Necrogenesis MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Necrogenesis offers board presence by converting graveyard creatures into Saprolings at instant speed.
  2. Requires specific mana types and a creature card discard, adding a strategic cost to its use.
  3. Strategically valuable for its graveyard disruption and token generation synergies in relevant metagames.

Text of card

: Remove target creature card in a graveyard from the game. Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play.

"Those may be the squirms of one life ending or of another beginning. Either way, I'd leave it alone." —Rakka Mar


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Necrogenesis enables the conversion of creatures in graveyards into valuable Saproling tokens, potentially shifting the board state in your favor. This recycling of resources can keep your side of the battlefield populated and pressure on your opponent even if your library isn’t yielding new creatures.

Resource Acceleration: By using Necrogenesis, each spent mana can result in the creation of a 1/1 creature token. This consistent output of tokens enhances your ability to swarm the battlefield, thereby accelerating your resource development and giving you the means to leverage greater power as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: With the ability to activate at instant speed, Necrogenesis provides flexibility, allowing you to react to graveyard strategies at the most opportune moments. This can be especially disruptive after an opponent has filled their graveyard, potentially looking to capitalize on it themselves.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Necrogenesis card requires players to discard a key creature card to fuel its ability, which can be a strategic setback, especially if your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: Necrogenesis has a split mana cost that demands both green and black mana, limiting its integration in decks that are not Golgari-aligned or multicolor friendly.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that necessitates two specific types of mana plus an activation fee, the card’s overall mana investment is significant when compared to other options that may create creatures or utilize the graveyard for a lower investment.


Reasons to Include Necrogenesis in Your Collection

Versatility: Necrogenesis offers a unique flexibility to decks, providing a steady way to deal with creature cards in graveyards. It’s a solid fit for strategies keen on controlling the board or benefiting from graveyard manipulation.

Combo Potential: This card can fuel your synergies by creating Saproling tokens. Its potential extends when paired with cards that thrive on creature tokens or benefit from creatures dying, as it creates and sacrifices Saprolings consistently.

Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard-based strategies often recur in the meta, having Necrogenesis can become an essential tool for disrupting opponents’ plans while advancing your own board state. Its relevance increases in environments where graveyard interaction is key.


How to beat

Necrogenesis is a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering, known for its efficient graveyard utilization. Unlike some other graveyard interaction cards that aim for a large, one-time effect, Necrogenesis takes a more incremental approach. It allows players to exile a creature card from a graveyard and create a 1/1 green and black Saproling creature token in the process, thus slowly building an army while also diminishing opponents’ resources.

To counteract the steady advantage that Necrogenesis offers, it’s critical to implement a strategy that reduces its effectiveness. Graveyard hate cards, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void, can be excellent tools for this purpose as they can proactively remove multiple targets from graveyards or even prevent cards from hitting the graveyard in the first place, nullifying the potential for those Saprolings to ever sprout. Fortunately, these cards are beneficial in a broad array of matchups, meaning that dedicating sideboard space to them can be a strategic decision that extends beyond just dealing with Necrogenesis. In essence, properly timing these disruptive spells can be key to stunting the growth offered by Necrogenesis and maintaining control of the board state.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into your MTG prowess by mastering Necrogenesis. This formidable card offers a multitude of strategies for the savvy player, be it converting graveyard stashes into a bustling army of Saprolings or disrupting opponents’ grand graveyard plans. While weighing its slightly higher mana cost against its capacity to alter the battlefield, the strategic benefits become clear. If you’re looking to fortify your Golgari deck, disrupt graveyard play, or simply enjoy a swarm strategy, Necrogenesis stands ready to bolster your lineup in unexpected ways. Unearth more insights and strategies to optimize your gameplay with this intriguing card. Embark on this enchanting journey with us and reinvent your deck with a touch of graveyard magic.


Cards like Necrogenesis

Necrogenesis is a unique enchantment that finds its niche within graveyard interaction strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Similar to Scavenging Ooze, Necrogenesis offers a method to exile creature cards from graveyards, although Scavenging Ooze provides the benefit of gaining life and becoming a larger threat on the battlefield. Unlike Scavenging Ooze, Necrogenesis consistently converts exiled creature cards into Saproling tokens, offering a steady stream of creatures for only two mana.

On the other hand, Night Soil is another card that exiles creatures from graveyards to create Saprolings. It’s cheaper in mana cost but requires the exile of two creatures for one Saproling, making Necrogenesis the more mana-efficient option for token generation. Additionally, there’s Mortician Beetle which, while it doesn’t directly interact with graveyards, thrives in a similar deck style by growing in power with each creature death, leveraging the tokens spawned by Necrogenesis for an increasing presence on the board.

Assessing their roles in deck construction, Necrogenesis proves to be a versatile tool, especially in metagames heavy with graveyard tactics. Its ability to both disrupt opponent strategies and bolster one’s board with expendable tokens endows it with a significant edge in games emphasizing incremental advantages.

Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Night Soil - MTG Card versions
Mortician Beetle - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Night Soil - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Mortician Beetle - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Necrogenesis by color, type and mana cost

Dark Heart of the Wood - MTG Card versions
Squandered Resources - MTG Card versions
Insidious Roots - MTG Card versions
Dark Heart of the Wood - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Squandered Resources - Visions (VIS)
Insidious Roots - Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Necrogenesis MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Commander 2011, 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 Necrogenesis and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Necrogenesis Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2016-11-11. Illustrated by Trevor Claxton.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 1812003normalblackTrevor Claxton
22011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 2122003normalblackTrevor Claxton
32015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 1812015normalblackTrevor Claxton
42016-11-11Commander 2016C16 2152015normalblackTrevor Claxton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Necrogenesis has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 If the targeted card is removed from the graveyard before the ability resolves, the ability doesn’t resolve. You won’t get a Saproling token.

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