Gruul Keyrune MTG Card

Gruul Keyrune serves as both ramp and a creature, ideal for adaptable battle strategies. Activating its creature form adds surprise defensive or offensive capabilities. Despite versatility, it’s restricted by specific mana needs and higher cost.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Gatecrash
Set code	GTC
Number	230
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Daniel Ljunggren

Text of card

: Add or to your mana pool. : Gruul Keyrune becomes a 3/2 red and green Beast artifact creature with trample until end of turn.

As perilous and unpredictable as the wilds themselves.

Cards like Gruul Keyrune

Gruul Keyrune is a versatile inclusion in decks that hinge on ramp and board presence within Magic: The Gathering. Its similarities to other mana artifacts like Izzet Keyrune are hard to miss. Both provide ramp by tapping for mana, but they diverge in secondary abilities. Gruul Keyrune transforms into a creature that’s capable of packing a significant punch possibly deterring opponents’ creatures from attacking.

Another card worth mentioning is Rakdos Keyrune, which also becomes a creature. However, while Rakdos Keyrune offers a different set of tactical advantages like deathtouch, it doesn’t provide the raw power that Gruul Keyrune can when it’s turned into a creature capable of dealing substantial damage. Simic Keyrune similarly turns into a creature, but one with hexproof, and taps for a different color combination compared to the Gruul’s signature red and green.

Evaluating these Keyrunes in context, Gruul Keyrune stands out for those who value aggressive strategies and the ability to switch between accelerating your mana and applying pressure on the battlefield as a formidable creature. It’s these dual functions that make such cards indispensable in the right decks.

Cards similar to Gruul Keyrune by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Gruul Keyrune has the unique ability to become a creature, essentially giving you an additional asset on the battlefield without losing card count from your hand. This creature conversion can catch opponents off guard and also opens up card interactions that are based on creatures.

Resource Acceleration: As a versatile mana rock, the Gruul Keyrune helps ramp up your resources efficiently. When it isn’t a creature, it acts as a mana accelerator, which is crucial in matching the pace of faster decks and allowing you to cast higher cost spells earlier in the game.

Instant Speed: While the Gruul Keyrune itself isn’t an instant, its creature transformation ability can be activated at instant speed. This flexibility can be pivotal during combat, allowing you to surprise an opponent with an unexpected blocker or an added attacker if they leave themselves open.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gruul Keyrune, when used for its transformation ability, doesn’t necessitate a discard. However, it demands a player to always have the right mana available, potentially restricting reactive gameplay or demanding mana kept in reserve solely for this purpose.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost for Gruul Keyrune is a split between red and green mana. This can limit its inclusion to decks specifically tailored around Gruul’s color identity, potentially excluding it from more flexible mana bases or decks that run three or more colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the Keyrune provides a mana of either color, its cost of three mana to play and additional two to convert it into a creature might not always be the most mana-efficient play. Other mana rocks or creatures might provide equal or greater advantage without the investment of five total mana to fully utilize both aspects of the card.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gruul Keyrune’s ability to transform into a creature with power and toughness allows it to adapt to various situations on the battlefield. As both a mana source and a potential attacker or blocker, it can slot into many Gruul decks, enhancing flexibility.

Combo Potential: In decks that synergize with creatures or artifacts, Gruul Keyrune has the dual nature to trigger an array of effects. It can easily become part of combos that capitalize on untapping artifacts or creatures for continuous benefits.

Meta-Relevance: The card’s relevance fluctuates with the meta, but it can be a strategic asset in environments where a quick shift from mana acceleration to offensive presence is vital. It has the potential to catch opponents off guard and align with aggressive strategies that define Gruul archetypes.

How to beat

Gruul Keyrune has nestled itself into the realm of versatile mana artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. It’s comparable to other mana rocks that players use to ramp and fix their mana. The Gruul Keyrune also transforms into a 3/2 creature with trample, which not only helps in mana fixing but also becomes a creature that can be quite an aggressor on the battlefield.

However, to effectively counter Gruul Keyrune, interaction during your opponent’s turn is key. Instant speed removal spells are potent tools that can deal with the Keyrune after it becomes a creature. For instance, casting a Destroy Artifact card while the Keyrune is animated ensures it won’t be able to deal its damage or block. Enchantment-based removal like Detention Sphere can exile the Keyrune bypassing the transformability of the artifact.

Thus, understanding the timing to disrupt the Gruul Keyrune is crucial, and keeping up mana for reactive plays can negate its advantages. Cards with versatile answers and spells that can target both artifacts and creatures will serve you best in controlling this dual-threat on the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gruul Keyrune MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Gruul Keyrune and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gruul Keyrune 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 Gruul Keyrune 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	Activating the ability that turns the Keyrune into a creature while it’s already a creature will override any effects that set its power and/or toughness to another number, but effects that modify power and/or toughness without directly setting them will still apply.
2013-04-15	Until the ability that turns the Keyrune into a creature resolves, the Keyrune is colorless.