Crater Elemental MTG Card
2015-03-27 - Number 132
2015-03-28 - Number 132s
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Abilities | Formidable |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 6 |
Text of card
, , Sacrifice Crater Elemental: Crater Elemental deals 4 damage to target creature. Formidable — : Crater Elemental has base power 8 until end of turn. Activate this ability only if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater.
Cards like Crater Elemental
Crater Elemental comes with a unique set of abilities that give it a distinct position among creatures in Magic: The Gathering. A card that comes to mind in comparison is Frostburn Weird, which also allows flexible manipulation of its power at a cost. While Frostburn Weird provides a more controlled power boost for each mana invested, Crater Elemental demands a larger, lump-sum sacrifice to truly unleash its potential. Unlike Frostburn Weird, Crater Elemental can become a significant threat if its formidable ability to increase power is activated.
Looking elsewhere, we encounter the likes of Barrage of Boulders. This card, similar to Crater Elemental, can affect the playing field with its ability to potentially change combat dynamics. However, Crater Elemental allows for a more permanent board presence and can serve as a deterrent to attackers, thanks to its potential 8/6 presence after sacrificing another creature. In contrast, Barrage of Boulders provides an immediate one-time effect that can clear out smaller creatures.
Each of these MTG cards presents unique tactical advantages. Crater Elemental, with its latent powerhouse ability, stands out as a creature that can both intimidate and require careful strategic consideration from opponents, marking its value in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Crater Elemental by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Crater Elemental can set up situations that may lead to card advantage through its ability to discourage opponents from attacking. When it becomes a sizable threat, opponents might be forced to use their removals imprudently, saving your more valuable cards from being targeted.
Resource Acceleration: While Crater Elemental itself doesn’t produce extra mana or resources, it has the potential to act as a resource acceleration by protecting your key creatures and lands from attacks, indirectly preserving the resources needed to deploy your game plan.
Instant Speed: The ability to pump Crater Elemental’s power instantaneously offers the opportunity to surprise an opponent during combat. Although it activates at sorcery speed, its formidable activation at instant speed enables a tactical advantage that can shift board states in your favor, potentially saving your creature or taking out an opponent’s threat.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Crater Elemental features an ability that necessitates discarding another card as part of its activation cost. This can be a strategic setback, especially in situations where maintaining a full hand gives you the upper hand over the opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: This elemental requires a dedicated commitment of red mana to be cast. For players running multicolored decks, this can cause constraints in mana flexibility, potentially leading to missed opportunities for optimal plays elsewhere.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of three mana including two red, the Crater Elemental can be a hefty investment in the early game. Its ability costs are equally demanding, which might detract from its playability in comparison to other creatures in the same mana range that could offer immediate impact without additional investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Crater Elemental is a flexible addition to decks that can capitalize on its ability to become a formidable creature. Its utility as both a blocker and an activated-threat makes it fit well into various red strategies.
Combo Potential: Combining this elemental with ways to put +1/+1 counters on it or damage doublers can unexpectedly turn it into a powerhouse on the battlefield. Its sacrifice ability can also play a part in strategies focusing on creature-death triggers.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that is heavy on creature-based combat, Crater Elemental can act as a cost-effective answer to opposing threats. Its presence can shape the board, making it relevant in certain matchups where surprise damage or additional board control is needed.
How to beat
The Crater Elemental card in Magic: The Gathering poses a unique challenge with its potential to become a powerhouse. It starts out as a seemingly modest creature, but its ability to boost its power to a whopping 8/6 until end of turn makes it a daunting opponent. This ability, however, comes at the cost of sacrificing another creature which can be strategically leveraged to your advantage.
To navigate around this formidable elemental, consider using instant-speed removal spells that can intercept it before the power boost is utilized. Spot removal cards like Path to Exile or Doom Blade can be highly effective if timed correctly. Moreover, for those preferring to play around the Crater Elemental’s ability, employing effects that prevent your opponent from sacrificing creatures or that penalize them for doing so can significantly dampen the Elemental’s threat level.
Lastly, as the Crater Elemental relies on its activated ability to be a real threat, cards that nullify activated abilities, such as Pithing Needle, can render it much less intimidating. Approaching the challenge with smart removals and disruption strategies can make facing down a Crater Elemental less of a volcanic eruption and more of a manageable tremor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Crater Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Dragons of Tarkir Promos, 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 Crater Elemental 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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Printings
The Crater Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2015-03-28. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-03-27 | Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | 132 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 2 | 2015-03-28 | Dragons of Tarkir Promos | PDTK | 132s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Crater Elemental has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Crater Elemental card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | Crater Elemental’s last ability overrides all previous effects that set its power to a specific value. Other effects that set its power to a specific value that start to apply after the ability resolves will override this effect. |
| 2015-02-25 | Effects that modify Crater Elemental’s power, such as the effects of Giant Growth or Hall of Triumph, will apply to it no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change its power (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness. |
| 2015-02-25 | If you control a creature with power less than 0, use its actual power when calculating the total power of creatures you control. For example, if you control three creatures with powers 4, 5, and -2, the total power of creatures you control is 7. |
| 2015-02-25 | Other formidable abilities are triggered abilities with an “intervening ‘if’” clause. Such abilities check the total power of creatures you control twice: once at the appropriate time to see if the ability will trigger, and again as the ability tries to resolve. If, at that time, the total power of creatures you control is no longer 8 or greater, the ability will have no effect. |
| 2015-02-25 | Some formidable abilities are activated abilities that require creatures you control to have total power 8 or greater. Once you activate these abilities, it doesn’t matter what happens to the total power of creatures you control. |