Genesis is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature is in your graveyard, you may pay. If you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Complete guide
Genesis is a legendary Incarnation that provides immense value to your late-game strategy. While it is a creature you can cast, its true power is realized when it is resting in your graveyard, acting as a recurring engine for your fallen threats.
Resting in the Graveyard
Genesis features a triggered ability that only functions while the card is in your graveyard. At the very start of your upkeep, the game checks if Genesis is in your graveyard. If it is, the ability triggers and goes on the stack, allowing you to choose a target creature card in your graveyard to potentially return to your hand.
Paying the Price
The ability uses an 'intervening if' clause. This means Genesis must be in the graveyard both when the upkeep begins and when the ability resolves. Upon resolution, you choose whether to pay {2}{G}. You do not make this payment when the ability is put on the stack; you decide only as it resolves. If you pay, the targeted creature card moves from your graveyard to your hand.
Timing and Targets
Because this happens during your upkeep, you cannot use the creature you just returned during your draw step. However, you will have the card in hand for your main phase. Note that Genesis can actually target itself with its own ability, allowing you to return it to your hand if you need a 4/4 body on the battlefield.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is forgetting that Genesis must stay in the graveyard for the ability to work. If an opponent exiles Genesis in response to the trigger, you won't be able to pay the mana or return a creature. Additionally, if the targeted creature card is removed from the graveyard before the ability resolves, the entire ability fails and you cannot pay the mana at all.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWith Genesis and Solemn Simulacrum both in your graveyard, your upkeep begins. Genesis triggers, targeting Solemn Simulacrum. You pay {2}{G} and return the Golem to your hand. During your main phase, you cast Solemn Simulacrum to ramp a land. When it eventually dies, you draw a card, and the cycle can repeat next turn.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield and you chose 'Incarnation' as it entered, it will not affect Genesis while Genesis is in the graveyard. The Throne's ability only doubles triggers of creatures you control on the battlefield. Since Genesis is in the graveyard, it is a creature card, not a creature you control, so you only get one recursion trigger per upkeep.
If Genesis is your only creature in the graveyard, you can target Genesis itself with its own upkeep trigger. By paying {2}{G}, you move Genesis from your graveyard to your hand. This is useful if you have plenty of mana and need a blocker or a way to trigger creature-cast effects.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Genesis
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Fauna Shaman + Timestream Navigator + Genesis
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Genesis triggers, causing you to pay
to return it from your graveyard to your hand. - 2Activate Timestream Navigator by paying
, tapping it, and putting it from the battlefield onto the bottom of your library, causing you to take an extra turn after this one. - 3Activate Fauna Shaman by paying , tapping it and discarding Genesis, searching your library for Timestream Navigator and putting it into your hand.
- 4Cast Timestream Navigator by paying
. - 5Repeat each turn.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Genesis.
Look at the top five cards of your library. Put any number of permanent cards from among them onto the battlefield and the rest into your hand. Exile Genesis Ultimatum.
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after IV.) I, II, III — Create a 3/3 black Dalek artifact creature token with menace for each lore counter on Genesis of the Daleks. IV — Target opponent faces a villainous choice — Destroy all Dalek creatures and each of your opponents loses life equal to the total power of Daleks that died this turn, or destroy all non-Dalek creatures.
Search your library and graveyard for a card named Forest, a card named Brambleweft Behemoth, and a card named Nissa, Genesis Mage. Reveal those cards, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
When Genesis Device enters, search your library for a basic land card or Planet card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. {3}{G}{G}, {T}, Sacrifice Genesis Device: Sacrifice any number of lands you control, then search your library for up to that many land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery.
Genesis Effect deals 6 damage to target creature. Destroy target land you control. Create a tapped Planet land token named New Planet with "{T}: Add one mana of any color."
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Genesis
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.