While yesterday’s MTG Star Trek spoilers focused on Scene Box, Stardates, and Federation Fleet reveals, cards from the main set kept trickling onto the internet. Among them is a new legendary artifact with one of MTG’s most powerful land-related abilities. Given that, it’s no wonder Genesis Device is getting so much hype.
Genesis Device MTG
Genesis Device’s big draw is its second ability, which offers players a delayed Scapeshift for five mana. At first glance, this effect may not seem like much, but Scapeshift has created multiple archetypes in both Pioneer and Modern.
Whether you find Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and a bunch of Mountains in Modern or Historic, or Lotus Field and Port of Karfell in Pioneer, resolving a Scapeshift literally ends the game on the spot. Since Scapeshift already wins the game on turn four in both Modern and Pioneer, Genesis Device can easily do the same.
In all of these formats, Genesis Device gives you extra copies of these combo decks’ signature cards, significantly increasing consistency. If that weren’t enough, Genesis Device ramps on entry by finding a Basic Land or a Planet card, making your Scapeshift play even deadlier.
This is particularly strong in Modern Amulet Titan lists, which also routinely play Scapeshift nowadays, since the searched lands will generally enter untapped.
For Modern, in particular, Genesis Device is an even bigger deal than expected because it offers Scapeshift on a permanent. This allows Modern all-star Malevolent Rumble, a heavily played card in all of Modern’s Scapeshift variants, to put Genesis Device into your hand.
You can otherwise use Karn, the Great Creator to fetch Genesis Device out of your sideboard, or you can cast it from your graveyard with cards like Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Kethis, the Hidden Hand. This could let Genesis Device create an entirely new archetype, but it will likely just upgrade existing Scapeshift strategies.
While all of this is quite exciting, there is a catch. Because Genesis Device’s Scapeshift is a sorcery speed effect, your opponent will always have a window to remove it in response to Device’s entry trigger. Artifact and enchantment removal is also popular in Modern right now thanks to the Basking Broodscale
Basking BroodscaleDevoid (This card has no color.)
{1}{G}: Adapt 1. (If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on this creature, you may create a 0/1 colorless Eldrazi Spawn creature token with "Sacrifice this token: Add {C}." combo, so facing down removal with Genesis Device is likely.
That said, Amulet Titan in particular already runs tons of must-kill artifacts and enchantments, like Amulet of Vigor and Urza’s Saga
Urza’s Saga(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains "{T}: Add {C}."
II — This Saga gains "{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost {0} or {1}, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle., so Genesis Device just taxes Modern’s existing removal even harder and isn’t really a liability. This could mean Amulet Titan becomes a top-tier strategy again, but it’s too early to call.
Beyond Modern
Despite Modern being the most exciting place for Genesis Device, it still has potential in other 60-card formats. In Pioneer, Genesis Device is arguably even more important, giving the Scapeshift Combo archetype much-needed consistency.
Right now, the deck’s weakness to hand disruption is a big part of what holds Scapeshift combo back, as it can be hard to recover from getting a Scapeshift Thoughtseized. With eight copies of Scapeshift, however, this is less of a concern.
Even in Standard, Genesis Device has some terrifying implications in decks like Mono-Green Landfall. For example, cracking this card with a Sapling Nursery in play can create a lethal board out of nowhere.
You can also just outright win the game with Tifa Lockhart in play, as five Landfall triggers pushes her power to 32. Since Genesis Engine ramps on entry, you can pull this off on turn four quite easily.
Meanwhile, in Historic, Genesis Device gives Gruul Valakut decks a similar opportunity, letting them play up to eight copies of their most important spell. While this gives the archetype a boost, it’s hard to know how it will affect Historic as a whole.
With almost no data, it’s hard to tell what is popular in Historic and how Gruul Scapeshift competes. If fast decks like Storm and Prowess rule the roost, for example, Gruul Scapeshift will be too slow for Genesis Device to matter.
MTG Genesis Device in Commander
While Genesis Device is exciting for constructed MTG players, Landfall decks in Commander will also want a copy.
At a baseline, this can get popular Ramp Commanders like Tatyova, Benthic Druid or Aesi Tyrant of Gyre Strait
Aesi Tyrant of Gyre StraitYou may play an additional land on each of your turns.
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may draw a card. out a turn early when dropped on curve, before generating tons of Landfall triggers in the late game. Bonus points if you’re running Game Changer Field of the Dead to drop a ton of Zombies into play.
Going even further, Genesis Device is also fantastic in sacrifice Commander decks like Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
Korvold, Fae-Cursed KingFlying
Whenever Korvold enters or attacks, sacrifice another permanent.
Whenever you sacrifice a permanent, put a +1/+1 counter on Korvold and draw a card. as a draw engine. Hearthhull, the Worldseed is another incredible home for Genesis Device, since it can outright kill an opponent when Hearthhull is fully Stationed.
The absolute best home for this card, however, is likely Toph, the First Metalbender Commander decks. Because Toph sees artifacts as lands, you can Earthbend Genesis Engine and recur it after you use its Scapeshift ability. This also means you can sacrifice your nontoken artifacts to Genesis Device, too, absolutely flooding the board with lands.
With its competitive and Commander appeal, tons of players are excited about what Genesis Device can do. Scapeshift currently has a massive secondary market value of $41, too, so Genesis Device could get quite expensive over time if it isn’t reprinted.
With that in mind, it may be in your best interest to pick up some Genesis Device cards once MTG Star Trek hits shelves.
Stick with us here at dev.mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!
