Primalcrux MTG Card

Primalcrux excels with heavy green permanents, growing into an overwhelming force on the board. Its high green mana cost limits deck diversity but ensures a solid mono-green strategy. Effective in green-heavy metas, demanding immediate answers due to its board impact.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Elemental
Abilities	Chroma,Trample
Released	2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set name	Eventide
Set code	EVE
Power	*
Toughness	*
Number	73
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne Reynolds

Text of card

Trample Chroma Primalcrux's power and toughness are each equal to the number of green mana symbols in the mana costs of permanents you control.

When nature is backed into a corner, just like its children, it lashes out.

Cards like Primalcrux

Primalcrux is an intriguing creature in Magic: The Gathering that stands tall in decks emphasizing green mana. Like Primalcrux, which taps into the power of green mana symbols for its strength, we can observe similar mechanics in cards like Nightmare, which gains power and toughness for each swamp you control. Much like Primalcrux thrives on the preeminence of green, Nightmare leverages the dominion of black mana.

Diving deeper into the green-heavy themes, Khalni Hydra is another creature that mirrors Primalcrux’s reliance on green symbols. Khalni Hydra costs less mana for each green creature you control, subtly rewarding the player for a green-centered creature build similar to Primalcrux’s devotion mechanic. Thorn Elemental is another card that can be considered alongside Primalcrux, offering robust offensive potential by enabling damage to be dealt as though it weren’t blocked, although it doesn’t scale with mana symbols. The playstyle they encourage is one where building a mono-green army pays off in sheer force on the battlefield.

When comparing these cards, Primalcrux shines in its ability to become an ever-growing threat with each additional green symbol, illustrating the captivating synergy it has with the green mana that fuels its raw power.

Cards similar to Primalcrux by color, type and mana cost

Verdeloth the Ancient - MTG Card versions

Nemata, Grove Guardian - MTG Card versions

Kodama of the East Tree - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Primalcrux thrives in decks built around a high concentration of green permanents, effectively serving as both a formidable threat and a deck enabler. Its power and toughness are equal to the number of green mana symbols in the mana costs of permanents you control, potentially turning it into a game-ending behemoth that can outclass most creatures on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: While Primalcrux itself doesn’t directly provide mana acceleration, it benefits greatly from decks that use mana ramp strategies. As you accelerate your resources and play more green permanents, Primalcrux’s impact scales accordingly, allowing you to dominate the board more swiftly.

Instant Speed: Though Primalcrux operates at sorcery speed, its presence on the battlefield demands an immediate answer from opponents. It puts pressure on them to have removal ready, indirectly giving you the upper hand by restricting their ability to safely tap out or play spells without consideration of your looming threat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Primalcrux may not have a discard requirement, but its heavy reliance on green mana can force players into difficult sacrifices just to field it, potentially leaving them at a disadvantage against more flexible or diverse strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Primalcrux demands a substantial commitment to green symbols in your mana cost, which can stymie deck diversity and make it challenging to include other colors or utility spells without compromising its potential.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Even though Primalcrux can be a game-changer, its notable six green mana cost is steep when measured against other game pieces in its mana range, particularly in formats where speed and efficiency are paramount to a deck’s success.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Primalcrux stands out with its ability to adapt to various green-centric decks, largely due to its devotion mechanism. Its power and toughness are defined by the number of green mana symbols among permanents you control, making it a flexible titan in mono-green or green-heavy strategies.

Combo Potential: This powerful creature synergizes well with cards that amplify the benefits of having a high devotion to green. It can become a colossal threat when paired with mana doublers or effects that capitalize on creatures with large power.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with creature-based strategies or where green’s dominance is pronounced, Primalcrux can become a game-changer. Given its substantial presence on the board, it often demands an immediate answer, providing inherent advantage in certain competitive settings.

How to Beat

Primalcrux is a unique creature with power and toughness determined by your devotion to green. Its power lies in its ability to become overwhelming by leveraging the amount of green mana symbols present on the field. To outmaneuver this titan, it’s crucial to limit the green devotion your opponent can establish. Implementing removals that can bypass its potentially high toughness, like exile or sacrifice effects, can be effective strategies.

Consider using board wipes that don’t rely on dealing damage, since Primalcrux could grow outside of damage-based removal range. Cards like Path to Exile, or Terminus can cleanly deal with Primalcrux without trading one-for-one. Additionally, preventing it from hitting the battlefield in the first place with countermagic or discard strategies can shut down your opponent’s plans early on. Remember, Primalcrux thrives in an environment rich in green mana symbols, so cutting off the source by removing other green permanents will weaken its impact on the game.

Ultimately, Primalcrux demands a timely response. By proactively managing your opponent’s board and keeping their devotion low, you will be better positioned to tackle this formidable creature from the world of Magic the Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Primalcrux MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Primalcrux and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Primalcrux has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-08-01	Chroma abilities check only mana costs, which are found in a card’s upper right corner. They don’t count mana symbols that appear in a card’s text box.
2008-08-01	Chroma abilities count hybrid mana symbols of the appropriate color. For example, a card with mana cost {U/R}{U/R} has two red mana symbols in its mana cost.
2008-08-01	This will count the number of symbols in its mana cost while it’s on the battlefield. The ability functions while it’s in other zones, but since it isn’t a permanent while in those zones it won’t count itself.