation can consistently present a substantial threat each turn.

To effectively disable the threat of Genju of the Spires, strategic removal is key. The use of land destruction cards can permanently remove the empowered mountain, preventing its return. Alternatively, direct damage spells or ‘burn’ spells can deal with the Spirit before it deals damage. Cards like Path to Exile or direct removal spells that can exile or return the enchanted land to its owner’s hand also work by disrupting the Genju’s ability to trigger.

Another approach to beating Genju of the Spires involves focusing on repeated removal strategies. Since the Genju can reanimate the mountain multiple times, having an array of cheap removal spells at the ready can ensure the spirit creature doesn’t maintain a presence on the battlefield. Thus, while Genju of the Spires offers a unique avenue for aggressive strategies, it can be effectively countered with the right removal techniques.


Cards like Genju of the Spires

Genju of the Spires stands out in the realm of Magic the Gathering as a unique enchantment that transforms a land into a formidable creature. In the landscape of similar cards, we can look at Koth of the Hammer whose -1 ability temporarily turns a mountain into a 4/4 creature that can attack right away. While Genju of the Spires requires the land to be untapped to use its ability again, Koth’s influence is a one-turn wonder, demanding new targets for each activation.

Exploring further, we find Nissa, Worldwaker who escalates this concept by unleashing the potential of any land, not just mountains, and empowering them to become 4/4 creatures with trample. Unlike Genju of the Spires, Nissa’s ability is an emblem, setting her apart with a lasting impact on the lands for the remainder of the game. Additionally, Guardian Zendikon serves a related purpose, turning lands into vigilant creatures, yet they differ, as the Zendikon’s effect ceases once the land perishes, whereas Genju can be reused.

Each of these cards puts a unique twist on animating lands. Nonetheless, Genju of the Spires offers a repeated use case, potentially offering more long-term value in games where it can be protected and reused effectively.

Koth of the Hammer - MTG Card versions
Nissa, Worldwaker - MTG Card versions
Guardian Zendikon - MTG Card versions
Koth of the Hammer - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Nissa, Worldwaker - San Diego Comic-Con 2014 (PS14)
Guardian Zendikon - Worldwake (WWK)

Cards similar to Genju of the Spires by color, type and mana cost

Earthbind - MTG Card versions
Firebreathing - MTG Card versions
Burrowing - MTG Card versions
Storm World - MTG Card versions
Eternal Warrior - MTG Card versions
Immolation - MTG Card versions
Imposing Visage - MTG Card versions
Ironclaw Curse - MTG Card versions
Veteran's Voice - MTG Card versions
Mob Mentality - MTG Card versions
Crown of Flames - MTG Card versions
Tahngarth's Rage - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Blade - MTG Card versions
Reflexes - MTG Card versions
Mark of Fury - MTG Card versions
Incendiary - MTG Card versions
Seal of Fire - MTG Card versions
Laccolith Rig - MTG Card versions
Brutal Suppression - MTG Card versions
Need for Speed - MTG Card versions
Earthbind - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Firebreathing - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Burrowing - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Storm World - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Eternal Warrior - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Immolation - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Imposing Visage - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ironclaw Curse - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Veteran's Voice - Alliances (ALL)
Mob Mentality - Visions (VIS)
Crown of Flames - Invasion (INV)
Tahngarth's Rage - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Blade - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Reflexes - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Mark of Fury - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Incendiary - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seal of Fire - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Laccolith Rig - Nemesis (NEM)
Brutal Suppression - Prophecy (PCY)
Need for Speed - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Genju of the Spires MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Arena League 2005, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Genju of the Spires and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Genju of the Spires Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2005-01-01 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Joel Thomas.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 362842003normalblackJoel Thomas
22005-01-01Arena League 2005PAL05 62003normalblackJoel Thomas
32005-02-04Betrayers of KamigawaBOK 1052003normalblackJoel Thomas
42018-03-16Masters 25A25 1322015normalblackJoel Thomas
52019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 9452015normalblackJoel Thomas
62020-09-26The ListPLST A25-1322015normalblackJoel Thomas

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Genju of the Spires has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Genju of the Spires card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2008-08-01 A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks