Eldritch Evolution MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by finding specific creatures, bypassing draw chance.
  2. Accelerates resource leveraging by upgrading creatures without high mana costs.
  3. Optimizes gameplay with instant utilization of fetched creatures’ abilities.

Text of card

As an additional cost to cast Eldritch Evolution, sacrifice a creature. Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost X or less, where X is 2 plus the sacrificed creature's converted mana cost. Put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. Exile Eldritch Evolution.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Eldritch Evolution lets you search your library for a creature card that’s up to two mana more than the sacrificed creature’s cost, ensuring you get the creature you need when you need it, bypassing the luck of the draw.

Resource Acceleration: This spell effectively acts as a mana ramp by allowing you to sacrifice a low-cost creature and replace it with a more powerful one without the usual mana costs associated with casting higher value creatures directly.

Instant Speed: While not an instant, the ability to cast Eldritch Evolution at sorcery speed during your main phase means you can immediately utilize the new creature’s abilities or attack with it if it has haste, optimizing your turn’s impact.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Utilizing Eldritch Evolution entails sacrificing a creature as part of its casting cost. This can be a strategic setback, particularly if you’re already facing a creature deficit on the battlefield or if the creature has a relevant role in your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires one green and two other colors to cast, which might restrict its integration into multi-colored decks. Some decks may find this mana requirement too color-specific, causing potential delays or casting issues, especially in early game scenarios.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the ability to search for a creature card with a higher converted mana cost is powerful, this card’s three-mana total casting price can be steep, especially considering it’s a one-time-use card. Alternative options might offer more versatility or repeatability for a similar or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Eldritch Evolution in Your Collection

Versatility: Eldritch Evolution offers a range of deck-building options and can be a game-changer in creature-based strategies. It allows you to upgrade a creature into another that’s more situationally appropriate, making it a useful addition across various formats.

Combo Potential: With the ability to search your library for a specific creature card, this spell sets the stage for powerful combos. It’s ideal for decks that revolve around assembling particular creature interactions or need a key piece to dominate the game.

Meta-Relevance: In a constantly shifting MTG meta, Eldritch Evolution stays relevant by enabling players to adapt their board to overcome diverse threats. Because it can fetch impactful creatures depending on the state of play, it’s a card that finds its place in many competitive environments.


How to beat

Eldritch Evolution is a potent tool for creature-based decks in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to sacrifice a creature to search their library for a more powerful one. Its sheer ability to evolve your battlefield presence makes it a unique threat. The key to countering this card lies in disrupting this sac-to-search process.

Having instant-speed removal or counterspells are your first line of defense, targeting either the creature set to be sacrificed or Eldritch Evolution itself. Additionally, cards that limit searching libraries or prevent creatures from entering the battlefield can thwart an opponent’s Evolution plans. For example, Grafdigger’s Cage effectively keeps creatures in the library, stopping the chain of value Eldritch Evolution aims to start.

Understanding your opponent’s deck is also critical. By anticipating their likely targets with Eldritch Evolution, you can plan preemptive measures or save disruption for the most opportune moment. In summary, a strategic mix of disruption, counterspells, and graveyard control can undermine the advantages provided by Eldritch Evolution, preserving your position and mitigating potential threats it represents.


BurnMana Recommendations

Enhancing your MTG arsenal with cards like Eldritch Evolution can be a turning point in your gameplay. Understanding its strengths and navigating its limitations are crucial for those looking to optimize their creature-based strategies. If you’re intrigued by the possibilities it presents, including its combo potential and meta-relevance, you’ll want to consider this card for your collection. For those aiming to counter this powerful spell, knowledge of instant-speed removals and library search disruption is key. Ready to take your deck to the next level? Join us for in-depth insights and strategies to master the use of Eldritch Evolution and outsmart your opponents.


Cards like Eldritch Evolution

Eldritch Evolution is a unique addition to the Magic: The Gathering toolbox of creature-based library manipulation. This card echoes the mechanics of Natural Order, as both cards sacrifice a creature to search the library for another creature and put it directly onto the battlefield. Comparatively, Eldritch Evolution offers more flexibility as it can fetch a creature with a converted mana cost up to two more than the sacrificed creature’s cost, whereas Natural Order seeks Green creatures only.

Another analogue is Birthing Pod, a card that incrementally upgrades creatures from your battlefield over several turns. Eldritch Evolution does so immediately, albeit at the expense of exiling itself. Lastly, Chord of Calling stands out, as it also searches for a creature card; the convoke mechanic potentially reduces its cost. Unlike Eldritch Evolution, Chord of Calling doesn’t require a creature sacrifice and is also an instant, giving players more tactical flexibility during opponents’ turns.

Evaluating the trade-offs between these cards, Eldritch Evolution offers a compelling choice for decks that can harness its explosive, albeit single-use, potential to swing games by finding key creatures at critical moments.

Natural Order - MTG Card versions
Birthing Pod - MTG Card versions
Chord of Calling - MTG Card versions
Natural Order - Visions (VIS)
Birthing Pod - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Chord of Calling - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Eldritch Evolution by color, type and mana cost

Ice Storm - MTG Card versions
Tranquility - MTG Card versions
Seeds of Innocence - MTG Card versions
Fallow Earth - MTG Card versions
Untamed Wilds - MTG Card versions
Wing Snare - MTG Card versions
Squall - MTG Card versions
Deep Reconnaissance - MTG Card versions
Long Rest - MTG Card versions
Rosethorn Acolyte // Seasonal Ritual - MTG Card versions
Cultivate - MTG Card versions
Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire - MTG Card versions
Nissa's Pilgrimage - MTG Card versions
Deconstruct - MTG Card versions
Thermokarst - MTG Card versions
Gift of the Gargantuan - MTG Card versions
Trip Wire - MTG Card versions
Kodama's Reach - MTG Card versions
Alluring Scent - MTG Card versions
Lair Delve - MTG Card versions
Ice Storm - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Tranquility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Seeds of Innocence - Mirage (MIR)
Fallow Earth - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Untamed Wilds - Portal (POR)
Wing Snare - Welcome Deck 2017 (W17)
Squall - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Deep Reconnaissance - Odyssey (ODY)
Long Rest - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Rosethorn Acolyte // Seasonal Ritual - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cultivate - Doctor Who (WHO)
Lovestruck Beast // Heart's Desire - Throne of Eldraine Promos (PELD)
Nissa's Pilgrimage - Magic Origins (ORI)
Deconstruct - Mirrodin (MRD)
Thermokarst - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Gift of the Gargantuan - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Trip Wire - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Kodama's Reach - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Alluring Scent - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Lair Delve - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Eldritch Evolution MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Eldritch Moon Promos, 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 Eldritch Evolution and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Eldritch Evolution Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-07-22Eldritch MoonEMN 1552015normalblackJason Rainville
22016-07-22Eldritch Moon PromosPEMN 155s2015normalblackJason Rainville
32019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 11902015normalblackJason Rainville
42019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 14142015normalborderlessWooden Cyclops
52020-09-26The ListPLST EMN-1552015normalblackJason Rainville
62023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 1952015normalblackJason Rainville

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Eldritch Evolution has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-07-13 A creature’s converted mana cost is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner (unless that creature is the back face of a double-faced card, a melded card, or is copying something else; see below). If the mana cost includes , X is considered to be 0. If it’s a single-faced card with no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it’s an animated land, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. Ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) paid when the creature was cast.
2016-07-13 A token that isn’t a copy of another permanent has a converted mana cost of 0. A token that is a copy or a creature that has become a copy of another permanent has the converted mana cost of what it’s copying.
2016-07-13 If a card in a library has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0. If you find such a card this way, you won’t have an opportunity to spend mana on .
2016-07-13 Once you begin to cast Eldritch Evolution, no player may take actions until you’re done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the creature you wish to sacrifice.
2016-07-13 Sacrificing a creature is part of Eldritch Evolution’s cost. You can’t sacrifice more creatures to search for more creature cards, and you can’t cast Eldritch Evolution at all if you control no creatures.
2016-07-13 The converted mana cost of a permanent that’s a double-faced card with its back face up is the converted mana cost of its front face. The converted mana cost of a melded permanent is the sum of the converted mana costs of its front faces. A creature that’s a copy of either has a converted mana cost of 0.

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