Shadow Summoning
Sorcery
Create two tapped 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #10916
Shadow Summoning puts a token copy of every Spirit you control onto the battlefield — at instant speed, for two mana — which is a lot of board presence for a very low ask. King of the Oathbreakers turns each of those copies into a lord-buffed threat, making Shadow Summoning one of the most efficient mass-doubling effects the archetype has access to.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
King of the Oathbreakers
Shadow Summoning is a staple in King of the Oathbreakers decks because doubling your Spirit tokens at instant speed means every token already buffed by the King's passive becomes a second attacker or blocker for two mana — often at end of an opponent's turn before your swing.
Thalisse, Reverent Medium
Thalisse, Reverent Medium triggers at end of turn for every token created that turn, so Shadow Summoning cast during your main phase can set off a second wave of Thalisse triggers — the token copies count as new tokens entering, not duplicates of existing ones.
Silverquill, the Disputant
Silverquill, the Disputant rewards building wide with tokens that carry counters, and Shadow Summoning doubles the headcount at instant speed — the copies enter without +1/+1 counters, but they're still fodder for sacrifice payoffs or combat math opponents can't plan around.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Shadow Summoning does its real work — Spirit tribal is a recognized archetype, and mass token-copying at instant speed is exactly the kind of burst that decides board stalls in multiplayer. In Legacy and Vintage, Shadow Summoning is technically legal but has no competitive home; the effect is too slow and narrow for formats that end the game before a Spirit board develops. Oathbreaker is the other format worth noting: King of the Oathbreakers is a legal oathbreaker there, and Shadow Summoning shows up as a signature spell in that pairing.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Shadow Summoning is firmly bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that pulls real weight in Spirit-token decks. Bulk rares with narrow but deep synergy like this tend to stay cheap unless the archetype breaks wide, so grab copies now if you're building.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.