Geth's Summons and the Creature Combat Equation

Geth's Summons and the Creature Combat Equation

In TCG ·

Geth's Summons artwork from Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Geth's Summons in Creature Combat Math

When a black sorcery steps onto the battlefield in a Commander format, it’s not just about tempo or raw card advantage—it’s about recalibrating the entire creature-combat equation. Geth's Summons, a rare from Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander, costs {2}{B}{B} and asks you to weigh value against a potentially shifting board state. Its straightforward base effect—return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield—provides a reliable swing back into the action. But the real heartbeat of the card is its corrupted mode, which scales with the poison-counter landscape your opponents have accumulated. 🧙‍♂️🔥

What the card does, in plain terms

  • Mana cost and color: {2}{B}{B} — a sturdy commitment for a black-tempo or reanimation-focused strategy.
  • Type and rarity: Sorcery, rare, from Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC). The black mana identity shines as you navigate the graveyard and your opponents’ graves alike.
  • Base text: Return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That’s a clean, midrange-friendly reanimation effect that can swing board presence immediately.
  • Corrupted mechanic: For each opponent who has three or more poison counters as you cast this spell, put up to one target creature card from that player's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.

Corrupted and the math of multiple graverobberies

Corrupted is where the math gets spicy. In a multiplayer setting, you can potentially pull creatures from several different graveyards—one from each opponent who meets the 3+ poison-counter threshold at the moment you cast. That means if you’re facing two opponents both sitting at three or more poison counters, Geth's Summons can reanimate up to two creatures, effectively giving you double-dipping value from a single spell. And because you’re controlling those reanimated creatures, you’re not simply regaining lost tempo—you’re reintroducing threats that can swing quickly in the next combat step. ⚔️

Think about the tempo, too. For a deck built around reanimation and value, returning a late-game beater or a protection-friendly critter back into play can close out stalled boards. The corrupted clause also incentivizes pressing your advantage when your opponents are unhealthy, turning poison counters into a resource that compounds your combat math. It’s a compelling reminder that card design in black isn’t just about “how much can I draw.” It’s about “how much impact can I leverage from the graveyard and the pile of state-based decisions across multiple players.” 💎

Practical deck-building notes

  • Graveyard resilience: Geth's Summons rewards decks that fuel a robust graveyard ecosystem. Include ways to fill your graveyard and protect key targets so you can reliably fetch a package of creatures when you cast it.
  • Corrupted timing: Because the corrupted condition checks opponents’ poison counters at casting time, you’ll want to read the table. If you’re about to cast this spell and no opponent has three counters yet, you’ll still get the base reanimation—so you’re not banking all your hopes on corruption, but it’s the cherry on top when the situation aligns.
  • Target selection: Prioritize targets with immediate impact on combat—powerful bodies that threaten the board or provide crucial blockers. If you can snatch a high-value creature from an opponent’s graveyard via corruption, that adds a layer of mind games to who controls which threats on the battlefield.
  • Interaction with removal and hate: Be mindful of graveyard hate effects from opponents. A well-timed Geth's Summons can offset a single removal spell, but you’ll want redundancy in a long game. Pair it with other engines that refill your graveyard to keep the cycles going.

Flavor, art, and the design ethic

The artwork by Johann Bodin captures the eerie, biomechanical flavor of Phyrexia in a moment where life’s remnants are stepping back onto the battlefield. The interplay between reanimation and corruption embodies the ONC Commander theme—a tribe of dark resilience that thrives on the threshold between death and return. For players who love the “long game” of MTG lore, Geth's Summons feels like a ritual: you gather the scattered echoes of fallen creatures and, when the moment is right, press them back into service with malice and precision. 🎨

From a design perspective, the card is a handsome study in resource conversion. The base effect is clean and widely applicable; the corrupted line adds a dynamic, strategic layer that rewards table read and political play. In commander circles, where players tilt the board toward a dramatic finish, Geth's Summons becomes a reliable engine for late-game resilience and surprising swings. ⚔️

And let’s be real—there’s a jolt of nostalgia in seeing a creature you once commanded rejoin the fray, especially when the surprise factor comes from hijacking an opponent’s graveyard for your own advantage. It’s the kind of moment MTG fans crave: clever sequencing, strong thematic ties, and a dash of dramatic payoffs. 🧙‍♂️💎

Collectibility and setting context

As a rare in the ONC Commander subset, Geth's Summons sits at an interesting intersection of play value and collectibility. The set’s black mana identity, the “Corrupted” mechanic, and the cross-player graveyard interactions create a distinctive niche that resonates with reanimator and graveyard-centric decks alike. Whether you’re chasing EDH flavor, narrative flair, or just a potent removal-and-return spell, this card offers a clear payoff for invested players.

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Geth's Summons

Geth's Summons

{2}{B}{B}
Sorcery

Return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Corrupted — For each opponent who has three or more poison counters as you cast this spell, put up to one target creature card from that player's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.

ID: 9cdab166-c0d2-45c4-8326-f4670cd7efd4

Oracle ID: c345be5e-243d-44c8-a7c7-280bdb235223

Multiverse IDs: 605693

TCGPlayer ID: 478550

Cardmarket ID: 693310

Colors: B

Color Identity: B

Keywords: Corrupted

Rarity: Rare

Released: 2023-02-10

Artist: Johann Bodin

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 7800

Set: Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (onc)

Collector #: 11

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — not_legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.64
  • EUR: 0.38
  • TIX: 1.89
Last updated: 2025-11-16