Purphoros's Emissary MTG Card

Provides tactical advantage by drawing out removals, allowing key creatures to prevail in battles. Acceleration of resources through combat enhancement, maintaining board presence efficiently. Strategic bestow mechanic adds depth, leveraging main phase enchantments to swing momentum.

Theros (THS)
2013-09-27 - Number 136

Purphoros's Emissary - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)

Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
2022-07-08 - Number 121

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment Creature — Ox
Abilities	Bestow,Menace
Power	3
Toughness	3

Text of card

Bestow (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.) Purphoros's Emissary can't be blocked except by two or more creatures. Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.

Discover the Power of Purphoros’s Emissary in MTG

Purphoros’s Emissary is a unique enchantment creature card that allows players to impose a formidable presence on the battlefield. When we delve into comparable cards, we can look at cards like Khorvath’s Enforcer from the set Battlebond. Both creatures have the ability to provide a considerable attacking advantage. However, Purphoros’s Emissary distinguishes itself with its bestowing ability. This means that not only is it a formidable creature, but it can also act as an aura, granting another creature +3/+3 and the capacity to make an opponent unable to block.

Cards like Purphoros's Emissary

Purphoros’s Emissary stands out in the pantheon of red enchantment creatures of MTG. Much like the Emissary, Hammerhand grants a creature the inability to block, but it lacks the lasting impact of a creature enchantment with the bestow mechanic. While Hammerhand is cost-efficient, the Emissary offers more flexibility and a potentially larger power swing. Another similar card is Thunderous Might, which provides additional attack power based on your mountains, yet it doesn’t offer the same level of tactical advantage or versatility as Purphoros’s Emissary’s dual role as a creature and enchantment buff.

Through careful consideration, we can see how Purphoros’s Emissary not only serves a dual purpose but also shines as a game-changer with its ability to bestow. Its blend of power boost and strategic blocking prevention positions it uniquely among red enchantment creatures within the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Purphoros’s Emissary can give you a tactical upper hand by setting up intimidating threats that opponents must deal with. This enables you to potentially draw out their removal spells and make way for your key creatures to shine.

Resource Acceleration: This enchantment creature can give your other creatures an edge in combat, which indirectly helps you conserve resources. By forcing unfavorable blocks or discouraging attacks, you maintain your board presence and accelerate your path to victory.

Instant Speed: While Purphoros’s Emissary itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its bestow mechanic adds strategic depth to your gameplay. Planning the right moment to enchant a creature during your main phase can catch an opponent off guard and shift the game’s momentum in your favor without the need for instant speed actions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Purphoros’s Emissary comes with a twist in the red mana curve, as it asks for a substantial commitment to red mana. When you’re sculpting a deck, especially those mixing multiple colors, having enough red sources can be critical. This creature places you in a position to potentially modify your land base or mana artifacts to ensure you can cast it consistently, which could compromise the stability of your deck.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature’s cost includes two red mana symbols. This requirement can potentially restrict it from being effortlessly incorporated into multicolored decks. As a result, Purphoros’s Emissary is often more at home in a mono-red build or decks with a heavy red composition, limiting its application across the diverse deck archetypes present within the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three generic and one red mana, Purphoros’s Emissary’s investment may seem steep when considering other options available. Players might find that other cards at a similar cost could impact the battlefield more immediately or provide more value over time. Therefore, deckbuilders will have to weigh its enchantment creature type and bestowed abilities against other potential cards in that mana slot to determine its worthiness in their strategy.

Reasons to Include Purphoros’s Emissary in Your Collection

Versatility: Purphoros’s Emissary is an enchantment creature that can serve dual purposes on the battlefield. It can act as a creature to swing in for damage or as an enchantment to boost another creature, adapting to the needs of your game plan.

Combo Potential: With its ability to bestow, this card has the potential to turn any creature into a significant threat. When combined with cards that capitalize on creatures entering the battlefield or enchantments, Purphoros’s Emissary can be a part of powerful synergistic plays.

Meta-Relevance: Considering its capability to enhance both offensive and defensive strategies, this card can have a place in decks looking to thrive in a creature-centric metagame. Its ability to make your creatures harder to block enhances its relevance in aggressive and midrange builds.

How to Beat Purphoros’s Emissary

Purphoros’s Emissary is an enchantment creature card that can impose a formidable presence on the battlefield. Its ability to make a creature harder to block due to the menace effect can be a real challenge to deal with. This creature becomes a central piece in decks that focus on aggressive strategies and applying constant pressure on the opponent. To efficiently tackle this card, removal spells are a player’s best friend. Cards such as Doom Blade for black decks or Path to Exile for white decks can handle the threat without being hindered by the menace effect.

Another strategy is not to let Purphoros’s Emissary hit the field at all. Counterspells like Cancel or Negate are perfect for blue players who want to nip the problem in the bud. For those who prefer to play a longer game, board wipes such as Day of Judgment or Wrath of God can reset the playing field. It’s also noteworthy that enchantment removals like Disenchant or Naturalize can directly target the Emissary when it’s bestowing another creature, providing a two-for-one advantage.

Coping with Purphoros’s Emissary requires foresight and the right toolkit. With proper planning and access to the appropriate cards, overcoming this threat is more than feasible, allowing players to regain control and advance toward victory in their games.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Purphoros's Emissary MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Double Masters 2022, 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 Purphoros's Emissary and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Purphoros's Emissary Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by Sam Burley.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2013-09-27	Theros	THS		136	2003	Normal	Black	Sam Burley
2	2022-07-08	Double Masters 2022	2X2		121	2015	Normal	Black	Sam Burley

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Purphoros's Emissary has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Auras attached to a creature don't become tapped when the creature becomes tapped. Except in some rare cases, an Aura with bestow remains untapped when it becomes unattached and becomes a creature.
2013-09-15	If a permanent with bestow enters the battlefield by any method other than being cast, it will be an enchantment creature. You can't choose to pay the bestow cost and have it become an Aura.
2013-09-15	On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It's never both, although it's an enchantment spell in either case.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Aura spells, an Aura spell with bestow isn't countered if its target is illegal as it begins to resolve. Rather, the effect making it an Aura spell ends, it loses enchant creature, it returns to being an enchantment creature spell, and it resolves and enters the battlefield as an enchantment creature.
2013-09-15	Unlike other Auras, an Aura with bestow isn't put into its owner's graveyard if it becomes unattached. Rather, the effect making it an Aura ends, it loses enchant creature, and it remains on the battlefield as an enchantment creature. It can attack (and its abilities can be activated, if it has any) on the turn it becomes unattached if it's been under your control continuously, even as an Aura, since your most recent turn began.