Polukranos, Unchained MTG Card


Polukranos Unchained commands the battlefield, providing valuable card advantage and recurring presence. Escape mechanic elevates graveyard cards to resource acceleration, enabling repeated plays. Versatile fighting ability allows strategic interactions during an opponent’s turn.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Zombie Hydra
Abilities Escape,Fight
Power 0
Toughness 0

Text of card

Polukranos enters the battlefield with six +1/+1 counters on it. It escapes with twelve +1/+1 counters on it instead. If damage would be dealt to Polukranos while it has a +1/+1 counter on it, prevent that damage and remove that many +1/+1 counters from it. : Polukranos fights another target creature. Escape—, Exile six other cards from your graveyard.


Cards like Polukranos, Unchained

Polukranos Unchained emerges as a unique monstrosity in the Magic: The Gathering arena, reminiscent yet distinctly different from its predecessor, Polukranos, World Eater. This fearsome creature carves out its niche with an escape mechanic, allowing it to return from the graveyard and become even larger than before. Polukranos, World Eater also boasts a formidable presence, with a monstrosity ability that requires a substantial mana investment upfront.

Within the same ecosystem, we find Hythonia the Cruel. This Gorgon also centers around monstrosity and board clearing capability. However, Hythonia requires a heftier mana investment to achieve its full potential, contrasting with Polukranos Unchained’s flexible reanimation that can be leveraged more than once. Verdurous Gearhulk is another creature card with the similar capacity to distribute +1/+1 counters across creatures. Yet, it lacks the recursion factor, positioning Polukranos Unchained as a more resilient selection in longer duels.

Thus, Polukranos Unchained holds an esteemed reputation amongst its monstrous kin, balancing a cocktail of durability, recurring threat, and board impact that establishes it as a formidable pick for any MTG player valuing resilience in their deck’s creature suite.

Polukranos, World Eater - MTG Card versions
Hythonia the Cruel - MTG Card versions
Verdurous Gearhulk - MTG Card versions
Polukranos, World Eater - MTG Card versions
Hythonia the Cruel - MTG Card versions
Verdurous Gearhulk - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Polukranos, Unchained. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Golgari MidrangeGolgari Midrange GladiatorGladiator Games: We're Back
Jund MidrangeJund Midrange GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League
Sultai TempoSultai Tempo GladiatorSword and Sandals Showdown: AM Week 08 2024
The RockThe Rock GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Polukranos Unchained enters the battlefield with six +1/+1 counters, providing a significant presence that demands an immediate answer from opponents. When it’s dealt damage, it may be reanimated for even more card value, ensuring you keep a formidable threat on the board.

Resource Acceleration: With its Escape mechanic, Polukranos Unchained leverages graveyard resources, offering you an accelerated use of available cards in your graveyard to bring this powerful creature back into play.

Instant Speed: Though Polukranos itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it allows you to interact on your opponent’s turn by threatening any attacking or blocking creature with its fight ability, making it a versatile card in response to your opponent’s actions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Polukranos Unchained comes with an escape mechanic which necessitates discarding other cards from your graveyard to bring it back into play. This requirement can potentially deplete valuable resources, leaving you with fewer options later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: This formidable creature requires a specific mana setup to cast—black and green. This can make it less flexible for players who are running multi-color decks that may not prioritize these particular mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, two of which are hybrid black/green, Polukranos Unchained demands a significant early game investment. For the same amount, other creatures or spells might provide immediate impact or value without the need for later investment or setup.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Polukranos Unchained slots easily into several deck archetypes due to its adaptable nature as both a formidable attacker and a defensive bulwark. Its ability to escape from the graveyard also ensures it can be a recurring threat throughout the game.

Combo Potential: With its ability to fight other creatures upon entering the battlefield or when it escapes, Polukranos paves the way for synergies with cards that benefit from creature deaths or graveyard strategies, amplifying its impact in a combo-focused deck.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, having a robust creature that can manage the board and withstand various removal spells is crucial. Polukranos Unchained holds its ground in environments heavy with creature-based strategies and persists against graveyard disruption, making it a resilient choice for current metagame trends.


How to beat

When facing a card as formidable as Polukranos Unchained in MTG, it’s vital to understand its mechanics to deploy an effective counterstrategy. The creature thrives on its ability to escape from the graveyard, becoming even mightier with more +1/+1 counters. One effective tactic is to limit graveyard interaction, thereby hindering its escape potential. Graveyard hate cards, like Tormod’s Crypt, can disrupt Polukranos’s revival by exiling the graveyard. Moreover, utilizing spells that exile rather than destroy can ensure Polukranos remains out of play, such as with Path to Exile.

Another method is to reduce the efficacy of its fighting ability. Providing your creatures with indestructible or using ones with death-touch can tilt combat situations to your favor. Alternatively, focus on control aspects like counterspells or bounce effects to keep Polukranos off the board or incapacitate it temporarily. Lastly, maximizing your win condition proactively can render Polukranos a non-threat as you assert your dominance on the game. In the arena, proper preparation can turn the boundless might of Polukranos Unchained into a manageable adversary on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the dynamic playstyles of MTG with a card like Polukranos Unchained. A behemoth in green and black decks, its reanimation and board presence can turn the tides of any match. If you’re keen to harness its power, make sure to weave in strategies that optimize its Escape mechanic and ensure your graveyard is a resource, not just a card cemetery. Setting-up mana bases and exploring synergies with other cards increases the potential of this leviathan even further. Curious about integrating Polukranos Unchained into your deck or wanting to discover complementary cards and strategies? Join us to expand your MTG expertise.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Polukranos, Unchained MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Theros Beyond Death, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Polukranos, Unchained and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Polukranos, Unchained Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2020-01-24. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 799312015NormalBlackChris Rahn
22020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 2242015NormalBlackChris Rahn
32020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 224s2015NormalBlackChris Rahn
42020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 224p2015NormalBlackChris Rahn
52020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 3422015NormalBlackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Polukranos, Unchained has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Polukranos, Unchained card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-01-24 After an escaped spell resolves, it returns to its owner’s graveyard if it’s not a permanent spell. If it is a permanent spell, it enters the battlefield and will return to its owner’s graveyard if it dies later. Perhaps it will escape again—good underworld security is so hard to come by these days.
2020-01-24 Escape’s permission doesn’t change when you may cast the spell from your graveyard.
2020-01-24 If a card has multiple abilities giving you permission to cast it, such as two escape abilities or an escape ability and a flashback ability, you choose which one to apply. The others have no effect.
2020-01-24 If a card with escape is put into your graveyard during your turn, you’ll be able to cast it right away if it’s legal to do so, before an opponent can take any actions.
2020-01-24 If an amount of damage would be dealt to Polukranos greater than the number of +1/+1 counters on it, all of that damage is prevented, and all of those counters are removed. In most cases, this will result in Polukranos having 0 toughness, so it will be put into its owner’s graveyard.
2020-01-24 If damage that can’t be prevented is dealt to Polukranos, the damage is dealt and you’ll simultaneously remove that many +1/+1 counters from it, all before the game checks for lethal damage.
2020-01-24 If the target creature is an illegal target when Polukranos’s activated ability tries to resolve, the ability doesn’t resolve. If Polukranos is no longer on the battlefield, the target creature won’t deal or be dealt damage.
2020-01-24 If you cast a spell with its escape permission, you can’t choose to apply any other alternative costs or to cast it without paying its mana cost. If it has any additional costs, you must pay those.
2020-01-24 Once you begin casting a spell with escape, it immediately moves to the stack. Players can’t take any other actions until you’re done casting the spell.
2020-01-24 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying (such as an escape cost), add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was and no matter whether an alternative cost was paid.