Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin MTG Card


Polukranos offers repeatable graveyard threat and on-demand creature resurgence, bolstering late-game scenarios. It demands careful planning with its discard requirement and specific mana cost potentially limiting flexibility. With versatility and meta-relevance, Polukranos stands as a robust inclusion for midrange and control players.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Hydra
Abilities Lifelink,Reach
Power 6
Toughness 6

Text of card

Reach, lifelink Whenever Polukranos, Engine of Ruin or another nontoken Hydra you control dies, create a 3/3 green and white Phyrexian Hydra creature token with reach and a 3/3 green and white Phyrexian Hydra creature token with lifelink.


Cards like Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin

Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin introduces a nuanced layer of strategy to the MTG multiverse. It stands among the impactful double-faced creature cards, but its identity is more complex. On one end, we have cards like Delver of Secrets, which transforms into the powerful Insectile Aberration, revealing the mechanic’s potential for abrupt power shifts. However, Delver’s transformation depends on the randomness of the library’s top card, contrasting with Polukranos Reborn’s predictable escape mechanic, granting it renewed life and devastating battlefield presence.

Examining other transformative creatures, we encounter Huntmaster of the Fells, which flips into Ravager of the Fells, showcasing a dynamic that rewards the ebb and flow of spell casting, unlike the control Polukranos Reborn offers through player-triggered conditions. Meanwhile, discussing Underworld Sentinel offers a somewhat parallel concept of creatures reborn with accompanying mechanics; however, it leans on a different strategy, stockpiling creatures for a singular resurrection event unlike the repeated return Polukranos promises.

Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin certainly carves its place in MTG with its formidable resurrection capabilities, giving players a persistent threat that can adapt and thrive through various stages of the game.

Underworld Sentinel - MTG Card versions
Underworld Sentinel - MTG Card versions

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Llanowar Cavalry - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Polukranos Reborn, its use in late-game scenarios shines by allowing players to recur creatures from the graveyard, effectively granting a second lease on life for your most formidable threats and bolstering your hand and board presence simultaneously.

Resource Acceleration: Polukranos, Engine of Ruin’s ability to bring extra lands into play directly affects your capacity to cast high-impact spells ahead of the curve, ensuring a swift development of your battlefield and putting opponents on the defensive.

Instant Speed: The flexible casting cost of these cards can be utilized at instant speed, providing the strategic advantage of surprising an opponent by manifesting a significant threat or regenerating Polukranos during their turn, keeping them constantly guessing and paramountly disrupted.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Polukranos Reborn demands a card to be discarded as part of its escape cost. This could set back your hand advantage and affect your in-game strategy, especially in situations where maintaining card options is pivotal.

Specific Mana Cost: With a hybrid mana requirement within its casting cost, Polukranos, Engine of Ruin ties you to a Golgari deck or a mana base that can reliably produce both green and black mana, potentially restricting its inclusion in a wider range of deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While harnessing considerable power, the mana cost of Polukranos Reborn is on the higher end. This may lead to a slower gameplay, as you would need six mana to invoke it from the graveyard, which can be critical in faster-paced matches where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Polukranos Reborn is a flexible card that seamlessly adapts to various deck themes and strategies. With its formidable presence both on the battlefield and as a graveyard threat, it offers a robust option for midrange or control decks seeking resilience.

Combo Potential: The ability to return Polukranos Reborn from the graveyard under a different form as Polukranos, Engine of Ruin, allows for nuanced strategic plays. It enables intricate combos within graveyard-utilizing archetypes that few cards can match, setting the stage for unexpected comebacks and devastating turns.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta heavily populated by creatures, Polukranos Reborn stands tall as a formidable obstacle. Its sheer size and creature removal abilities make it a significant threat that can shape the flow of the game, keeping pace with the most competitive cards in the current environment.


How to beat Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin

Confronting the dual-faced behemoth Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin can be a daunting challenge on the battlefield. To overcome this formidable adversary, one must understand its mechanics. Polukranos Reborn emerges as an undying force, often returning from the graveyard to the fray, while Polukranos, Engine of Ruin provides a devastating blow by granting other creatures you control trample and haste.

Key to victory is managing the graveyard. Ensuring creatures like Polukranos do not easily return from the dead requires strategic use of graveyard exile effects. Cards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Rest in Peace are efficient ways to clear graveyards, thwarting the revival capabilities of Polukranos Reborn. Additionally, direct removal spells that exile, like Path to Exile or the timely counterspell can prevent Polukranos, Engine of Ruin from hitting the field. Considering Polukranos does rely on the strength of other creatures it governs, controlling the creatures’ board presence with wipes like Wrath of God will weaken its influence when it shifts to Engine of Ruin.

Ultimately, focusing on permanent graveyard solutions and keeping the board clear of auxiliary threats are your best chances at reigning in the power of Polukranos, in both its formidable forms.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine and March of the Machine, 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 Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-04-21 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 3002015TransformBlackJason A. Engle
22023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 2002015TransformBlackDavid Auden Nash

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Polukranos Reborn // Polukranos, Engine of Ruin has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-04-14 If Polukranos, Engine of Ruin and other nontoken Hydras you control die at the same time, Polukranos’s triggered ability will trigger once for itself and once for each of those other Hydras.