Purple-Crystal Crab MTG Card
2016-11-16 - Number 70813
2018-06-22 - Number 3
2019-11-07 - Number 464
2020-09-26 - Number GS1-3
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Crab |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
When Purple-Crystal Crab dies, draw a card.
A precious shell without, a delicious taste within.
Cards like Purple-Crystal Crab
Within the vast seas of creature cards in MTG, Purple-Crystal Crab emerges as an intriguing presence. Its aquatic kin includes Mist-Cloaked Herald, a card renowned for being unblockable. While Mist-Cloaked Herald guarantees damage to your opponent each turn, Purple-Crystal Crab offers an enticing ability of its own, elevating it beyond a mere combatant. Unlike its counterpart, Purple-Crystal Crab may not possess unblockability, but it brings a distinct advantage that could tip the scales in a player’s favor.
Exploring further, the tides bring us to Gudul Lurker, another stealthy creature with the prowess to sneak past enemy defenses. This creature shares the same mana cost as our Purple-Crystal Crab but diverges with the megamorph feature, allowing for a sudden power increase. Still, when evaluating their long-term strategic value, the Purple-Crystal Crab’s unique ability offers a persistent utility that might prove invaluable in certain decks.
Assessing the capabilities and utility of Purple-Crystal Crab alongside these similar creatures, it’s clear that this card carves its own niche. It serves as a testament to the diverse strategies and dynamic gameplay elements that MTG offers, reaffirming its place in the ecosystem of creature cards designed for tactical depth and adaptability.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Purple-Crystal Crab offers a unique edge by letting you peek at the top cards of your library, ensuring you’re always a step ahead in your draw strategy.
Resource Acceleration: With its ability to add mana of any color to your pool, this card helps you ramp up smoothly, keeping you agile and ready to cast more powerful spells ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: Its activation at instant speed serves as a versatile tool, allowing reactive gameplay to disrupt your opponent’s strategy while enhancing your own board position without delay.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Purple-Crystal Crab demands a card discard from your hand to activate its main feature. For players already struggling to maintain card advantage, this can exacerbate the issue, leading to a potential downturn in the late game when resources are precious.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a particular combination of mana colors to cast. Decks not running these specific colors will find it challenging to include the crab without overhauling their mana base, which can harm the deck’s consistency and functionality.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s steep compared to other options available in the game, players may hesitate to include the Purple-Crystal Crab in their lineup. While its unique abilities are enticing, the high investment can deter players, especially when alternatives with lower costs or more impactful effects exist within the same mana range.
Reasons to Include Purple-Crystal Crab in Your Collection
Versatility: This card can be a flexible asset across various decks, offering strategic advantage whether you’re seeking a reliable blocker or a cost-effective creature to enchant or equip.
Combo Potential: Purple-Crystal Crab’s unique abilities can mesh well with a range of combos, particularly those leveraging its hexproof capability to safely accumulate value on the board.
Meta-Relevance: Given its resilience against targeted spells and abilities, Purple-Crystal Crab may prove to be a powerful inclusion in a meta dominated by heavy removal, ensuring your side of the field remains a step ahead.
How to Beat
Purple-Crystal Crab is a unique creature card that can bolster one’s MTG strategy by offering both offense and defense capabilities. To overcome this card, effective strategies involve removing it from the board before its controller can fully utilize its potential. Utilizing spot removal spells that can bypass its defenses, such as “Murder” which doesn’t target a particular creature characteristic, is crucial. Additionally, board wipes like “Wrath of God” can clear the crab along with other creatures, irrespective of any protective shell it may have.
Another approach is to employ cards with exile effects. Cards such as “Path to Exile” can permanently deal with Purple-Crystal Crab, ensuring it doesn’t return to the battlefield. It’s also important to manage the pace of your game and not be lured into your opponent’s tempo. Instead, plan to apply pressure with your strategy, reducing the crab’s impact on your path to victory. Timing is critical; acting swiftly with efficient spells can prevent your opponent from gaining the upper hand with Purple-Crystal Crab’s unique advantages.
In summary, by adopting removals that sidestep targeting restrictions and staying ahead in resource management, you can effectively neutralize Purple-Crystal Crab’s influence in the game and maintain your competitive edge.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Purple-Crystal Crab MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling, 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 Purple-Crystal Crab and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Purple-Crystal Crab Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Tan Yan Yao.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-11-16 | Treasure Chest | PZ2 | 70813 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tan Yan Yao | |
| 2 | 2018-06-22 | Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling | GS1 | 3 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tan Yan Yao | |
| 3 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 464 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tan Yan Yao | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | GS1-3 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Tan Yan Yao |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Purple-Crystal Crab has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |