Soul Manipulation MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. It offers card advantage by returning creatures or countering spells, enhancing strategic depth.
  2. Instant speed allows for tactical responses within the fluidity of the game.
  3. While powerful, it requires careful mana management and comes with trade-offs.

Text of card

Choose one or both — Counter target creature spell; and/or return target creature card in your graveyard to your hand.

"Birth and death are both reversible." —Nicol Bolas


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When playing Soul Manipulation, the ability to either return a creature from your graveyard to your hand or counter an opponent’s creature spell offers a significant advantage. By doing so, you maintain resources that keep pressure on the opponent while potentially saving you from a critical threat.

Resource Acceleration: While Soul Manipulation itself does not directly accelerate resources, it indirectly contributes to it. By selectively bringing creatures back from the graveyard, you effectively receive a creature card without spending mana to draw or play it from your library, allowing you to use your mana more efficiently in later turns.

Instant Speed: The flexibility to cast Soul Manipulation at instant speed is a tactical boon. It lets you adapt to the ebb and flow of the game, keeping your options open until the last possible moment. Whether you’re countering a key spell on your opponent’s turn or retrieving a vital creature at the end of their turn, instant speed means you’re always in the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in the darker arts of Soul Manipulation often comes at a price, requiring the caster to discard a card. This trade-off means you might have to let go of valuable spells or creatures, potentially harming your strategical options later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This mystical spell demands a precise blend of mana types, making it a less flexible option for decks that are not tailored to its color identities. Players without the exact mana sources will find themselves unable to harness its power.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Delving into Soul Manipulation isn’t cheap, and its mana requirements might be steep when you’re hoping to maintain tempo against opponents. There are alternative cards in the same mana range that could provide more immediate impact or versatility, making it essential to weigh the costs against the benefits of this enigmatic ability.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Manipulation offers a dynamic approach to gameplay by providing both creature revival and countermagic in a single card. This duality allows for strategic depth in decks that prioritize flexibility.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well in strategies aiming to utilize graveyard resources or those that need to consistently thwart opponents’ threats. It can become a lynchpin in decks built around these mechanics.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creatures and spells are key components of winning strategies, Soul Manipulation holds its ground by disrupting opponent plays while recouping valuable creature assets for continuous board presence.


How to beat

Soul Manipulation blends counter magic and creature revival, serving as a vital component in control decks in MTG. To successfully navigate against this card, it’s imperative to bait out the counter aspect early in the game. Employing low-cost spells can lure out the counter ability, preserving your high-impact cards for later plays. Moreover, graveyard disruption tools such as Scavenging Ooze or Rest in Peace restrict its reanimation capability, undermining the dual utility of Soul Manipulation.

Another strategy involves pacing your threats. By casting multiple creatures in a turn, you overwhelm the counter capacity of Soul Manipulation, ensuring some of your threats stay on the battlefield. Also, instant-speed removal can handle the creature brought back from the graveyard, nullifying the second benefit of the card. Lastly, spell-based decks that rely less on creatures inherently reduce Soul Manipulation’s impact, as its revival feature becomes obsolete.

Adept timing and strategic plays are essential in diminishing the influence of Soul Manipulation, making it less daunting for players equipped with knowledge and the right cards in their arsenal.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the strategic depths of MTG and add a card like Soul Manipulation to your arsenal for enhanced control and versatility. Understanding its pros and cons will effectively integrate its dual utility into your gameplay. For those looking to upset the balance of creature-focused matches, this card stands ready to counter threats and recover your fallen allies. As you aim to refine your deck, consider the synergy and meta-relevance to maintain a competitive edge. Ready for more insights and tips on optimizing your deck with unique cards like Soul Manipulation? Explore further with us and gain the expertise to outmaneuver your opponents in every duel.


Exploring the Power of Soul Manipulation

The mystique of Soul Manipulation in the realm of MTG is undeniable. As a multifaceted instant, it provides players with not just one, but two potent abilities: countering an opposing creature spell and the return of a creature from the graveyard to one’s hand. This duality of disruption and retrieval presents a tactical advantage similar to other notable cards.

Cards like Soul Manipulation

Soul Manipulation is often compared to cards like Dissipate and Unearth. Dissipate, for example, allows a player to counter any spell and exiles it, preventing any form of recurrence which can be a game-changer. Unearth, on the other hand, directly targets the graveyard, offering the power to return a creature to the battlefield, but with a caveat—it must have a total casting cost of three or less. Unearth’s limitation contrasts with Soul Manipulation’s broader scope for creature retrieval, making it a more flexible choice.

Another card that echoes a similar sentiment is Rise from the Grave. While this spell doesn’t offer the on-the-spot counteraction against spells that Soul Manipulation does, it specializes in reanimating any creature from any graveyard to the battlefield under your control—a powerful move that can turn the tides of a game. However, the instant speed and combined utility of Soul Manipulation often give it a preferred standing.

Overall, this comparison illustrates why Soul Manipulation holds significant value in MTG, smoothly integrating disruption and recovery in a single instant, setting it apart from its counterparts.

Dissipate - MTG Card versions
Unearth - MTG Card versions
Rise from the Grave - MTG Card versions
Dissipate - Mirage (MIR)
Unearth - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Rise from the Grave - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)

Cards similar to Soul Manipulation by color, type and mana cost

Essence Vortex - MTG Card versions
Undermine - MTG Card versions
Recoil - MTG Card versions
Forbidden Alchemy - MTG Card versions
Perplex - MTG Card versions
Psychic Strike - MTG Card versions
Dihada's Ploy - MTG Card versions
Sauron's Ransom - MTG Card versions
Essence Vortex - Ice Age (ICE)
Undermine - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Recoil - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Forbidden Alchemy - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Perplex - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Psychic Strike - Gatecrash (GTC)
Dihada's Ploy - Modern Horizons 2 (MH2)
Sauron's Ransom - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Manipulation MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn and Commander 2013, 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 Soul Manipulation and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Soul Manipulation Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2009-04-30 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by Carl Critchlow.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-04-30Alara RebornARB 292003normalblackCarl Critchlow
22013-11-01Commander 2013C13 2152003normalblackCarl Critchlow
32017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 1852015normalblackCarl Critchlow
42019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 14882015normalblackCarl Critchlow
52020-09-25Zendikar Rising CommanderZNC 1002015normalblackCarl Critchlow
62020-09-26The ListPLST MM3-1852015normalblackCarl Critchlow

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Manipulation has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2009-05-01 If you choose both modes, you choose their targets at the same time. You can’t counter your own creature spell and then return that card from your graveyard to your hand.
2009-05-01 You may choose just the first mode (targeting a creature spell), just the second mode (targeting a creature card in your graveyard), or both modes (targeting a creature spell and a creature card in your graveyard). You can’t choose a mode unless there’s a legal target for it.

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