Dralnu's Crusade MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Dralnu’s Crusade turns graveyard cards into new strategic opportunities with each play.
  2. Instant speed actions allow flexibility, giving players advantage during gameplay.
  3. Resource acceleration through undead warriors increases battlefield presence significantly.

Text of card

All Goblins get +1/+1, are black, and are Zombies in addition to their creature types.

"Don't you agree that mogg intellects are improved by zombification?" —Lord Dralnu


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dralnu’s Crusade provides a distinct boon by enabling graveyard recycling mechanics. Diving into your past plays, it turns previously expended resources into new opportunities, fortifying your grip on the match with each recurring instance.

Resource Acceleration: The power of Dralnu’s Crusade lies not only in its direct effects but in how it primes the field for an explosive future. With every undead warrior summoned, it augments your battlefield presence, accelerating your resource deployment and pressuring your opponent to respond.

Instant Speed: Its real tactical edge emerges with its capacity to act at instant speed. This flexibility allows astute players to adapt to the evolving game state, unleashing undead legions at the most opportune moments, keeping adversaries perpetually off-balance.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dralnu’s Crusade necessitates the discarding of a card, which can be a strategic setback when you’re running out of cards in hand, potentially hampering your gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and red mana, Dralnu’s Crusade can be restrictive and not easily splashed into decks without these colors, limiting its versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that sits on the higher end of the spectrum, Dralnu’s Crusade competes with other spells that may deliver more immediate impact or value for the same or a lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Dralnu’s Crusade offers a unique twist to black and red deck builds by enabling all Zombies to gain swiftness and vigor. This opens up a realm of strategies where Zombie creatures can instantly become threats the moment they hit the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations with effects that generate Zombie tokens or reanimate creatures as Zombies. Its potential to create an instantaneous undead army can be a game-changer, synergizing well with sacrifice and “enter the battlefield” abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with creature-based strategies, Dralnu’s Crusade can turn the tide of battle by providing an army that is resilient and ready to engage. Constant pressure through an ever-present Zombie force can keep foes on their back foot and disrupt their plans.


How to beat

Dralnu’s Crusade is an intriguing card that brings a unique twist to MTG gameplay, transforming all Zombies you control into black Goblin creatures. While it may not be as prevalent as some other creature modifiers, this card is capable of dramatically shifting the board state in favor of Zombie tribal decks. Overcoming the threat posed by Dralnu’s Crusade often involves disrupting the tribal synergy it promotes. Tactics such as removal spells that can target multiple creatures, like Wrath of God or Damnation, can clear the board of all Goblin-Zombies at once. Enchantment destruction cards, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, can also be very effective as they remove Dralnu’s Crusade directly from the battlefield, thus reversing the advantage it provides.

Additionally, graveyard manipulation cards are highly valuable in matchups against decks hinging on Dralnu’s Crusade. By using cards like Bojuka Bog or Relic of Progenitus, you could remove key Zombie creatures from the game entirely, weakening the Crusade’s potential influence. Players may also turn to counterspells like Negate or Dovin’s Veto to prevent Dralnu’s Crusade from ever hitting the field, thereby stopping the deck’s strategy in its tracks before it can gather momentum.


Cards like Dralnu's Crusade

Dralnu’s Crusade is a unique enchantment in MTG, offering a significant boost to particular deck types. It stands alongside cards like Conspiracy, which transforms the creature types of all creatures you control to a chosen type. While Conspiracy offers a wider variety and applies to all creatures, Dralnu’s Crusade is specifically tailored for boosting black Zombie creatures, giving them a +1/+1 differential.

Moving closer to Dralnu’s Crusade’s design space, we encounter Death Baron, a creature that also empowers Zombies with +1/+1 and the additional menace of deathtouch. What sets Dralnu’s Crusade apart is its immediate and overarching influence on the board without requiring a creature to be present. Another parallel can be drawn with Zombie Master, which instead grants all Zombies regenerative abilities and swampwalk, focusing on different aspects of utility rather than sheer power.

Analyzing Dralnu’s Crusade amidst these comparable cards, it’s evident that its niche impact within the zombie archetype makes it a standout choice for players looking to enhance their undead armies. Its ability to immediately affect the board gives it a distinctive edge in zombie-themed decks.

Conspiracy - MTG Card versions
Death Baron - MTG Card versions
Zombie Master - MTG Card versions
Conspiracy - MTG Card versions
Death Baron - MTG Card versions
Zombie Master - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dralnu's Crusade MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift and Dominaria Remastered, 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 Dralnu's Crusade and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dralnu's Crusade Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Arnie Swekel.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-02-05PlaneshiftPLS 1041997NormalBlackArnie Swekel
22023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 3571997NormalBlackArnie Swekel
32023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 1892015NormalBlackArnie Swekel

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dralnu's Crusade has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2022-12-08 Under Dralnu's Crusade, Goblins are black only, not black in addition to any other colors. They are, however, Zombies in addition to their other creature types. As one enters the battlefield, it is already a black Goblin Zombie (and perhaps some other creature types) with +1/+1; it doesn't enter and then become a black Goblin Zombie and get +1/+1.

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