Verdant Succession MTG Card


Verdant Succession - Odyssey
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released2001-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameOdyssey
Set codeODY
Number280
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byEdward P. Beard, Jr.

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts battlefield presence by replacing green creatures that die with duplicates from the library.
  2. Keeps gameplay tempo by ensuring a steady stream of creatures without spending extra mana.
  3. Demands specific creature types in play for activations, restricting its flexibility in decks.

Text of card

Whenever a green nontoken creature is put into a graveyard from play, that creature's controller may search his or her library for a card with the same name as that creature and put it into play. If that player does, he or she then shuffles his or her library.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Verdant Succession significantly boosts your ability to maintain presence on the battlefield. When one of your green creatures dies, this aura allows you to replace it immediately by searching your library for a card with the same name and putting it onto the battlefield. This effectively negates your opponent’s attempts at diminishing your board presence and keeps your strategies uninterrupted.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of mana acceleration, Verdant Succession effectively accelerates your in-game resources by ensuring your key creatures are consistently present. It maintains the tempo of your gameplay, allowing you to stay ahead of your opponents by having a steady flow of creatures hitting the battlefield without spending additional mana.

Instant Speed: Although Verdant Succession is an enchantment that operates at sorcery speed, it enables instant-speed interaction by reacting to creature deaths, which can occur at any time. This interaction can catch opponents off guard, especially during their turn, potentially disrupting their strategies and swinging the momentum in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Verdant Succession requires you to maintain a specific creature type in play. Without one, this enchantment’s utility diminishes, as it cannot trigger its effect.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting cost is demanding, with a double green mana requirement. This restricts its inclusion primarily to mono-green or green-heavy decks, potentially limiting its versatility in a multi-color deck environment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of five mana, Verdant Succession is an investment that may not align with faster, more aggressive strategies. Its higher mana cost means it often competes with other impactful five-mana spells or creatures that could offer immediate board presence or effects.


Reasons to Include Verdant Succession in Your Collection

Versatility: Verdant Succession offers a unique effect, allowing you to replace a green creature that dies with a card of the same name from your deck. This card can be an asset in decks that favor creatures with the same name or use tokens, enhancing strategies built around specific creatures.

Combo Potential: This enchantment thrives in combination with cards that deliberately sacrifice creatures for greater benefits, or in conjunction with cards that duplicate creature names. The potential to chain creature effects and maintain board presence is immense, making it a combo enabler in green-focused decks.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-based strategies are prominent, Verdant Succession maintains your momentum by replacing key creatures as they are dealt with. Its presence can deter opponents from removing your creatures, hence shaping the battlefield to your advantage.


How to beat Verdant Succession

Verdant Succession is a unique green enchantment from the Odyssey set that poses an interesting challenge for MTG players. Its ability to fetch a creature card with the same name as one that dies from your library to the battlefield can enable repetitive creature play for you or an opponent. To effectively navigate against Verdant Succession, concentrate on removing the enchantment directly from play. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant are integral tools, as they can target problematic enchantments like Verdant Succession and eliminate them swiftly.

Alternatively, focus on exile effects to handle creatures, preventing Verdant Succession from triggering altogether. Cards such as Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares remove creatures from the game entirely, bypassing Verdant Succession’s ability to replace them. Additionally, graveyard disruption through cards like Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog can prevent Verdant Succession from functioning by removing potential creature targets. Keeping these tips in mind will help you maintain control in the face of this potent enchantment.


Cards like Verdant Succession

Verdant Succession holds a unique position in MTG’s ecosystem of green cards that focus on creature play. This enchantment allows players to replace a nontoken green creature with another card with the same name from their library when it dies, a feature reminiscent of the powerhouse card Green Sun’s Zenith. While Green Sun’s Zenith offers targeted tutoring from the library to the battlefield, Verdant Succession offers ongoing value upon death triggers. Yet, it lacks the immediate board impact of Zenith’s search and summon capability.

Lurking closely in functionality, we find cards like Pattern of Rebirth, which fetches a creature from the library to the battlefield on a creature’s demise. Though similar, Pattern of Rebirth is a one-time use, whereas Verdant Succession can potentially trigger multiple times. Doubling Season is another green card often associated with multiplying effects but focuses on tokens and counters rather than creature replacement, illustrating the specialized niche Verdant Succession occupies.

Verdant Succession’s ability to set up recurring creature-based strategies situates it as a green staple for decks that thrive on creature synergies. It may not have the universal appeal of some other tutor effects but in the right build, it’s a powerhouse.

Green Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Pattern of Rebirth - MTG Card versions
Doubling Season - MTG Card versions
Green Sun's Zenith - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pattern of Rebirth - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Doubling Season - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Verdant Succession by color, type and mana cost

Midsummer Revel - MTG Card versions
Saproling Burst - MTG Card versions
Nature's Revolt - MTG Card versions
Unnatural Growth - MTG Card versions
Glorious Sunrise - MTG Card versions
Centaur Glade - MTG Card versions
Doubling Season - MTG Card versions
Perilous Forays - MTG Card versions
Hibernation's End - MTG Card versions
Verdant Embrace - MTG Card versions
Tornado - MTG Card versions
Flourishing Defenses - MTG Card versions
Gigantiform - MTG Card versions
Vastwood Zendikon - MTG Card versions
Asceticism - MTG Card versions
Gutter Grime - MTG Card versions
Primal Vigor - MTG Card versions
Raised by Wolves - MTG Card versions
Dictate of Karametra - MTG Card versions
Sight of the Scalelords - MTG Card versions
Midsummer Revel - Urza's Saga (USG)
Saproling Burst - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Nature's Revolt - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Unnatural Growth - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Glorious Sunrise - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Centaur Glade - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Doubling Season - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Perilous Forays - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Hibernation's End - Coldsnap (CSP)
Verdant Embrace - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Tornado - Masters Edition (ME1)
Flourishing Defenses - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Gigantiform - Zendikar (ZEN)
Vastwood Zendikon - Jumpstart (JMP)
Asceticism - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Gutter Grime - Shadows of the Past (SIS)
Primal Vigor - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Raised by Wolves - Born of the Gods (BNG)
Dictate of Karametra - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Sight of the Scalelords - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Verdant Succession MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Verdant Succession and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Verdant Succession has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 You can choose not to find the card.
2008-08-01 If the creature was only a creature as the result of an animation effect, its controller still gets to search for a card with the same name. For example, if an animated Still Life is put into a graveyard, its controller gets to search their library for a card named Still Life.

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