Geth's Verdict MTG Card

Geth’s Verdict offers crucial control, forcing creature sacrifice and skirting indestructibility and protections. Its instant speed lets players disrupt opponents’ plays during crucial game moments, keeping tempo. Despite its mana specificity, the card’s unique advantages make it a strategic choice in various decks.

New Phyrexia (NPH)
2011-05-13 - Number 61

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number NPH-61

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant

Text of card

Target player sacrifices a creature and loses 1 life.

"Everyone should owe you something." —Geth, Lord of the Vault

Cards like Geth's Verdict

Geth’s Verdict is a potent piece of removal in Magic: The Gathering, offering similarity to other edict effects that compel a player to sacrifice a creature. Like Diabolic Edict, Geth’s Verdict targets your opponent, making them sacrifice a creature, yet it goes a step further by causing them to also lose 1 life. This can be crucial in games where life totals are dangerously low.

Comparably, Innocent Blood is a card that has all players sacrifice a creature, which means as the caster, you also feel the impact. In contrast, Geth’s Verdict spares the caster, affecting only the opponent. When selecting a removal, this distinction is significant as it allows for asymmetric board impact. Another card worth noting is Chainer’s Edict, which, beyond its initial effect, can be flashed back from the graveyard for an additional use, thus providing more flexibility over the course of a game. However, it comes at a higher initial mana cost and is at sorcery speed, unlike the instant nature of Geth’s Verdict.

Geth’s Verdict stands out in MTG due to its targeted, non-conditional edict effect coupled with an incremental life loss, which can be a pivotal advantage in tight matches.

Cards similar to Geth's Verdict by color, type and mana cost

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Geth's Verdict. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	Rogue Decklists	Pauper	Devotion	Nacional Pauper 2023

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Geth’s Verdict shines as it forces a player to sacrifice a creature, often dealing with threats that are otherwise difficult to remove. The card’s ability can circumvent protections and indestructibility, essentially offering a two-for-one scenario where you decrease an opponent’s board presence while maintaining your own.

Resource Acceleration: Although Geth’s Verdict doesn’t directly offer traditional resource acceleration, its low mana cost allows you to effectively manage your resources. It frees up your mana to deploy other strategies or hold up additional interaction, keeping you ahead in the resource game.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of instant speed gives Geth’s Verdict a tactical edge. You can disrupt opponent’s strategies at critical moments, such as in response to effects that would make a creature indestructible or during the combat phase to remove an attacker or blocker, making it an invaluable tool in maintaining tempo and control during a game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Geth’s Verdict can sometimes put a strain on your strategic reserves. While it does not require a card to be discarded, the need to maintain sufficient hand size to support its sacrifice mechanic can influence your discard choices throughout the game, especially in formats where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Geth’s Verdict demands a dedicated mana setup, specifically two black mana. This requirement can potentially make the card less flexible, as it ties up resources that could be used for a more diverse spell lineup within a multicolored deck framework.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two black mana, Geth’s Verdict is priced at the higher end for single-target removal effects. Despite its ability to make an opponent sacrifice a creature, it competes with a plethora of one-mana removal spells, which might make it a less favorable choice in fast-paced games or in decks looking for the most efficient mana-to-effect ratio.

Reasons to Include Geth’s Verdict in Your Collection

Versatility: Geth’s Verdict is a highly adaptable card, seamlessly slotting into various black-based control and sacrifice decks. Its ability to force an opponent to sacrifice a creature while also losing life makes it a solid inclusion for disruption and removal strategies.

Combo Potential: This instant synergizes well with decks that capitalize on your opponents sacrificing creatures. It can trigger morbid abilities, complement attrition strategies, or be combined with cards that penalize your opponent whenever they lose a creature or life.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where players often rely on a single powerful creature or hexproof is prevalent, Geth’s Verdict shines by circumventing targeted removal’s shortcomings. It disrupts a variety of decks and remains a relevant sideboard choice in diverse MTG metagames.

How to beat

Geth’s Verdict is a black instant that can be a thorny card to navigate in a game of Magic: The Gathering. This spell forces a player to sacrifice a creature and lose one life, making it a utilitarian tool for disrupting your opponent’s board state, especially when they’ve committed to maintaining a single powerful creature on the battlefield.

But how do you outmaneuver this forceful card? Firstly, diversifying your battlefield with multiple creatures can minimize the impact of Geth’s Verdict. Having tokens or expendable creatures in play almost turns the potency of this card into a mere tickle. Additionally, employing instant-speed spells or abilities that can create creatures can help replace the sacrificed creature before significant damage is done.

Another effective tactic is to anticipate this removal spell and hold back on casting your most valuable creatures until the path is clear. Cards that grant you hexproof as a player, such as Leyline of Sanctity, can prevent Geth’s Verdict from targeting you altogether. By staying mindful and prioritizing a proactive defensive strategy, you can mitigate the effects of Geth’s Verdict and maintain your position in the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Geth's Verdict MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia and The List, 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 Geth's Verdict and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Geth's Verdict Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-05-13 and 2011-05-13. Illustrated by Whit Brachna.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2011-05-13	New Phyrexia	NPH		61	2003	Normal	Black	Whit Brachna
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		NPH-61	2003	Normal	Black	Whit Brachna

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Geth's Verdict has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2011-06-01	As long as the player is a legal target when Geth’s Verdict resolves, that player loses 1 life even if they didn’t sacrifice a creature (most likely because they didn’t control any).