Primal Adversary MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Wolf
Abilities Trample
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Increase board threats by generating wolf tokens and transforming lands into creatures.
  2. Enhances deck versatility, fitting aggressive and midrange strategies effectively.
  3. Outpaces competitors with its ability to quickly scale and pressure opponents.

Text of card

Trample When Primal Adversary enters the battlefield, you may pay any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on Primal Adversary, then up to that many target lands you control become 3/3 Wolf creatures with haste that are still lands.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Primal Adversary provides the potential for card advantage by creating multiple wolf tokens which can represent additional threats on the board. This can pressure opponents as they have to deal with more than just a single creature.

Resource Acceleration: As Primal Adversary enters the battlefield, it offers the versatility of transforming lands into 3/3 Wolf creatures with trample. This effectively turns any land into a potential threat, accelerating your board presence without the need for additional cards.

Instant Speed: While Primal Adversary itself does not operate at instant speed, its ability to instantly turn lands into creatures could provide a quasi-instant speed advantage. This enables lands to be used for mana right up until the point they are turned into creatures, potentially catching an opponent off guard during combat or at the end of their turn.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Primal Adversary demands a mix of green mana and generic mana, which can be challenging for multi-colored decks that are mana-hungry or less focused on green resources.

Discard Requirement: Even though there’s no direct discard requirement with the card itself, to fully utilize its multi-kicker capability, players may find themselves short on cards to play afterwards, similar to a de facto discard.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a base casting cost and an additional cost for each activation of its ability, Primal Adversary can become quite mana-intensive, potentially taking up your entire turn’s resources for a single, though impactful, play.


Reasons to Include Primal Adversary in Your Collection

Versatility: Primal Adversary boasts a flexible role in various deck builds, serving as a potent creature in both aggressive green strategies and more complex midrange decks due to its scalable abilities and potential to create multiple Wolf tokens.

Combo Potential: This creature’s ability to animate lands gives it synergy with strategies that take advantage of land creatures, such as those involving mass buffs or landfall triggers, enhancing the depth of interactions within your games.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capabilities for swift on-board scaling, Primal Adversary remains a relevant card in environments where tempo and board presence are crucial, thus securing a position in decks that aim to challenge the current competitive scene.


How to Beat Primal Adversary

In the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, players continually seek strategies to nullify powerful cards like Primal Adversary. This creature brings versatility and substantial board presence, able to create multiple Wolf tokens and boost them with lands becoming 3/3 creatures with trample. Neutralizing Primal Adversary hinges on understanding when to disrupt this series of plays effectively. Cards like Fatal Push offer an early game answer to the adversary before it can wield its full potential. Additionally, a well-timed counter spell like Counterspell or Essence Scatter can prevent it from entering the battlefield altogether.

Timing is crucial; efficient removal after it hits the board but before it can be activated, such as with Doom Blade, ensures that the board doesn’t get overwhelmed by Wolves and transformed lands. Board wipes like Day of Judgment serve as a reset button if the battlefield becomes too populated. To prevent the adversary from re-entering the field, graveyard interaction spells like Tormod’s Crypt deny any recurring threats. Lastly, understanding your opponent’s mana capabilities can guide your interaction to best thwart their plans, keeping Primal Adversary from tilting the scales in their favor.


Cards like Primal Adversary

Primal Adversary stands out in the ecosystem of creature spells in Magic: The Gathering. It draws a natural comparison with other Wolf creatures, such as Wren’s Run Packmaster, which also emphasizes strength within the tribal wolf synergy. Primal Adversary offers a unique twist with its Multikicker-like ability, allowing it to create Wolf creature tokens while also boosting lands. In contrast, Wren’s Run Packmaster relies solely on its kinship with other wolves for dominance.

Tovolar, Dire Overlord is another counterpart in this analysis. Tovolar enhances the werewolf tribe and generates card advantage, but lacks the land animation Primal Adversary brings to the table. Then there’s Nightpack Ambusher, which also produces Wolf tokens, albeit passively, and presents an aggressive static ability that buffs other Wolves. However, it doesn’t promote land utility like Primal Adversary, setting the latter apart in strategies focusing on animating the battlefield.

When it comes to choosing cards that optimize Wolf tribal themes or animate lands, Primal Adversary provides players with a versatile tool. Its ability to reactivate lands while expanding the pack with additional Wolf tokens makes it a valuable asset for any MTG player looking to put pressure on opponents.

Wren's Run Packmaster - MTG Card versions
Nightpack Ambusher - MTG Card versions
Wren's Run Packmaster - Lorwyn (LRW)
Nightpack Ambusher - Core Set 2020 Promos (PM20)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Primal Adversary MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt 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 Primal Adversary and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Primal Adversary Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Ilse Gort.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 940162015normalblackIlse Gort
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 194s2015normalblackIlse Gort
32021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 194p2015normalblackIlse Gort
42021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 3632015normalblackIlse Gort
52021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 1942015normalblackIlse Gort
62022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 1942015normalblackIlse Gort

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Primal Adversary has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-09-24 After you pay the cost one or more times, a second ability triggers and you choose the targets for it. Players may respond to the new ability at that point. As that ability resolves, Primal Adversary gets its +1/+1 counters and the target lands become Wolf creatures.
2021-09-24 Any land that becomes a Wolf creature this way will retain any supertypes, card types, subtypes, and abilities it had.

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