Heartless Summoning MTG Card


Heartless Summoning - Innistrad
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment
Released2011-09-30
Set symbol
Set nameInnistrad
Set codeISD
Number104
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byAnthony Palumbo

Key Takeaways

  1. Substantially lowers creature casting costs, facilitating tempo gains and a quicker board presence.
  2. Demands strategic deck design around its power and toughness reducing trade-off.
  3. Shines in its ability to complement and enable intricate creature-based combos.

Text of card

Creature spells you cast cost less to cast. Creatures you control get -1/-1.

"They won't be winning any beauty pageants, but they'll do the trick." —Enslow, ghoulcaller of Nephalia


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Heartless Summoning grants a valuable reduction in creature casting costs, enabling a more efficient use of your hand by allowing players to deploy creatures for significantly less mana. This results in a tempo gain and the potential to draw and play more cards in the long run.

Resource Acceleration: With a two-mana cost reduction on creature spells, Heartless Summoning acts as a powerful engine for resource acceleration. This effectively turns every creature in your hand into a more accessible threat and can swing the game in your favor by enabling a faster board presence.

Instant Speed: Although Heartless Summoning is an enchantment that does not operate at instant speed itself, the mana efficiency it provides can free up mana for other instant speed interactions within your turn or reserve resources for reactive plays during your opponent’s turn, therefore indirectly promoting versatility and strategic depth in gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The ability to rapidly deploy creatures at a reduced mana cost from Heartless Summoning comes at a real cost. Your summoned minions bring diminished power to the battlefield, reducing their impact and durability which could be critical in tight situations.

Specific Mana Cost: Heartless Summoning’s restrictive black color mana cost necessitates a dedication to black or a robust mana base. This specialization may not synergize with multicolor decks focusing on varied mana requirements and, as a result, could limit deck-building flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a two black mana investment, Heartless Summoning occupies a turn where you might otherwise develop your board presence or respond to threats. In faster paced games or matches against aggressive decks, this can be a considerable drawback as it might not instantly affect the board state.


Reasons to Include Heartless Summoning in Your Collection

Versatility: Heartless Summoning is a powerful card that can alter the dynamics of creature-based decks, reducing mana costs and enabling faster plays. Its potential extends across various deck themes, making it a valuable asset for different strategies.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent value for triggering intricate combos. With reduced creature costs, players can more easily chain actions and optimize high-cost creatures, potentially leading to game-winning situations.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where speed can be a defining factor, Heartless Summoning holds its ground. Adapting to numerous metagame shifts, it maintains its significance by allowing players to outpace opponents with formidable creature plays at a lower cost.


How to beat

Heartless Summoning is known for its capacity to cheapen the cost of creature spells, allowing for a quicker deployment of heavy-hitting creatures on the battlefield. However, its drawback reduces the creatures’ toughness, which can be turned to your advantage. Fighting against a deck that incorporates this enchantment requires a strategy that focuses on swiftly removing creatures as they hit the board. Due to the reduction in toughness, spells that deal damage or can give -1/-1 to creatures become significantly more potent, so stocking your deck with such spells can level the playing field.

Tactics such as board wipes or spot removal can be particularly effective as they can eliminate creatures before the opponent can capitalize on the summoning cost reduction. Additionally, enchantment removal is crucial to strip your opponent of the summoning advantage altogether. Focusing on these strategies can disrupt the tempo and game plan of a Heartless Summoning deck, shifting the match in your favor by exploiting the inherent risk the card presents to those who wield it.


BurnMana Recommendations

Heartless Summoning has been a topic of fascination for MTG enthusiasts, showcasing both ingenuity in deck construction and a daring playstyle. Whether you’re stepping up your game in competitive matches or just sculpting the perfect creature-centric deck, the inclusion of Heartless Summoning can be a game-changer. Not only does it offer the brilliant combo potential and adaptability across different deck types, but its synergy with a variety of MTG cards also elevates its appeal. If you’re interested in incorporating this unique card into your arsenal, or simply exploring similar strategies in depth, we encourage you to continue your journey with us. Let’s optimize your deck together to seize an undeniable edge in your next MTG showdown.


Cards like Heartless Summoning

Heartless Summoning is a unique spell that has carved its niche within Magic: The Gathering creature strategies. This enchantment reminds MTG players of comparable cost-reduction cards such as Nether Void, which also alters the cost of playing creature spells. However, Heartless Summoning not only reduces the cost of creature spells by two mana but also subtracts one from their toughness and power, pushing players towards a risk-reward deck-building approach.

In contrast, we see Urza’s Incubator, which shares the trait of decreasing creature spell costs. Although it lacks the intrigue of Heartless Summoning’s potential downside, it provides a focused cost reduction for a chosen creature type. Another card worth mentioning is Semblance Anvil. Like Heartless Summoning, it reduces casting costs, but at the expense of exiling a card from your hand, creating a strategic choice for the player.

Through thoughtful comparison, Heartless Summoning stands out by offering a tantalizingly low casting cost for creatures, spurring players to innovate with powerful, high-cost creatures. It profoundly shapes the dynamic of a game, setting the stage for an explosive playstyle distinct within Magic: The Gathering’s vast array of cost-altering spells.

Nether Void - MTG Card versions
Urza's Incubator - MTG Card versions
Semblance Anvil - MTG Card versions
Nether Void - Legends (LEG)
Urza's Incubator - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Semblance Anvil - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

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

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Brain Maggot - MTG Card versions
Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions
Oversold Cemetery - MTG Card versions
Lingering Death - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Fear - Tenth Edition (10E)
Warp Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Deathgrip - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Blight - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Animate Dead - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Seizures - Ice Age (ICE)
Leshrac's Sigil - Ice Age (ICE)
Lim-Dûl's Hex - Ice Age (ICE)
Dance of the Dead - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Enfeeblement - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Oath of Ghouls - Exodus (EXO)
Despondency - Urza's Saga (USG)
Insubordination - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Chains of Mephistopheles - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Brain Maggot - Historic Anthology 2 (HA2)
Aphemia, the Cacophony - Theros Beyond Death Promos (PTHB)
Oversold Cemetery - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Lingering Death - Scourge (SCG)

Where to buy

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

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Heartless Summoning has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 The first ability doesn’t reduce any colored mana requirements of the creature spell.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks