Center Soul MTG Card
2015-03-27 - Number 8
2019-11-07 - Number 51
2020-09-26 - Number DTK-8
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Rebound |
Text of card
Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Cards like Center Soul
Center Soul is a unique spell in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering both protection and the rebound mechanic for sustained advantage. Comparable to Center Soul, we find cards like Gods Willing and Feat of Resistance, both providing similar protective capabilities. Gods Willing grants not just protection from a color of your choice but also allows you to scry, adding a slight strategic depth. Feat of Resistance, however, ups the ante by putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature in addition to offering protection.
Looking further, Emerge Unscathed is another card that echoes Center Soul’s rebound feature. It provides protection from a color twice over two turns, much like Center Soul. However, Emerge Unscathed is more targeted in nature, focusing solely on this protective mechanic without the +1/+1 counter benefit of Feat of Resistance.
In deliberating their use in the game, each of these spells has its place depending on the situation at hand. While Center Soul requires a plan for the next turn’s rebound, the immediate benefits of scrying with Gods Willing or the added counter with Feat of Resistance might be more suitable for certain strategies. All in all, Center Soul stands out by offering a mix of defense and the potent rebound ability for elongated tactical plays.
Cards similar to Center Soul by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Center Soul allows for a rebound which means if you cast it from your hand, you’ll get to cast it a second time in your next upkeep phase without paying its mana cost again. This adds value by effectively giving you two spells for the price of one.
Resource Acceleration: While Center Soul doesn’t provide direct resource acceleration, casting it effectively twice can save precious mana resources. This can contribute indirectly to accelerating your overall game plan as you protect your creatures in two consecutive turns.
Instant Speed: The instant nature of Center Soul means you can respond deftly to your opponent’s actions. You can cast Center Soul in combat or in response to a removal spell, providing timely protection with the added functionality of bolstering a creature’s combat capabilities when it matters most.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Center Soul does not necessitate discarding as part of its casting or its rebound effect, allowing you to preserve your hand.
Specific Mana Cost: Center Soul’s cost demands one white mana, potentially limiting its inclusion in multi-colored decks that strain for mana consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Center Soul’s initial cost is low, its combined mana investment, if you utilize the rebound, ties up resources that might be allocated to more impactful spells.
Reasons to Include Center Soul in Your Collection
Versatility: Center Soul is a flexible card that can serve multiple roles within various deck types. Its primary function, providing protection from a color of your choice, can be crucial for preserving key creatures on the battlefield. Additionally, the card features rebound, allowing a second use in the following turn, making it a persistent element of defense and strategy.
Combo Potential: The protection offered by Center Soul can be instrumental in executing combos uninterrupted. It also serves well with creatures that have abilities triggered upon casting a spell or targeting them, doubling the chances to exploit these interactions thanks to its rebound capability.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where targeted removal or control strategies prevail, Center Soul can safeguard integral creatures from such threats. It’s especially relevant in protecting high-value creatures against the prevailing color-specific spells in the rotation, ensuring your critical plays have the resilience to stick around.
How to beat Center Soul
Center Soul is a unique spell in Magic: The Gathering, providing both protection and a rebound effect that can disrupt enemy tactics. It’s often compared to spells like Gods Willing or Feat of Resistance that also offer protection for your creatures. Center Soul stands out due to its rebound capability, which allows the spell to be cast again in the subsequent turn with no mana cost, effectively safeguarding a creature twice.
In the realm of protecting spells, the instant speed nature of Center Soul is key. However, it can be bested by countering it when initially cast. Keep in mind, once the rebound takes effect in the next turn, a player cannot counter it as it does not use the stack. Therefore, waiting out the first casting with a counter spell or neutralizing your opponent’s creature before rebound occurs can be an effective strategy. Another tactic is to simply remove their creature from play or force them to sacrifice it, thus invalidating the protection Center Soul provides.
Ultimately, to beat Center Soul, it’s important to plan ahead, anticipating its rebound and utilizing countermeasures preemptively. With smart play, you can minimize the impact this card has on the game, keeping your opponent’s creatures within reach of your removal strategies.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Center Soul MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Mystery Booster, 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 Center Soul and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Center Soul Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-03-27 | Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | 8 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Igor Kieryluk | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Igor Kieryluk | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | DTK-8 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Igor Kieryluk |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Center Soul has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Center Soul card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | As long as you cast a spell with rebound from your hand, rebound will work regardless of whether you paid its mana cost or an alternative cost you were permitted to pay. |
| 2015-02-25 | At the beginning of your upkeep, all delayed triggered abilities created by rebound effects trigger. You may handle them in any order. If you want to cast a card this way, you do so as part of the resolution of its delayed triggered ability. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type (if it’s a sorcery) are ignored. Other restrictions, such as “Cast -his spell] only during combat,” must be followed. |
| 2015-02-25 | Casting the card again due to the delayed triggered ability is optional. If you choose not to cast the card, or if you can’t (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the card will stay exiled. You won’t get another chance to cast it on a future turn. |
| 2015-02-25 | If a replacement effect (such as the one created by Rest in Peace) would cause a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand to be put somewhere other than into your graveyard as it resolves, you can choose whether to apply the rebound effect or the other effect as the spell resolves. |
| 2015-02-25 | If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand doesn’t resolve for any reason (either because another spell or ability counters it or because all its targets are illegal as it tries to resolve), none of its effects will happen, including rebound. The spell will be put into its owner’s graveyard and you won’t get to cast it again on your next turn. |
| 2015-02-25 | If you cast a card from exile this way, it will go to its owner’s graveyard when it resolves, fails to resolve, or is countered. It won’t go back to exile. |
| 2015-02-25 | If you cast a spell with rebound from any zone other than your hand (including your opponent’s hand), rebound will have no effect. |
| 2015-02-25 | Rebound will have no effect on copies of spells because you don’t cast them from your hand. |