Primordial Gnawer MTG Card

Card advantage from Primordial Gnawer can shift the tide of MTG matches with its exceptional drawing capability. With the ability to accelerate mana, Primordial Gnawer positions players for dominant, game-altering plays. Requires strategy around its discard cost and specific mana needs to maximize the card’s potential in MTG.

Primordial Gnawer - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Insect Horror
Abilities	Discover
Released	2023-11-17
Set symbol
Set name	The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Set code	LCI
Power	5
Toughness	2
Number	114
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Maxime Minard

Text of card

When Primordial Gnawer dies, discover 3. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value 3 or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)

Cave crawlers devour anything from plant matter to solid rock, but they prefer fresh meat.

Cards like Primordial Gnawer

Primordial Gnawer emerges as a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering with its distinct abilities. Its mechanics recall creatures such as Scavenging Ooze, which similarly feeds off cards in graveyards to grow stronger. Both creatures excel in games focused on graveyard manipulation, but the Gnawer takes it up a notch with its innate trample ability, allowing excess combat damage to be dealt to a player or planeswalker it’s attacking.

Another comparable creature is Voracious Hydra, which enters the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters and offers a versatile choice between doubling its counters or fighting another creature. Primordial Gnawer doesn’t boast such immediacy in power increase, but it compensates by providing a steady growth potential throughout the match. Although not as explosive as the Hydra’s entry, the Gnawer’s consistent size increase can become a significant threat over time.

Conclusively, while each of these creatures has its place in various decks and strategies within Magic: The Gathering, Primordial Gnawer holds its own with continuous power scaling and trample, making it a formidable presence in any creature-centric strategy.

Cards similar to Primordial Gnawer by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Primordial Gnawer excels at grinding out value over the course of a match. With its ability to potentially draw multiple cards over several turns, it allows players to expand their hand and options, thereby maintaining a lead or catching up when behind.

Resource Acceleration: This card can be a game-changer by accelerating your mana resources. When you generate extra mana through its abilities, it sets you up for executing more impactful plays much sooner than your opponent, giving you a clear edge on the board.

Instant Speed: The ability to react at instant speed gives players the flexibility to make strategic decisions in the heat of battle. With Primordial Gnawer, swiftly responding to an opponent’s threats while simultaneously developing your own game plan becomes a seamless task.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Every time you want the Primordial Gnawer to make its impact on the battlefield, you’ll be required to discard a card. This can quickly deplete your hand, especially if you’ve been drawing less than ideal cards or if the game stretches on, forcing you to make tough decisions about what to keep and what to discard.

Specific Mana Cost: To cast Primordial Gnawer, you need to tap into a very specific mana combination. If your deck isn’t fine-tuned to produce the right colors consistently, you might find the card sitting useless in your hand more often than you’d like.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its abilities can be game-changing, the high mana cost is a significant consideration. Other creatures or spells at a similar cost might provide immediate effects or come with less stringent requirements, making Primordial Gnawer a less favorable option when managing your mana economy.

Reasons to Include Primordial Gnawer in Your Collection

Versatility: This creature card offers a chameleon-like ability to adapt to various play styles. Its capacity to act as an efficient blocker or aggressive attacker allows it to be slotted into numerous deck archetypes, enhancing your strategic flexibility on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Primordial Gnawer works well with strategies that revolve around creature sacrifice, power boosts, or graveyard synergy, thus opening up possibilities for powerful interactions and unexpected plays that can catch your opponents off guard.

Meta-Relevance: With a constantly evolving competitive scene, having cards that can adjust to the shifts in the meta is essential. Primordial Gnawer’s intrinsic qualities make it a formidable choice in an environment that favors creature-based tactics.

How to beat

Primordial Gnawer enters the realm of MTG as a creature card requiring keen strategy to overcome. Facing this card, you’ll want to prioritize removal spells or abilities that can target it before it gains momentum. Considering its potential to grow through devouring other creatures, it becomes crucial to keep the board clear of expendable creatures that it can consume to increase its power. Efficient removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile can handle the issue before it escalates.

Another effective tactic is to utilize counterspells to prevent Primordial Gnawer from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Spells like Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto can be key assets in your deck to disrupt your opponent’s plan. Moreover, if Primordial Gnawer manages to slip through, having access to instant-speed removal gives you the flexibility to wait until your opponent commits to a crucial play before neutralizing the threat.

Ultimately, the key to success against Primordial Gnawer lies in preparedness and timing. By carefully managing your spells and abilities, you can keep this formidable predator in check.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Primordial Gnawer MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Primordial Gnawer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Primordial Gnawer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2023-11-10	"Discover N" means "Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with mana value N or less. That card is the "discovered" card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost if the resulting spell's mana value is less than or equal to N. If you don't cast it, put that card into your hand. Put the remaining exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order."
2023-11-10	A spell's mana value is determined only by its mana cost. Ignore any alternative costs, additional costs, cost increases, or cost reductions.
2023-11-10	If the discovered card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2023-11-10	If you can't cast the discovered card (perhaps because there are no legal targets for the spell), you'll put it into your hand.
2023-11-10	If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost", you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast it.
2023-11-10	If you discover an adventurer card, split card, or modal double-faced card, you might be able to cast that card with either set of characteristics depending on the effect's discover value. For example, if you discover 4 and reveal Galvanic Giant (an adventurer card from Wilds of Eldraine with a mana value of 4), you could cast Galvanic Giant, but not Storm Reading (its Adventure, which has a mana value of 7). If you discover 7 and reveal Galvanic Giant, you could cast either Galvanic Giant or Storm Reading.
2023-11-10	Some spells and abilities that cause you to discover may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and you won't discover.
2023-11-10	The mana value of a split card is determined by the combined mana cost of its two halves. If discover allows you to cast a split card, you may cast either half (as long as its mana value is less than or equal to the effect's discover value) but not both halves.
2023-11-10	When you discover, you must exile cards. The only optional part of the ability is whether you cast the exiled card or put it into your hand.
2023-11-10	You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them.