Piru, the Volatile MTG Card
2021-06-18 - Number 466
2021-06-18 - Number 207
2021-06-18 - Number 422
2021-06-19 - Number 207s
2002-06-24 - Number 91347
2021-06-18 - Number 58
2021-06-18 - Number 58s
| Card sets | Released in 7 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 8 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon |
| Abilities | Flying,Lifelink |
| Power | 7 |
| Toughness | 7 |
Key Takeaways
- Piru offers card advantage by potentially clearing the board, pivoting game dynamics in your favor.
- Although costly, Piru’s intimidating presence can throttle opponent resource expenditure.
- Lifelink, paired with instant-speed interactions, can yield substantial life gains and game swings.
Text of card
Flying, lifelink At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Piru, the Volatile unless you pay . When Piru dies, it deals 7 damage to each nonlegendary creature.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Piru, the Volatile offers a unique way to control the board by wiping out numerous creatures at once upon leaving the battlefield. This potent ability can shift the game in your favor, acting as a reset button while potentially leaving you with an advantageous position.
Resource Acceleration: Although this card doesn’t directly create resources, its presence can deter opponents from committing more resources to the board, indirectly accelerating your resource allocation by reducing the need to counter or spend resources on threat removal.
Instant Speed: While Piru, the Volatile doesn’t operate at instant speed, its lifelink ability synergizes well with other instant-speed strategies. By holding back instant-speed removal or tricks until the last possible moment, you ensure that Piru’s lifelink ability maximizes your life gain, providing a significant swing in your favor during the course of a game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Piru, the Volatile, demands a particular setup to truly shine in your deck. As it enters the battlefield, you must commit to its intensive demands, which might lead you to discard other valuable cards to maintain control of the game. This requirement can be cumbersome when you’re clinging to each card for strategic play.
Specific Mana Cost: The power of Piru, the Volatile comes at a steep price. The casting cost is a hefty wedge of colors, specifically one red, two white, two black, and two generic mana. This demanding color mix restricts Piru to decks that can accommodate such a complex mana base, potentially limiting the card’s versatility across various types of play.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a grand total of seven mana to summon Piru, the Volatile, some players may find that this card enters the fray too late or consumes too much of their resources. When evaluating your strategies, it’s worth considering other creatures or spells that could offer more immediate impact or flexibility at a lower cost.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Piru, the Volatile serves as a flexible powerhouse in a commander deck. Its ability to deal 7 damage to all creatures upon death allows it to be a game-changer in board-heavy situations.
Combo Potential: When coupled with cards that incentivize sacrificing creatures, Piru’s presence can become an engine for explosive turns. Plus, life gain strategies benefit from its Lifelink ability, keeping you in the game longer.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-heavy decks prevail, Piru can act as a counterbalance. As it adjusts well to shifting metagames, it’s a prime pick for players looking to disrupt the status quo.
How to beat
Piru, the Volatile represents a daunting challenge on the battlefield, a robust creature with a mix of formidable abilities making it a key play for many enthusiasts. Its lifelink ability, combined with its potential for widespread damage upon death, calls for calculated strategies to overcome it. One effective method is through exile effects, bypassing the death trigger altogether. Cards like Path to Exile offer a clean and immediate solution, removing the threat without the detrimental consequences.
Counterplay also includes timing your removals to minimize the impact of Piru’s leaving-the-battlefield ability. Using instant speed spot removals before your own turn can reduce the restoration Piru can offer to its controller. Moreover, focusing on graveyard disruption can be a decisive maneuver. Employing cards that restrict or eliminate graveyard interactions can stifle Piru’s potential return from graveyard to play synergies, which some decks might exploit.
Understanding Piru’s mechanics in-depth allows players to wield a diverse array of strategies to counter this volatile card. Having the right answers at the opportune moment can turn the tide, emphasizing strategic deck building and situational awareness as key to claiming victory against such a formidable adversary.
Cards like Piru, the Volatile
Piru, the Volatile stands out as a distinctive dragon creature card in Magic: The Gathering. With parallels to legendary dragons like Darigaaz Reincarnated, both creatures carry hefty mana costs and provide imposing battlefield presences. Yet, Piru sets herself apart with a lifesaving ability; upon death, she buffers your life total based on other creatures on the field. Darigaaz lacks this life-gaining feature, though it can return to the battlefield after a few turns.
Chromium, the Mutable is another card that can be likened to Piru, the Volatile. Chromium boasts flash and can become an elusive hexproof creature until end of turn, which contrasts sharply with Piru’s life-gain death trigger. However, it’s her explosive death-trigger ability putting every creature on the board into the balance that really establishes Piru as a unique tactical option.
Each card presents strategic advantages, but Piru, the Volatile’s life-gaining explosion and massive presence can turn the tide in a single turn, making her a noteworthy choice for players looking for a dramatic swing in a game of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Piru, the Volatile by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Piru, the Volatile MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons 2 Art Series, 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 Piru, the Volatile and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Magic products
Printings
The Piru, the Volatile Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by Greg Staples.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 91347 | 2015 | normal | black | Greg Staples | ||
| 2 | Modern Horizons 2 Art Series | AMH2 | 58 | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Greg Staples | ||
| 3 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 466 | 2015 | normal | black | Greg Staples | |
| 4 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 207 | 2015 | normal | black | Greg Staples | |
| 5 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 422 | 1997 | normal | black | Greg Staples | |
| 6 | Modern Horizons 2 Art Series | AMH2 | 58s | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Greg Staples | ||
| 7 | 2021-06-19 | Modern Horizons 2 Promos | PMH2 | 207s | 2015 | normal | black | Greg Staples |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Piru, the Volatile has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Piru, the Volatile card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | Because Piru had lifelink when it was on the battlefield, you will gain life equal to the damage it deals as its last triggered ability resolves. |
