Jackal, Genius Geneticist
Legendary Creature — Human Scientist Villain
Trample
Whenever you cast a creature spell with mana value equal to Jackal's power, copy that spell, except the copy isn't legendary. Then put a +1/+1 counter on Jackal. (The copy becomes a token.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #15733
Jackal, Genius Geneticist puts a +1/+1 counter engine on the board the moment it enters, and every creature with counters it makes or touches feeds back into that engine. The cost is real — a three-mana 2/2 that needs counters already in motion to snowball — but in the right shell, Wildwood Scourge turns every trigger into a free pump.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Jackal, Genius Geneticist is a role-player in dedicated +1/+1 counter builds, not a staple — it needs a critical mass of counters already flowing to justify the slot. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, it's too fragile and too slow for a three-mana 2/2 without immediate board impact; counter synergy decks there have faster engines. Standard is the most hospitable non-Commander environment if a critical counter package coexists in the meta, but even there it competes with more efficiently statted threats. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in it whatsoever.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Jackal, Genius GeneticistWildwood ScourgeEgo Erasure
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature token
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, Jackal, Genius Geneticist is firmly bulk — easy to pick up and low-risk to test. The price is unlikely to move unless a competitive counter synergy emerges in a 60-card format, which makes it a fine spec in cardboard but nothing to chase down.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.