Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring MTG Card


Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring - XLN Treasure Chest
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeLand
Abilities Transform
Released2017-11-25
Set symbol
Set nameXLN Treasure Chest
Set codePXTC
Number243
Frame2015
LayoutTransform
BorderBlack
Illustred byJared Blando

Key Takeaways

  1. Flipping Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring amplifies spells, providing both resource acceleration and card advantage.
  2. The card’s instant-speed transformation and mana doubling potential make it a formidable asset in many decks.
  3. While powerful, its four mana cost and setup requiring multiple spell casts present strategic considerations.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring MTG card by a specific set like XLN Treasure Chest, 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 Amulet // Primal Wellspring and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

(Transforms from Primal Amulet.) : Add one mana of any color. When that mana is spent to cast an instant or sorcery spell, copy that spell and you may choose new targets for the copy.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Primal Amulet rewards players who cast a plethora of instant and sorcery spells by transforming into Primal Wellspring, which then generates additional value. Each spell you cast brings you one step closer to unlocking a land that effectively doubles the return on future spells.

Resource Acceleration: Once Primal Amulet has transformed into Primal Wellspring, mana acceleration becomes a prime benefit. Tapping Primal Wellspring for mana gives you access to one additional mana of any color—essentially doubling the mana output for that spell, which can be a game-changing advantage.

Instant Speed: The transformation happens at instant speed when the conditions are met, allowing you to take advantage of Primal Amulet’s cost reduction for instants and sorceries as part of the stack. This utility can dynamically alter the course of the game, maximizing the potential of your spells when it matters most.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring doesn’t ask for a discard outright, its flip condition requires casting a number of spells, potentially exhausting your hand and resources more quickly than desired.

Specific Mana Cost: Primal Amulet demands a strict investment of four mana, which can be challenging in multicolored decks. If your mana base isn’t tuned to generate four of any one type, it might be cumbersome to cast on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four-mana investment to even begin deriving value, Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring can be seen as a slower option. Alternative artifact ramp or transformation spells might provide a more immediate impact on the game state for the same or less mana.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Primal Amulet fits a range of deck styles, particularly spell-slinging or decks with a focus on instants and sorceries. Its cost-reduction ability makes it a valuable asset in casting more spells per turn, enhancing your overall game play.

Combo Potential: With the ability to transform into Primal Wellspring, it not only ramps up your mana but also doubles the impact of your most crucial spells. This dual-natured card can be the cornerstone of ingenious combos and can spiral you towards a win with the right setup.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where longer games and big spells are common, having Primal Amulet in your arsenal could turn the tide. It is particularly useful in the Commander format, where its transformation can be a game-changer in the right deck.


How to beat

Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring is a transformative card in MTG that appeals to spell-slinging strategists due to its ability to reduce the cost of instant and sorcery spells. The allure of flipping it into Primal Wellspring, which taps for mana and doubles the next instant or sorcery spell, makes it a target worth disrupting. To effectively counter this card, keep removal or counter spells on hand to deal with the Amulet before it transforms. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant are staples for handling artifacts efficiently.

Another tactic involves pressuring your opponent with a quick tempo. By maintaining a lead in board presence, you can force them to prioritize dealing with your threats over setting up their Primal Amulet combo. Direct damage spells and swift creatures can turn the tides of the game in your favor before the Amulet becomes a factor. Remember, once transformed, Primal Wellspring becomes harder to deal with, so timing your disruptive plays is crucial to prevent your opponent from leveraging its powerful effects.

To sum up, staying vigilant and proactive are key strategies when facing a card that has the potential to significantly alter the course of the game. Swiftly dealing with Primal Amulet before it translates into a game-winning Primal Wellspring is essential.


Cards like Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring

In the realm of artifact transformation within Magic: The Gathering, Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring stands out. It can be likened to Pyromancer’s Goggles, another artifact that offers mana doubling but requirements and benefits differ. Pyromancer’s Goggles is focused on red spells, whereas Primal Amulet applies to any spell, although it requires a buildup of cast spells to transform.

Then there’s the Mirari Conjecture saga, which also targets instant and sorcery spells, boosting their impact over several turns. Unlike Primal Amulet, Mirari’s second chapter retrieves an instant or sorcery from the graveyard, though it misses the valuable mana acceleration offered by Primal Wellspring.

Harnessing these subtle variations, we recognize that Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring facilitates diverse strategies, from amplifying spell damage to enabling massive combo plays, positioning itself as a multipurpose artifact in players’ arsenals. These characteristics highlight its adaptability and the potential for powerful playmaking in Magic: The Gathering.

Pyromancer's Goggles - MTG Card versions
Pyromancer's Goggles - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring by color, type and mana cost

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2017-09-29 Any instant or sorcery spell you spend the mana on will be copied, not just one that requires targets.
2017-09-29 Effects that reduce the generic mana cost of a spell can’t reduce that spell’s colored mana requirements.
2017-09-29 If a copy is created, you control the copy. That copy is created on the stack, so it’s not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won’t trigger. The copy will then resolve like a normal spell, after players get a chance to cast spells and activate abilities.
2017-09-29 If a fourth charge counter is put on Primal Amulet by something other than the resolution of its ability (as modified by any applicable replacement effects), you won’t be able to remove those counters and transform it yet. You’ll have to wait until you cast an instant or sorcery spell again.
2017-09-29 If more than one mana produced by a Primal Wellspring is spent to cast a single instant or sorcery spell, the delayed triggered ability associated with each mana spent will trigger. That many copies will be created. It doesn’t matter if this mana was produced by one Primal Wellspring or by multiple Primal Wellsprings.
2017-09-29 If the copied spell has an X whose value was determined as it was cast, the copy has the same value of X.
2017-09-29 If the copied spell is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can’t choose a different one.
2017-09-29 Primal Amulet’s last ability triggers once you’ve completed casting a spell. Notably, you can’t use Primal Wellspring to pay for the spell that gives Primal Amulet its fourth counter.
2017-09-29 Primal Wellspring’s delayed triggered ability can copy the spell even if that spell is countered before the ability resolves.
2017-09-29 The copy will have the same targets as the spell it’s copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can’t choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
2017-09-29 The delayed triggered ability from Primal Wellspring’s mana ability will trigger even if Primal Wellspring leaves the battlefield before that mana is spent.
2017-09-29 The mana produced by Primal Wellspring can be spent on anything, not just an instant or sorcery spell.
2017-09-29 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
2017-09-29 You can’t choose to pay any additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too. For example, if you sacrifice a 3/3 creature to cast Fling, and you copy it, the copy of Fling will also deal 3 damage to its target.
2018-01-19 For more information on double-faced cards, see the Ixalan mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ixalan-mechanics).