Animus of Predation MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Avatar |
| Released | 2016-08-26 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Conspiracy: Take the Crown |
| Set code | CN2 |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 60 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Richard Wright |
Text of card
Draft Animus of Predation face up. As you draft a card, you may remove it from the draft face up. (It isn't in your card pool.) If you removed a creature card with flying from the draft with cards named Animus of Predation, Animus of Predation has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, and vigilance.
Cards like Animus of Predation
Animus of Predation springs to life from the vast card ecosystem in Magic: The Gathering, bringing unique charm to your creature lineup. It echoes the lauded mechanics of cards like Cairn Wanderer or Odric, Lunarch Marshal, which harness the abilities of other creatures. Yet, Animus of Predation offers a twist: it allows you to draft it with the capabilities of your choice, endowing it with tailored versatility from the get-go.
As we parallel Animus of Predation with Cairn Wanderer, both share the penchant for collecting keywords, but while the Wanderer scavenges these from the graveyard, Animus of Predation preemptively adopts abilities during the draft. On the other hand, Odric, Lunarch Marshal redistributes shared keywords among your creatures at the beginning of each combat, promoting a varying dynamic, whereas Animus of Predation keeps the acquired abilities in a constant state, accentuating individual strength over collective strategy.
Scrutinizing the battlefield’s demands, Animus of Predation carves a solid standing within the MTG realm. Its draft-focused attribute acquisition offers a tailored approach, cementing its role as a formidable and adaptable force in any player’s arsenal.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Animus of Predation, gaining abilities from creatures in the graveyard translates into a form of card advantage. This unique ability allows the card to become an increasingly potent threat every time you draft a creature with the keywords in a draft or sealed event, effectively utilizing multiple cards’ worth of abilities in one.
Resource Acceleration: While Animus of Predation doesn’t directly provide mana, it can put you ahead by packing multiple creatures’ worth of value into a single card. This can lead to efficient use of resources, as you need to cast fewer creatures to develop a formidable presence on the board.
Instant Speed: Although Animus of Predation itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to collect keywords such as flash from other creatures means it can potentially adopt instant-speed characteristics. This gives players the option to surprise opponents by turning it into an unpredictably quick threat under the right conditions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Among the drawbacks, Animus of Predation comes with an inherent discard requirement to leverage its full potential. When you need to maintain a substantial hand size to respond to the evolving game state, this can inadvertently weaken your strategic position.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting Animus of Predation necessitates a dedicated color commitment, which is green. This requirement can sometimes prove to be restrictive, especially in multi-colored decks where achieving the perfect mana balance is already a challenging task.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although its ability to adopt various keywords from creatures you own that are exiled might seem appealing, Animus of Predation has a relatively high mana cost for such a conditional payoff. In a game where tempo plays a critical role, investing five mana into a single creature card can set you back, particularly when facing decks that thrive on efficiency and lower-cost creatures.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Animus of Predation offers a level of personalization rarely seen in other cards. Its ability to adopt various keywords from cards in your graveyard allows it to fit seamlessly into diverse deck strategies and adapt to different gameplay situations.
Combo Potential: Given its capacity to gain keywords, Animus of Predation can create powerful synergies with cards designed to fill the graveyard or manipulate it. This elevates its potential within combo-heavy decks that thrive on card interactions.
Meta-Relevance: The constantly evolving MTG landscape requires cards that can cope with new threats and strategies. Animus of Predation’s adaptability makes it a robust contender in various metagames, capable of matching pace with the shifting dynamics of competitive play.
How to beat
Animus of Predation is a unique creature card that sets its sights on acquiring abilities from other cards in your draft pool. With its adaptive nature, it can become an overwhelming force by collecting keywords such as flying, first strike, or lifelink long before it enters the battlefield. To triumph over this multifaceted predator, a strategic approach is required.
One effective tactic is to limit the keywords that Animus of Predation can accumulate. This means prioritizing the draft of cards that grant powerful abilities or removing creatures with essential keywords from the game quickly. Another strategy is to make use of removal spells. Instant-speed spells like Path to Exile or Terminate can dispatch Animus of Predation regardless of how many abilities it has, as long as you act before it becomes too large of a threat.
Diving deeper into control, countering the creature when it’s cast is another unyielding defense. Prepare with counterspells like Negate or Cancel, which can thwart the card entirely. Lastly, never underestimate the power of board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation to reset the playing field when facing a buffed Animus of Predation. In summary, a combination of preemptive drafting, tactical removal, and counterspells will keep this daunting creature at bay.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Animus of Predation MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown, 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 Animus of Predation and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Animus of Predation has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Animus of Predation card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-08-23 | If a card you remove requires you to reveal it as you draft it, do so and follow any additional instructions it may have related to drafting it. However, if a card you remove instructs you to draft it face up, it has no effect while face up and can’t be turned face down to use an ability. |
| 2016-08-23 | Some cards allow you to exile other cards you’ve drafted that aren’t in your deck before the game starts. Cards you removed from the draft with Animus of Predation can’t be exiled this way because they aren’t in your card pool. |
| 2016-08-23 | The last ability of Animus of Predation functions only if Animus of Predation is on the battlefield. For example, Animus of Predation is not a creature card with flying in your library or graveyard. |
| 2016-08-23 | You can remove from the draft any card you draft after Animus of Predation. |
| 2020-01-24 | If one of those creature cards has one or more variants of the listed keywords (for example, hexproof from white), this creature gains those specific variants. |
Guide to Vigilance card ability
In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.