Summoning Trap MTG Card

Summoning Trap can swiftly alter the game by putting creatures into play without their mana cost. This instant-speed spell thrives in green decks, countering control strategies with clever timing. It’s essential in metas with high counterplay, surprising opponents and maintaining tempo.

Zendikar (ZEN)
2009-10-02 - Number 184

Summoning Trap - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)

Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
2017-03-17 - Number 139

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant — Trap

Text of card

If a creature spell you cast this turn was countered by a spell or ability an opponent controlled, you may pay rather than pay Summoning Trap's mana cost. Look at the top seven cards of your library. You may put a creature card from among them onto the battlefield. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

Cards like Summoning Trap

Summoning Trap is an intriguing element within the array of creature cheats in Magic: The Gathering. It sits alongside cards like Chord of Calling, a card that allows players to search for a creature and put it directly onto the battlefield. However, while Chord of Calling requires tapping creatures and paying G for each of your creature’s converted mana cost, Summoning Trap bypasses the mana cost entirely if a creature spell you’ve cast was countered.

Another kindred spirit to Summoning Trap is the card Elvish Piper, which enables you to put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield for a single green mana. It requires the Piper to be untapped, which limits the timing compared to the Trap’s instant-speed surprise. Then we look at Quicksilver Amulet, an artifact putting creatures onto the battlefield bypassing their costs. However, the Amulet commands a steady four mana each activation, whereas Summoning Trap could potentially be free and offers the excitement of delving into the top cards of your library.

Comparatively, Summoning Trap offers the benefit of unpredictability and a backup plan against opponents’ countermeasures, distinguishing itself in a realm where strategic creature deployment can tip the scales of a Magic: The Gathering match in dramatic fashion.

Cards similar to Summoning Trap by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Summoning Trap provides an opportunity to dig deep into your library, potentially putting a creature card directly onto the battlefield. This can effectively bypass the need to draw and play the creature normally, saving time and resources while still maintaining your hand size.

Resource Acceleration: The card excels in enabling large, expensive creatures to be played much earlier than usual. In situations where your creature spell is countered by an opponent, Summoning Trap can be cast for free, allowing for an unexpected acceleration in your board presence without spending additional mana.

Instant Speed: The power of instant speed spells in MTG cannot be understated, and Summoning Trap is no exception. Being able to cast it during an opponent’s turn adds a layer of strategy, as you can wait for the optimum moment to surprise your opponent with a potentially game-changing creature.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Summoning Trap, while not requiring a discard, does necessitate a creature spell being countered by an opponent. This may not align with strategic plays, especially in matchups where countering is uncommon.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specific mana requirement of six, including one green, this spell can be restrictive in multi-color decks that may struggle to consistently generate the necessary green mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost of six mana is significant, and for that investment, players might expect an immediate game-changing impact. In faster-paced games, the high mana cost can be a detriment, overshadowing the potential benefits of cheating a creature onto the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Summoning Trap offers flexibility to green-centered decks, providing an instant-speed response to counter an opponent’s move while potentially deploying a formidable creature directly onto the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card can serve as an engine in creature-based combos, giving you the chance to play expensive creatures for free and synergize with effects that trigger upon casting creature spells.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta with heavy use of counter-magic, Summoning Trap becomes a strategic sideboard option, allowing green-based decks to bypass controls and maintain a competitive edge. Its capacity to cheat out high-impact creatures can be a game-changer in the right environment.

How to beat

Summoning Trap, an intriguing card in MTG, often catches players off guard with its ability to potentially put a creature card from the top of your library onto the battlefield for free. Understandably, this can result in a sudden shift in the battlefield’s balance, particularly when a powerful creature enters the fray without its mana cost being paid. To overcome the advantage Summoning Trap provides, it’s essential to plan ahead.

Counterplay involves a strategic approach, and one effective method is utilizing spells or abilities that can manipulate the opponent’s library, thereby reducing the odds of retrieving a high-impact creature. Additionally, hand disruption techniques can preemptively remove the trap from their grasp. As an alternative, applying pressure to bait the trap early on, before the opponent’s library is enriched with creatures or their mana is sufficient to cast it, can be a highly beneficial tactic.

Mindful gameplay and observation of your opponent’s patterns can provide cues about when they might have Summoning Trap at the ready. By staying one step ahead, you can manage the situation effectively and mitigate the element of surprise that makes Summoning Trap a game-changer.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Summoning Trap MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Modern Masters 2017, 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 Summoning Trap and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Summoning Trap Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2017-03-17. Illustrated by Kieran Yanner.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2009-10-02	Zendikar	ZEN		184	2003	Normal	Black	Kieran Yanner
2	2017-03-17	Modern Masters 2017	MM3		139	2015	Normal	Black	Kieran Yanner

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Summoning Trap has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2009-10-01	Casting a Trap by paying its alternative cost doesn’t change its mana cost or converted mana cost. The only difference is the cost you actually pay.
2009-10-01	Effects that increase or reduce the cost to cast a Trap will apply to whichever cost you chose to pay.
2009-10-01	If there are seven or fewer cards in your library, you’ll look at all of them.
2009-10-01	You may ignore a Trap’s alternative cost condition and simply cast it for its normal mana cost. This is true even if its alternative cost condition has been met.