Relic of Progenitus MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Strategic graveyard control that tactically disrupts opponents and accelerates your game plan by hindering theirs.
  2. Operates at instant speed, allowing flexible response to threats and enhancing reaction capability in-game.
  3. Demands careful play to avoid self-detriment and may not always seamlessly fit into tight mana strategies.

Text of card

: Target player removes a card in his or her graveyard from the game. , Remove Relic of Progenitus from the game: Remove all graveyards from the game. Draw a card.

Elves believe the hydra-god Progenitus sleeps beneath Naya, feeding on forgotten magics.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Relic of Progenitus offers strategic control over the game by allowing players to incrementally affect the graveyard. The ability to exile cards from graveyards can be tactically valuable, thinning out opponents’ resources and potentially disrupting their strategies. Moreover, the sacrifice ability of the card not only cleanses all graveyards but grants you a card draw, subtly tipping the scales of card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Relic of Progenitus doesn’t directly create mana or accelerate resources in the traditional sense, the control it exerts can accelerate your game plan by hindering your opponents’ resource cycling. This can effectively slow down their resource acceleration, especially in formats where graveyard strategies are prevalent.

Instant Speed: The power of the Relic lies in its capability to operate at instant speed, thus providing its controller with a high degree of flexibility and reaction speed. You can decide to use its abilities in response to your opponents’ actions, making it a tool that can disrupt plays or graveyard-based abilities at a moment’s notice without needing to commit to using it until the most opportune time.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not a direct discard, Relic of Progenitus’ ability to remove entire graveyards can indirectly lead to discarding if it’s activated without careful planning. Players need to be strategic about when to use it to avoid discarding valuable cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Relic of Progenitus has a flexible generic mana cost for its activation, it still requires one mana investment initially, which may not always be convenient especially in multi-color decks that run tight on mana variety.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In comparison to some other graveyard hate options, the decision to use Relic of Progenitus’ second ability comes at the cost of the artifact itself. This can be seen as a relatively high cost, considering it removes the relic from the game, and therefore cannot be reused without another copy or recursion strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Relic of Progenitus offers flexible graveyard control, essential in formats where graveyard strategies are prevalent. It’s a powerful sideboard card that can easily fit into any deck needing to keep graveyards in check.

Combo Potential: While controlling opponents’ graveyard tactics, Relic of Progenitus can also serve as a combo piece in strategies needing to exile cards themselves, enabling certain abilities or threshold conditions.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-changing landscape of competitive play, having Relic of Progenitus in your arsenal ensures preparedness against popular reanimation strategies and can disrupt key plays, making it a mainstay in various meta environments.


How to beat

The Relic of Progenitus is a key piece in hampering graveyard strategies within Magic: The Gathering. Players facing this artifact often find it disrupting their carefully laid plans, as it purges cards from graveyards with ease. Overcoming this challenge requires strategic adaptation and clever deck building. To counteract the Relic’s impact, incorporating cards that provide immediate value upon entering the graveyard can mitigate the potential card disadvantage. Additionally, running artifact destruction such as Nature’s Claim or Abrade can swiftly remove the Relic from the board before its full effect is realized.

Another effective strategy is to bait out the Relic’s activation prematurely. By presenting less critical cards as targets, you may be able to lure your opponent into using the Relic before your key cards are threatened. Furthermore, you can also opt for effects that shuffle your graveyard back into your library, such as Elixir of Immortality, ensuring that your essential resources remain accessible even in the face of graveyard disruption. This delicate dance of anticipation and reaction can tip the scales back in your favor when facing off against the eminent threat that is the Relic of Progenitus.


BurnMana Recommendations

Examining the intricate game mechanics of MTG reveals that the Relic of Progenitus is more than just an artifact—it’s a pivotal tool for any player looking to suppress graveyard strategies. When wielded correctly, it can be an element of surprise, disrupting opponents at critical moments and turning the tide of the game. If you’re keen to sharpen your gameplay and refine your strategic approach, we encourage you to delve further into the multifaceted world of graveyard control. Discover the full potential of the Relic and similar strategic gems to ensure your deck doesn’t just participate, but dominates. Embark on this quest with us and arm yourself with the knowledge to outplay the competition.


Cards like Relic of Progenitus

Relic of Progenitus is an indispensable asset for players seeking graveyard manipulation in Magic: The Gathering. This artifact parallels the functionality of cards like Tormod’s Crypt, a card renowned for its ability to expunge a graveyard with no mana cost. Relic of Progenitus, however, offers a broader utility by enabling gradual graveyard removal and additionally providing card draw upon its sacrifice.

In contrast, Nihil Spellbomb also finds its place as a comparable artifact with graveyard removal capabilities. While it demands a single black mana to draw a card upon its activation, the Spellbomb can be more synergistic in decks that leverage black mana or require permanent removal. Moreover, Scrabbling Claws serves as a close comparison too, allowing for targeted graveyard exile and a card draw, albeit it provides less comprehensive graveyard management compared to Relic of Progenitus.

Assessing these alternatives, Relic of Progenitus is a versatile choice that integrates well with strategies that are focused on disrupting opponent’s graveyard strategies while sustaining card advantage. It’s not only the option of a continuous effect but also the potential to replace itself in the player’s hand that makes it a preferred choice among similar MTG cards.

Tormod's Crypt - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Scrabbling Claws - MTG Card versions
Tormod's Crypt - The Dark (DRK)
Nihil Spellbomb - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Scrabbling Claws - Mirrodin (MRD)

Cards similar to Relic of Progenitus by color, type and mana cost

Glasses of Urza - MTG Card versions
Wooden Sphere - MTG Card versions
Sol Ring - MTG Card versions
Iron Star - MTG Card versions
Black Vise - MTG Card versions
Urza's Chalice - MTG Card versions
Ivory Cup - MTG Card versions
Brass Man - MTG Card versions
Mana Vault - MTG Card versions
Soul Net - MTG Card versions
The Rack - MTG Card versions
Helm of Chatzuk - MTG Card versions
Obelisk of Undoing - MTG Card versions
Feldon's Cane - MTG Card versions
Throne of Bone - MTG Card versions
Meekstone - MTG Card versions
Thran Foundry - MTG Card versions
Cursed Scroll - MTG Card versions
Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions
Glasses of Urza - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wooden Sphere - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Sol Ring - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Iron Star - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Black Vise - Revised Edition (3ED)
Urza's Chalice - Masters Edition (ME1)
Ivory Cup - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Brass Man - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Mana Vault - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Soul Net - Fifth Edition (5ED)
The Rack - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Helm of Chatzuk - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Obelisk of Undoing - Rinascimento (RIN)
Feldon's Cane - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Throne of Bone - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Meekstone - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Thran Foundry - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Cursed Scroll - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Candelabra of Tawnos - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Phyrexian Dreadnought - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Relic of Progenitus MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Planechase, 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 Relic of Progenitus and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Relic of Progenitus Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 2182003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
22009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 1242003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
32010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 A1172003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
42010-11-08Magic Online Theme DecksTD0 B292003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
52013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 2132003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
62014-05-30Modern Event Deck 2014MD1 212003normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
72016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 2312015normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
82021-05-27Historic Anthology 5HA5 252015normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach
92022-11-18The Brothers' War CommanderBRC 1571997normalblackJean-Sébastien Rossbach

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Relic of Progenitus has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-06-08 If you activate Relic of Progenitus's first ability, the targeted player chooses which card to exile. The choice is made as the ability resolves.
2016-06-08 You can activate Relic of Progenitus's second ability even if no players have any cards in their graveyards. You'll still draw a card.

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