Summary Judgment MTG Card
2019-01-25 - Number 24
2024-01-12 - Number 27
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Addendum |
Text of card
Summary Judgment deals 3 damage to target tapped creature. Addendum — If you cast this spell during your main phase, it deals 5 damage to that creature instead.
Any challenge to Azorius authority is met with swift and potent retribution.
Cards like Summary Judgment
Summary Judgment has secured its place in the Magic: The Gathering set of removal spells, and with good reason. At its core, it resonates with cards like Lightning Strike or Searing Spear, all capable of dealing 3 damage to any target. The standout trait of Summary Judgment is its Addendum mechanic, offering a potential damage increase to 5 if cast during your main phase. This additional damage eclipses the static 3 damage from the other spells mentioned but comes with the condition of targeting tapped creatures only.
Comparatively, we look at Condemn, which also addresses creatures in combat, much like Summary Judgment. Condemn shuffles the offending creature into its owner’s library instead of dealing damage but doesn’t offer the flexibility of being a damage-dealer outside of combat scenarios. Conversely, Swift Response deals with tapped creatures by destroying them outright, akin to the high-damage output of Summary Judgment during your main phase, yet it lacks the ability to be utilized at instant speed for immediate board impact.
Overall, Summary Judgment offers a unique balance as a removal choice in Magic: The Gathering, efficiently combining conditional high-damage output with the versatility of instant-speed play, setting it slightly apart from its peers in the removal spell category.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Summary Judgment can potentially remove an opponent’s creature from the battlefield, which in turn can lead to card advantage by dealing with a threat without losing a card from your hand.
Resource Acceleration: While Summary Judgment doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana, it helps maintain tempo by efficiently dealing with attackers or blockers for a low mana cost, allowing you to allocate resources elsewhere.
Instant Speed: The ability of Summary Judgment to be cast at instant speed provides flexibility, enabling you to react to threats on your opponent’s turn or end step, maximizing the effectiveness of your mana usage throughout the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One key drawback of Summary Judgment is the absence of a discard mechanic which could synergize with graveyard strategies, potentially limiting its tactical uses in certain decks.
Specific Mana Cost: This card has a specific mana requirement of one white mana. This can be restrictive for multicolored decks and potentially problematic when you’re missing the necessary white mana sources during critical turns.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana, Summary Judgment might seem affordable, but considering its limited utility against only tapped creatures, it can be less appealing compared to other more versatile and immediate removal options available at a similar cost.
Reasons to Include Summary Judgment in Your Collection
Versatility: Summary Judgment offers a flexible solution for creature control, capable of being slotted into a variety of White decks. It can deal with early threats efficiently and, under the right circumstances, handle larger creatures later in the game.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies involving spells with Addendum, allowing you to extract more value during your main phase. It can also complement a deck that focuses on instant-speed interactions, keeping the board clear for your key plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-heavy decks often populate the meta, Summary Judgment can be a timely addition. It’s especially relevant in a game state with numerous aggressive creatures or against decks that rely on specific creature combos to win.
How to beat
Summary Judgment is a removal spell in the white repertoire that shines in both flexibility and efficiency. It’s a card that many players incorporate into their decks for its potential to disrupt opponents’ strategies by dealing with problematic creatures. One key feature is its ability to deal extra damage if the target creature is tapped, serving as a potent deterrent against aggressive decks.
To counteract Summary Judgment, it’s essential to focus on keeping your creatures either untapped or under hexproof to avoid becoming vulnerable to the spell’s increased damage during your attacking phase. Moreover, employing creatures that are indestructible or have regeneration capabilities can help safeguard your board presence against such removal spells; this ensures that even if targeted, your creatures can withstand or immediately recover from the encounter. Additionally, playing around with your opponent’s expectations and baiting out removal on less critical creatures can effectively preserve your key players for more impactful turns.
Ultimately, understanding the timing and selective nature of Summary Judgment equips players with the knowledge to navigate around this potent spell, minimizing its impact and maintaining a robust stance on the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Summary Judgment MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance and Ravnica Remastered, 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 Summary Judgment and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Summary Judgment Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Deruchenko Alexander.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-01-25 | Ravnica Allegiance | RNA | 24 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Deruchenko Alexander | |
| 2 | 2024-01-12 | Ravnica Remastered | RVR | 27 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Deruchenko Alexander |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Summary Judgment has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Summary Judgment card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-01-25 | Addendum abilities of instant spells apply while the spell is resolving, not immediately after casting it. If the spell is countered, you don’t get the addendum bonus. For example, if you cast Sphinx’s Insight during your main phase, you gain 2 life during its resolution, after you draw two cards. |
| 2019-01-25 | If a spell with an addendum ability is copied, the copy won’t give you the addendum bonus. This is because the copy wasn’t cast at all. |