Soul Salvage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides significant card advantage by returning creature cards from the graveyard to hand.
  2. Strategic play can enable comebacks, though requires graveyard setup for maximum effect.
  3. Despite mana cost, it’s a solid choice for decks leveraging creature revival for value.

Text of card

Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.

The first mistake the Grimnant knights made was bullying the owner of an Urborg corpse shop. Their second mistake was dying.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Soul Salvage lets you return up to two creature cards from your graveyard to your hand, offering a considerable card advantage especially in decks focused on recurring valuable creatures.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly increasing your mana pool, the ability to bring creatures back from the graveyard can accelerate your board presence without expending additional resources from your hand.

Instant Speed: Though Soul Salvage operates at sorcery speed, its strategic use during your main phase can set up protective plays or surprise comebacks during your next turn cycle, effectively positioning you ahead in terms of resource planning.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Soul Salvage allows you to return two creature cards from your graveyard to your hand, it does not come into play without the prerequisite of having such cards available to retrieve. In situations where your graveyard is lacking in creatures, this card becomes a dead draw.

Specific Mana Cost: Soul Salvage necessitates both black mana and generic mana, which could be prohibitive for multi-colored decks that struggle with consistent mana sources. Players must have access to black mana to utilize this spell, potentially restricting its use.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of two black mana and one generic mana, Soul Salvage can be somewhat costly for its effect, especially since it does not affect the board state immediately upon casting. For the same amount of mana, players might opt for spells that offer more immediate impact or versatility in gameplay.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Soul Salvage shines due to its flexibility in returning creatures from your graveyard to your hand. This utility makes it a useful addition to various deck archetypes, particularly those that hinge on graveyard strategies.

Combo Potential: Its ability to retrieve key combo pieces from the graveyard provides players with another layer of strategy, potentially turning the tides of a game by reusing powerful creatures or enabling intricate combinations.

Meta-Relevance: With recurring themes of graveyard manipulation and reanimation prevalent in many competitive formats, Soul Salvage holds its ground as a relevant card that can contend with current decks and recover valuable creatures after board wipes or removals.


How to beat

Soul Salvage is a noteworthy utility spell in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to return two creature cards from their graveyard to their hand. This card presents an interesting challenge for opponents as it can provide a significant card advantage and potential board presence revival for the player using it. To effectively counteract the benefits Soul Salvage offers, one must employ disruption tactics.

Graveyard hate cards such as Scavenging Ooze or Relic of Progenitus can ensure that the key creature targets are removed from the game altogether, rendering Soul Salvage ineffective. Additionally, casting spells like Thoughtseize can strategically discard Soul Salvage from an opponent’s hand before it can be used. Moreover, keeping the graveyard under control with cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can prevent not only Soul Salvage but also any other graveyard-based strategies an opponent might have up their sleeve.

Ultimately, understanding when to deploy these countermeasures is as crucial as the cards themselves. Proper timing can stifle an opponent’s recovery plays, and maintaining pressure can prevent them from finding an opportune moment to utilize their Soul Salvage effectively.


Cards like Soul Salvage

Soul Salvage is an intriguing spell that fits neatly into black’s theme of graveyard manipulation in Magic: The Gathering. Mechanics wise, it shares common ground with cards like Disentomb, which also allows players to return a creature from the graveyard to their hand. Soul Salvage, however, doubles the value by retrieving not one but two creatures. On the flip side, it comes at a higher mana cost compared to the more cost-efficient Disentomb.

Another relative in this category is Forever Young, which can potentially bring back a multitude of creatures to your deck rather than your hand. While it offers a different kind of deck manipulation by placing creatures on top of the library, it lacks the immediate hand advantage that Soul Salvage provides. Lastly, Macabre Waltz presents a similar effect, letting a player return two creatures to their hand but requiring them to discard a card in exchange, which can be seen as an upside or downside depending on the situation and deck strategy.

Each of these cards provides a unique angle to the strategy of resurrecting creatures from the graveyard. Soul Salvage stands out by offering a balance of quantity and immediate accessibility, making it a solid choice for decks that thrive on recurring creatures for continued value.

Disentomb - MTG Card versions
Forever Young - MTG Card versions
Macabre Waltz - MTG Card versions
Disentomb - Magic 2010 (M10)
Forever Young - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Macabre Waltz - Dissension (DIS)

Cards similar to Soul Salvage by color, type and mana cost

Darkpact - MTG Card versions
Demonic Attorney - MTG Card versions
Jovial Evil - MTG Card versions
Infernal Contract - MTG Card versions
Touch of Death - MTG Card versions
Wicked Pact - MTG Card versions
Nature's Ruin - MTG Card versions
Buried Alive - MTG Card versions
Choking Sands - MTG Card versions
Brush with Death - MTG Card versions
Perish - MTG Card versions
Coercion - MTG Card versions
Hand of Death - MTG Card versions
Grim Tutor - MTG Card versions
Forced March - MTG Card versions
Stupor - MTG Card versions
Soul Burn - MTG Card versions
Noxious Vapors - MTG Card versions
Mind Rot - MTG Card versions
Crippling Fatigue - MTG Card versions
Darkpact - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Demonic Attorney - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Jovial Evil - Legends (LEG)
Infernal Contract - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Touch of Death - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wicked Pact - Portal (POR)
Nature's Ruin - Portal (POR)
Buried Alive - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Choking Sands - World Championship Decks 1997 (WC97)
Brush with Death - Stronghold (STH)
Perish - The List (PLST)
Coercion - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Hand of Death - Starter 1999 (S99)
Grim Tutor - Starter 1999 (S99)
Forced March - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Stupor - Arena League 2000 (PAL00)
Soul Burn - Invasion (INV)
Noxious Vapors - Planeshift (PLS)
Mind Rot - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Crippling Fatigue - Hachette UK (PHUK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Soul Salvage MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria and Core Set 2020, 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 Soul Salvage and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Soul Salvage Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-04-27 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-04-27DominariaDOM 1042015normalblackDaarken
22019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 1162015normalblackDaarken
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2802015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Soul Salvage has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks