Summoning Station MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact
Released	2004-06-04
Set symbol
Set name	Fifth Dawn
Set code	5DN
Number	158
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Stephen Tappin

Key Takeaways

Delivers continuous board presence without expending more cards from your hand.
Can accelerate resource pool, integral in artifact or sacrifice-focused decks.
Generates tokens useful as blockers or in response to instant effects.

Text of card

: Put a 2/2 colorless Pincher creature token into play. Whenever an artifact is put into a graveyard from play, you may untap Summoning Station.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Summoning Station offers a unique form of card advantage by generating creature tokens. Each turn, it can create a Pincher token, effectively translating into a steady stream of board presence without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: By producing a 2/2 creature every turn, this artifact can fuel strategies that tap creatures for benefits or sacrifice creatures for value, accelerating your resource pool. Plus, in tandem with other permanents, it can become a key component in assembling a powerful combo.

Instant Speed: Although Summoning Station itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it generates tokens that can be surprisingly useful during the opponent’s turn. They can emerge as blockers or in response to effects that require creatures at a moment’s notice, keeping opponents on their toes and maximizing your board state at any instant.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Summoning Station doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, it’s often part of decks that utilize discarding as a mechanic to activate various effects. This can be counterproductive if you find your hand empty or important cards inadvertently discarded.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning Station has a colorless mana cost of seven, which is somewhat specific in the sense that it requires a significant amount of resources to cast. This can be restrictive for decks that are mana-hungry or that aim to operate more efficiently on the curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The seven mana needed to deploy Summoning Station is high in comparison to other artifacts or cards with impactful abilities. This hefty investment can slow your tempo, especially in formats where speed is crucial.

Reasons to Include Summoning Station in Your Collection

Versatility: Summoning Station can seamlessly integrate into a variety of deck archetypes, particularly those looking to capitalize on artifact synergies or incremental creature production. Its ability to create a 2/2 creature token each turn provides both a defensive and offensive advantage, adaptable to multiple game situations.

Combo Potential: This card shines in its uncanny ability to create infinite combos with other cards, such as those that untap artifacts or use token creatures to fuel game-winning mechanisms. The pinwheels of strategy it opens up are almost endless, inviting creative deck builders to explore its potential.

Meta-Relevance: In game metas where artifacts play a significant role, Summoning Station proves its worth by allowing players to stay ahead in the creature count, maintaining a strong board presence. This can be critically important against control decks that aim to limit creatures on the battlefield.

How to beat

Summoning Station is a unique artifact card that can create an overwhelming board presence in Magic: The Gathering. It thrives in decks that capitalize on untap synergies, producing a steady flow of 2/2 artifact creature tokens. To counter this prolific token generator, consider disruption via artifact removal. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can efficiently dismantle the Station before your opponent amasses an army. Alternatively, creature sweepers like Wrath of God remove the tokens as quickly as they are created, neutralizing the immediate threat.

Paying attention to the Station’s trigger is also crucial. Since it activates whenever another artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, keep a keen eye on your opponent’s plays that can loop this effect. Counter spells like Negate, when timed right, can intercept key combo pieces that rely on this trigger, breaking the token-making chain. Spot removal, like Path to Exile, can also be a sound strategy against the token creatures themselves if your opponent leverages them for aggressive plays.

Ultimately, removing the Summoning Station or disrupting its synergistic components should be the focus, ensuring the artifact doesn’t convert into a decisive advantage for the opponent. By handling it promptly, you maintain control of the game’s pace and prevent your adversary from leveraging its full potential.

Cards like Summoning Station

The allure of Summoning Station within Magic: The Gathering is its unique ability to generate Pincher creature tokens. Looking at cards with a comparable function, Myr Turbine is one that stands out. Both create creature tokens, yet Myr Turbine specifically churns out Myr tokens and also offers utility by fetching Myr cards from your deck. Unlike Summoning Station, the Turbine doesn’t have the potential to create a token each turn, but its synergy with Myr cards can be a powerful asset in dedicated Myr decks.

Another kindred spirit in the token-producing arena is Thopter Assembly. At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no Thopters, Thopter Assembly returns to your hand and produces five colorless Thopter creature tokens with flying. This is a vastly different approach compared to Summoning Station’s one token per turn, providing a more immediate board presence but at a higher cost and with conditional activation.

When weighing their roles in deck building, Summoning Station holds a unique spot. It can be a consistent token generator in various artifact-centric strategies, notably potent in combination with cards that untap artifacts. Its sustained output of creature tokens can be leveraged turn after turn, distinguishing it among MTG’s inventive token creation options.

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

Mishra's War Machine - MTG Card versions

Death-Mask Duplicant - MTG Card versions

Pilgrim of the Fires - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Summoning Station MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn, 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 Station and other MTG cards: