Picture yourself back in 2007. You were pretty cringe back then. Don't worry, I know I was too. Magic: The Gathering had some cool stuff going on. Lorwyn had just released, and with it, the Evoke mechanic saw light for the first time. You probably know what's coming. That's right! I'm Luka Sharaska, and today we're discussing everything about the Evoke mechanic.

What is Evoke?

Evoke appears on creatures, specifically Elementals, and it allows you to cast that creature for an alternate, usually reduced, cost. The drawback is that the creature is sacrificed as soon as it enters the battlefield. Speaking of entering the battlefield, every single Evoke creature has an ability that triggers when it enters the battlefield, with the exception of those that trigger when those creatures leave the battlefield.

In short, if you use the Evoke cost, you get the effect for a cheaper cost, but you don't get the actual body associated with paying full price. If you're confused, don't worry. Below I've compiled a few helpful tips to make sure you've got what it takes to understand everything Evoke.

• Casting a creature using its Evoke cost is still casting a creature spell, meaning cards like Beast Whisperer will still trigger.
• When you cast a creature using its Evoke cost, if it has an 'enters' ability, you'll get to stack its Evoke trigger and 'enters' trigger in whichever order you wish once it enters. If it has a 'leaves' trigger, that won't happen until the Evoke has resolved.
• Cost-reducing effects like Urza's Incubator or Helm of Awakening do affect Evoke costs. For example, casting a Mulldrifter with Evoke while you have a Helm of Awakening on board will only cost two.
• Similarly, tax-effects like Sphere of Resistance will make Evoke costs more expensive. For example, casting a Shriekmaw with Evoke while a Sphere of Resistance will cost three.
• The mana cost of a creature cast using Evoke does not change, you are simply paying an alternate cost. For example, casting Solitude with Evoke while you have an Up the Beanstalk in play will still draw you a card because Solitude's mana cost is still five.
• Like most other alternate costs, you can't choose to Evoke a creature if you're using an effect that allows you to cast it without paying its mana cost. For instance, you cannot Evoke a Spitebellows for free using Omniscience.
• Evoke doesn't change the timing restrictions of creatures, so if it doesn't have Flash, you won't be using Evoke on opposing turns. Additionally, if a creature cast with Evoke somehow changes controllers before the sacrifice trigger resolves, the creature will still be sacrificed.
• And finally, you can, of course, respond to the sacrifice trigger. For instance, you can target a Mulldrifter cast with Evoke with a Not Dead After All while its sacrifice trigger is on the stack, and it will work exactly how you're hoping it will.

Now that we've covered the corner cases and rules, let's get into how these cards will actually play during a normal game of Magic.

How Good Is Evoke?

Evoke is pretty good. If you've played a lot of Magic, or any other card game, you probably know that reducing costs can be quite powerful, and Evoke is no exception to this. It shouldn't surprise you that multiple Evoke creatures have been staples in multiple formats.

In particular, the cycle of Elemental Incarnations (including Grief, Fury, Solitude, Subtlety, and Endurance) from Modern Horizons 2 have taken Modern by storm, giving a wide variety of decks access to incredibly powerful cards that can be cast for zero mana and easily recurred. It's all fun and games until someone Evokes a Grief and responds to the sacrifice trigger with Ephemerate.

Which Cards Have Evoke?

Beyond the aforementioned Modern Horizons 2 cycle, most Evoke cards were printed in Lorwyn and Morningtide, and the total number is about 30. That's not a lot of cards, but I can assure you that they've still left a lasting impact on competitive Magic. In fact, this small card pool means I can list almost every single one worth knowing about. Here goes!

• Endurance
• Foundation Breaker
• Fury
• Grief
• Ingot Chewer
• Meadowboon
• Mournwhelk
• Mulldrifter
• Night Incarnate (notably, not an Incarnation)
• Nulldrifter
• Offalsnout
• Reveillark
• Shriekmaw
• Solitude
• Spitebellows
• Subtlety
• Vesperlark
• Wavesifter
• Wistmare

How To Best Use Evoke Cards

From a Limited format perspective, Evoke cards are an excellent way of letting players have value in the early game when they have less mana to spend. In Constructed formats, the primary use of Evoke cards is abusing the cheap Evokecosts using cards like Ephemerate and Not Dead After All.

Even if you're not using spells to recur the creatures with sacrifice triggers on the stack, you can use cards like Reanimate or Raise Dead to rebuy those cheap Evoke effects. Just keep in mind that you can always cast Evoke creatures for full price once you have the mana.

That's All, Folks

From Mulldrifter to Spitebellows, we've covered almost all that Evoke has to offer. We'll be going back to Lorwyn soon enough, and I'm hoping we get a little more of this iconic ability. I've been Luka Sharaska, and I hope you've enjoyed this explanation of the Evoke mechanic.