Ghost VacuumHow it works & interactions with other cards

Sucking Up the Dead

The first ability of Ghost Vacuum allows you to tap it to exile any target card from any graveyard. This is a repeatable effect that does not require mana, making it an efficient tool for stopping recursion strategies. Note that it tracks which cards it has exiled specifically; if the vacuum leaves the battlefield and returns, it becomes a new object and will not 'remember' cards exiled by its previous existence.

The Grand Release

The second ability is a high-cost maneuver that requires six mana, tapping the artifact, and sacrificing it. When this resolves, every creature card exiled with this specific Ghost Vacuum returns to the battlefield under your control. Every returning creature gains a flying counter and becomes a 1/1 Spirit, though they retain all their other card types and original abilities.

Timing and Restrictions

While exiling cards can be done at instant speed to disrupt an opponent's spell, the second ability can only be activated as a sorcery. This means you must activate it during your own main phase when the stack is empty. Additionally, because the creatures become 1/1 Spirits, any base power and toughness they had previously will be overwritten, though they can still be boosted by +1/+1 counters or other anthems.

Interaction examples

Fueling the Machine

Sol Ring

With Sol Ring on the battlefield, you have the extra mana needed to reach the six-mana activation cost of Ghost Vacuum much faster. You can use Ghost Vacuum each turn to exile a creature from an opponent's graveyard, and then use Sol Ring to help pay for the final sacrifice cost to bring those creatures back as your own 1/1 Spirits.

Fixing the Mana for Spirits

Arcane Signet

If you are playing a multi-colored deck, Arcane Signet ensures you have the correct mana colors for other spells while Ghost Vacuum focuses on board presence. When you activate Ghost Vacuum's second ability, the creatures return as 1/1 Spirits with flying; the Arcane Signet remains on the battlefield to help you cast more spells to support your new aerial army.