Crusher Zendikon MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
| Released | 2010-02-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Worldwake |
| Set code | WWK |
| Number | 78 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Ryan Pancoast |
Key Takeaways
- Zendikon offers card advantage by making lands serve dual purposes on the battlefield.
- Requires sacrificing a land, demanding careful resource management in gameplay.
- Enhances deck versatility and strategic depth, especially in land-focused decks.
Text of card
Enchant land Enchanted land is a 4/2 red Beast creature with trample. It's still a land. When enchanted land is put into a graveyard, return that card to its owner's hand.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Crusher Zendikon may not directly allow you to draw additional cards, its ability to turn a land into a creature can serve as a form of card advantage by enabling that land to serve dual purposes – being a mana source and a potential attacker or blocker as the situation demands.
Resource Acceleration: Crusher Zendikon can be a form of resource acceleration in the sense that it allows you to make use of lands that are otherwise not contributing to board state beyond mana. By converting a land into a 4/2 creature, you’re effectively getting more utility out of your resources without having to deplete additional cards from your hand.
Instant Speed: Although Crusher Zendikon itself must be cast at sorcery speed, it interacts well with cards that operate at instant speed. This can create surprise blockers or attackers during combat, catching an opponent off guard when they commit to an attack, only to find a new 4/2 creature in their way.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: For players looking to enhance their battlefield with Crusher Zendikon, one downside emerges when attempting to optimize hand resources. Utilizing this card necessitates the forfeiture of a land card from your hand, potentially disrupting your play sequence and resource allocation.
Specific Mana Cost: Alignment with the color wheel is vital for a seamless game flow, and Crusher Zendikon demands a precise mana arrangement. Requiring one red and two other mana to play, it constrains the deck-building process, predominantly tethering you to red-aligned strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Efficiency is key in deck dynamics, and at three mana, Crusher Zendikon’s cost stands on the higher spectrum for its effect. Savvy players might ponder the opportunity cost as there exists a plethora of alternatives that might provide similar or enhanced benefits for a lesser investment, offering an edge in both tempo and resource management.
Reasons to Include Crusher Zendikon in Your Collection
Versatility: Crusher Zendikon can swiftly turn any land into an aggressive creature, making it quite adaptable for numerous red-based decks eager to apply early pressure or those looking for additional creature cards without adding more creatures to the deck.
Combo Potential: With the ability to animate your lands, this card synergizes well with landfall abilities or effects that benefit from sacrificing creatures, setting the stage for powerful plays and unexpected turns.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that appreciates speed and the ability to quickly switch gears from defense to offense, including Crusher Zendikon can provide that tactical edge, particularly in land-centric strategies that are common in various formats.
How to beat
Crusher Zendikon is a unique enchantment that turns lands into a formidable creature in Magic: The Gathering. This card can quickly turn the tides of a game by transforming a simple land into a threatening 4/2 creature. But how does one outmaneuver this animate land card effectively?
The first approach to counteracting Crusher Zendikon is through removal spells that target creatures. Since the land becomes a creature, it becomes susceptible to creature removal such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile. Even though the land would typically return to its owner’s hand upon destruction of the Zendikon, a well-timed removal can halt your opponent’s aggressive momentum.
Enchantment removal is also an effective way to deal with Crusher Zendikon, turning their attacker back into a mere land. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize are excellent choices, not only halting the immediate threat but also preventing any future entanglements with the same land. By strategically utilizing removal spells, you maintain board control and mitigate the danger posed by the animated land threat Crusher Zendikon embodies.
Cards like Crusher Zendikon
Crusher Zendikon turns any land into a formidable threat on the battlefield. In the realm of land-animating enchantments within MTG, it shares a place alongside Earth Surge, which also grants formidable power to lands. Crusher Zendikon, however, delivers a more immediate punch by transforming a single land into an aggressive creature, while Earth Surge augments all lands but lacks the offense factor without additional cards.
Awakening of Vitu-Ghazi brings another angle to the comparison. It not only animates a land but also puts nine +1/+1 counters on it, creating a massive creature almost instantly. Unlike Crusher Zendikon, which can be easily returned to hand when the land is destroyed, Awakening leaves behind no such consolation. Conversely, Sylvan Awakening makes all your lands into creatures with reach and indestructible until the end of the turn, a sweeping change compared to Crusher Zendikon’s singular focus.
Through this lens, Crusher Zendikon’s utility becomes clear. Optimal for single land targeting and economical aggressiveness, it offers a unique position as a land creature card with a balance of power, cost, and conditional permanence. Therefore, it can claim its own niche among MTG’s land animation spells.
Cards similar to Crusher Zendikon by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Crusher Zendikon MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake, 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 Crusher Zendikon and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Crusher Zendikon has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Crusher Zendikon card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-03-01 | An ability that turns a land into a creature also sets that creature’s power and toughness. If the land was already a creature, this will overwrite the previous effect that set its power and toughness. Effects that modify its power or toughness, such as the effects of Disfigure or Glorious Anthem, will continue to apply, no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change its power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness. |
| 2010-03-01 | An attacking or blocking creature that stops being a creature is removed from combat. This can happen if a Zendikon enchanting an attacking or blocking creature leaves the battlefield, for example. The permanent that was removed from combat neither deals nor is dealt combat damage. Any attacking creature that the land creature was blocking remains blocked, however. |
| 2010-03-01 | If a Zendikon and the land it’s enchanting are destroyed at the same time (due to Akroma’s Vengeance, for example), the Zendikon’s last ability will still trigger. |
| 2010-03-01 | If a Zendikon’s last ability triggers, but the land card it refers to leaves the graveyard before it resolves, it will resolve but do nothing. |
| 2010-03-01 | The enchanted permanent will be both a land and a creature and can be affected by anything that affects either a land or a creature. |
| 2010-03-01 | When a land becomes a creature, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won’t trigger. |
