Genesis MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Incarnation
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Genesis recycles creatures from the graveyard, enhancing card advantage and strategic options every turn.
  2. Its instant-speed-like ability during upkeep adds surprise elements, enabling flexible strategic planning.
  3. Demands careful resource management due to its discard requirement and specific mana costs.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, if Genesis is in your graveyard, you may pay o G. If you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

"First through the Riftstone was Genesis—and the world was lifeless no more." —*Scroll of Beginnings*


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Genesis ensures a continual stream of creature cards from your graveyard to your hand each upkeep, offering a steady advantage over your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: This card effectively turns any creature card in your graveyard into a potential resource, accelerating your gameplay by giving you more options each turn.

Instant Speed: While Genesis itself isn’t an instant, its ability works during each upkeep, akin to instant speed effects, allowing you to benefit from its ability unexpectedly and plan your strategies more fluidly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Invoking Genesis at the battlefield comes with a prerequisite of discarding a card, posing a challenge when your hand is already short on options. This effect can pressure your resource management, especially during tight game moments when each card in hand counts toward a strategic advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Genesis commands a specific combination of mana to cast, requiring both green and other colors. This specificity can be restrictive, sculping its use primarily around multicolored or green-focused deck constructions and potentially excluding it from mono-colored or colorless strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its ability tethered to a substantial mana investment, Genesis may not always come into play swiftly. While its potential for recurring creature advantage from the graveyard is undeniable, the mana commitment could delay your gameplay or compete with other high-impact plays that may offer immediate board presence or game-changing effects.


Reasons to Include Genesis in Your Collection

Versatility: Genesis offers continual creature recursion for decks that utilize the graveyard. Its presence in your collection means you always have access to a powerful endgame tool for any green-based deck that benefits from creature return.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to repeatedly retrieve creatures from the graveyard each turn magnifies the value of creature-based combos or synergies, making it an engine for creating consistent, powerful effects on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game that often revolves around creature dynamics, Genesis maintains relevance by allowing players to maintain threats and recover key creatures after board wipes or removal—vital for keeping pace in shifting metas.


How to beat

Genesis is an MTG card that presents a unique challenge with its ability to recur creatures from the graveyard each upkeep, provided that it’s in the graveyard itself. Overcoming this card requires a strategy that hinders recursion or graveyard interactions. One approach is to deploy graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt, which can exile Genesis before it becomes a recurring issue. Another tactic is to keep graveyard shuffling effects at hand, such as with the card Bojuka Bog, which can unexpectedly remove Genesis and disrupt the opponent’s graveyard strategy.

Control decks can consider counterspells to prevent Genesis from ever hitting the battlefield, while aggressive decks might opt to apply pressure early on, limiting the chance for graveyard setup. Removing Genesis from the game entirely with exile effects ensures that its ability cannot be activated, which can be achieved through cards like Path to Exile or Scavenger Grounds. Taking into account the need to either preemptively counter or quickly respond to Genesis’s abilities, players should equip their decks with appropriate measures to ensure that this persistent threat doesn’t dominate the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG’s strategic depths can be as challenging as it is rewarding, especially when dealing with unique cards like Genesis. Its ability to retrieve creatures from the graveyard offers a persistent edge in the game, inviting creative deck-building and thoughtful gameplay. If you’re keen to optimize your MTG sessions and integrate cards like Genesis into your arsenal, joining our community opens up a world of insight. Discover comprehensive strategies, enhance your deck performance, and stay ahead of the curve in this ever-evolving game. Immerse yourself in learning and evolving with us, and watch your MTG expertise flourish.


Cards like Genesis

Genesis is a card that offers invaluable utility for players keen on leveraging their graveyard in Magic: The Gathering. It shares a thematic lineage with other graveyard-centric cards, such as Eternal Witness, which allows the retrieval of a card from the graveyard to your hand. Genesis, unique in its recurring ability, activates during the upkeep phase, permitting you to repeatedly return creature cards from your graveyard to your hand for further strategic play.

Another relative to consider is Regrowth, a classic that offers a broader selection by allowing the recovery of any card type from the graveyard. However, Genesis boasts a repeated use, as opposed to the single-instance utility of Regrowth. Seasoned players might also draw parallels with Sheoldred, the Whispering One, which operates similarly by resurrecting creatures during your upkeep, but it also compels your opponent to sacrifice creatures, presenting a two-fold advantage.

In examining these cards side by side, Genesis stands out for those focusing on sustained creature recovery tactics. Its specialty in offering repeatable effects makes it a unique card in Magic: The Gathering, positioning it as a potentially formidable asset in the right deck structure.

Eternal Witness - MTG Card versions
Regrowth - MTG Card versions
Eternal Witness - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Regrowth - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Genesis by color, type and mana cost

Thicket Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Cockatrice - MTG Card versions
Ironroot Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Elvish Bard - MTG Card versions
Durkwood Boars - MTG Card versions
Elven Riders - MTG Card versions
Redwood Treefolk - MTG Card versions
Spined Wurm - MTG Card versions
Rabid Wolverines - MTG Card versions
Deadly Insect - MTG Card versions
Vintara Elephant - MTG Card versions
Spring-Leaf Avenger - MTG Card versions
Okina Nightwatch - MTG Card versions
Primeval Force - MTG Card versions
Spitting Spider - MTG Card versions
Copperhoof Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions
Llanowar Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Bramble Elemental - MTG Card versions
Indrik Stomphowler - MTG Card versions
Thicket Basilisk - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Cockatrice - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Ironroot Treefolk - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Elvish Bard - Alliances (ALL)
Durkwood Boars - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Elven Riders - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Redwood Treefolk - Weatherlight (WTH)
Spined Wurm - Stronghold (STH)
Rabid Wolverines - Exodus (EXO)
Deadly Insect - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Vintara Elephant - Prophecy (PCY)
Spring-Leaf Avenger - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Okina Nightwatch - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Primeval Force - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Spitting Spider - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Copperhoof Vorrac - Mirrodin (MRD)
Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Llanowar Behemoth - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Bramble Elemental - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Indrik Stomphowler - Commander 2015 (C15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Genesis MTG card by a specific set like Judgment and World Championship Decks 2002, 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 Genesis and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Genesis Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2002-05-27 and 2022-11-02. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-05-27JudgmentJUD 1171997normalblackMark Zug
22002-08-14World Championship Decks 2002WC02 bk117sb1997normalgoldMark Zug
32002-08-14World Championship Decks 2002WC02 rl1171997normalgoldMark Zug
42010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A731997normalblackMark Zug
52014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 2122015normalblackMark Zug
62019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 1662015normalblackAlayna Danner
72022-11-02Secret Lair 30th Anniversary Countdown KitSLC 20022015normalborderlessMichael Hutter

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Genesis has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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