Feral Animist MTG Card
2006-02-03 - Number 112
2013-05-03 - Number 70
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Goblin Shaman |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
: Feral Animist gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is its power.
He chanted over a pot of boiling blood and honey. His brain buzzed like a nest of hornets, and his muscles rippled with the might of the bear.
Cards like Feral Animist
Feral Animist is a unique creature card that offers a distinct approach to powering up in combat within Magic: The Gathering. It bears some resemblance to cards like Savageborn Hydra, which also has the ability to increase its strength exponentially. Feral Animist’s ability to double its power reflects the Hydra’s flexible power growth, but without the counter-based mechanics.
Comparing with the likes of Clockwork Beast, another card that can boost its power, Feral Animist stands out due to its elemental synergy and its potential in multicolored decks. While Clockwork Beast can be a powerhouse, it doesn’t offer the consistent scalability of Feral Animist. Another counterpart is Heroes’ Bane, a creature that efficiently escalates its power and toughness but with a higher mana investment compared to the Animist’s guild-affiliated prowess.
Ultimately, Feral Animist shines in combat-heavy decks that aim to apply relentless pressure, especially when mana resources are plentiful. Its straightforward power amplification contrasts with the incremental growth and additional card interactions required by some other creatures, underlining its role as a dynamic force in the right MTG deck environment.
Cards similar to Feral Animist by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Feral Animist’s potential to grow exponentially with the mana you invest allows for significant damage output without needing to draw and play additional creatures. This card can impact the board significantly as a single threat, effectively saving cards in hand.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing resource acceleration, Feral Animist can be a beneficiary of ramp strategies. Pairing with cards that produce extra mana can turn it into a formidable attacker quickly, utilizing resources efficiently for a powerful offensive play.
Instant Speed: Its ability can be activated at instant speed, offering the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions. This makes Feral Animist unpredictable and can lead to favorable combat situations or surprise eliminations of opposing creatures or players when they least expect it.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Feral Animist demands a red and green mana to play, making it a tricky fit for decks not aligned with these mana colors, thereby limiting its versatility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Feral Animist’s ability can be powerful, its activation cost is substantial. Investing three mana into its ability for each use can quickly deplete your resources, which could be directed towards casting impactful spells or developing the board.
Discard Requirement: While Feral Animist doesn’t have a discard requirement, its inclusion in a deck might necessitate a more aggressive mulligan strategy to ensure the required mana is available, potentially leading to a smaller hand size and subsequent discards.
Reasons to Include Feral Animist in Your Collection
Versatility: Feral Animist operates well in multicolored decks, able to benefit from various mana enhancements. Its ability to scale its power provides flexible offensive capabilities at any stage of the game.
Combo Potential: This card thrives when paired with effects that double power and toughness, or with cards that grant additional combat phases, unleashing unexpected lethal attacks on opponents.
Meta-Relevance: As decks that focus on large, singular threats gain popularity, Feral Animist can become a key player, offering substantial power for its cost and potentially dominating less prepared adversaries.
How to beat
Feral Animist is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering with an ability to scale its power during the game. When facing this card, it’s crucial to disrupt the Animist before it turns into a significant threat. To effectively counter this card, one should consider removal spells that are mana-efficient and able to target creatures regardless of their size. Direct damage spells or exile effects, such as Path to Exile or Lightning Bolt, are adept at handling the Animist before it grows too powerful.
Moreover, it’s advantageous to manage the board state by keeping creature removal handy or utilizing control spells to prevent the Animist from activating its ability. Cards with deathtouch or those that force creatures to be sacrificed circumvent the Animist’s scaling prowess, as they aren’t reliant on the power or toughness of the creature they’re destroying. It’s important to evaluate the situation and decide quickly, as the longer Feral Animist remains on the board, the larger the risk it represents. Neutralizing it swiftly is the key to ensuring that it doesn’t overwhelm your defenses with its potential for exponential growth in power.
Knowing your opponent’s strategy and preparing your deck with answers to potential threats like Feral Animist is an essential tactic in Magic: The Gathering, ensuring that you maintain control of the game’s pace and ultimately garnering victory.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Feral Animist MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact and Dragon's Maze, 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 Feral Animist and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Feral Animist Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2013-05-03. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-02-03 | Guildpact | GPT | 112 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Ron Spears | |
| 2 | 2013-05-03 | Dragon's Maze | DGM | 70 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Dave Kendall |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Feral Animist has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Feral Animist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-04-15 | You don’t choose the value of X. The bonus Feral Animist gets is based on its power when the ability resolves. For example, if you activate the ability twice, the first ability will give it +2/+0 and the second one will give it +4/+0. |
| 2017-07-14 | If this creature’s power is negative as its ability resolves, X is considered to be 0. (This is a change from previous rulings.) |