Glissa's Retriever 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
Haste, toxic 3 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get three poison counters.) This creature can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less. Corrupted — When this creature dies, exile it. When you do, return up to X target cards from your graveyard to your hand, where X is the number of opponents who have three or more poison counters.
Complete guide
Glissa's Retriever is a powerhouse for Phyrexian-themed decks, combining aggressive evasion with a powerful recursion engine. This creature doesn't just threaten a quick victory through poison; it ensures that even in death, it brings back your most valuable resources.
Toxic and Evasion
Glissa's Retriever comes with Haste and Toxic 3, meaning it can immediately strike a player to apply three poison counters. Crucially, it has a built-in evasion clause: it cannot be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less. Note that if a creature with power 3 or greater blocks it, reducing that blocker's power mid-combat will not undo the block.
Understanding the Corrupted Trigger
The Corrupted ability is a two-step process. When Glissa's Retriever dies, the first part of the ability triggers and exiles it. Once it is exiled, a second 'reflexive' triggered ability goes on the stack. This is the moment you choose your targets. The number of cards you can return (X) is determined by how many opponents currently have three or more poison counters.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that Toxic replaces damage. In reality, the player takes both the life loss from the creature's power and the poison counters. Additionally, players often try to target cards in the graveyard as soon as the creature dies. Remember, you must wait for the exile effect to resolve before choosing targets for the return-to-hand effect.
When to Play It
Due to its high mana cost and Haste, this is best used as a mid-to-late game finisher or a recovery tool. If you have already applied poison to multiple opponents, playing Glissa's Retriever allows you to pressure their life totals while setting up a massive graveyard recursion if your opponent decides to trade creatures with it.
Interaction examples
Glissa's Retriever
Avenger of ZendikarIf your opponent has at least three poison counters, you can attack with Glissa's Retriever. If it dies in combat, the Corrupted ability triggers. First, exile the Retriever. Then, the reflexive ability triggers, allowing you to target and return a card like Avenger of Zendikar from your graveyard to your hand to rebuild your board state.
Poison Counter
Seedborn MuseIn a Commander game, if two different opponents have at least three Poison Counter each, Glissa's Retriever's X value becomes 2. When the Retriever dies and is exiled, you can return both Seedborn Muse and another key card from your graveyard to your hand simultaneously.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Glissa's Retriever
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
After Glissa's Retriever has become blocked by a creature with power 3 or greater, reducing the blocking creature's power won't cause Glissa's Retriever to become unblocked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You don't choose a target for Glissa's Retriever's last ability at the time it triggers. Instead, a second "reflexive" ability triggers when you exile it. You choose a target for that ability as it goes on the stack. Each player may respond to this triggered ability as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action and doesn't use the stack. In other words, it happens immediately and players can't respond to it, just like a player losing the game due to having 0 or less life.
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Toxic doesn't change the amount of combat damage a creature deals. For example, if a 2/2 creature with toxic 1 deals combat damage to a player, that creature will deal 2 damage. The results of that damage are the player loses 2 life and gets a poison counter.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with toxic deals combat damage to a creature or planeswalker, or if it deals noncombat damage, toxic has no effect and no player gets poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Damage dealt by a creature with toxic grants the same number of counters regardless of how much damage is dealt. Notably, if a replacement effect modifies the damage in some way (such as that of Gratuitous Violence), the number of counters given remains unchanged.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Conversely, replacement effects that apply to the number of counters put on a player can modify the counters placed this way. For example, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider's last two abilities can apply to counters placed this way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple instances of toxic are cumulative. For example, if a creature has toxic 2 and gains toxic 1 due to another effect, combat damage that creature deals to a player will cause that player to get 3 poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Glissa's Retriever
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.