Krovikan Elementalist MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Released	1995-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Ice Age
Set code	ICE
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	139
Frame	1993
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Douglas Shuler

Key Takeaways

Krovikan Elementalist’s ability to reclaim spells bolsters player resources significantly.
Instant speed execution grants flexibility, disrupting opponent strategies adeptly.
Demands careful hand management due to the requirement to discard a card.

Text of card

oo R Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. o Uoo U Target creature you control gains flying until end of turn. At end of turn, bury that creature.

"The Elementalists' talents could be useful if turned to other purposes." —Zur the Enchanter

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Krovikan Elementalist ensures players can maintain their hand size by returning key instant or sorcery cards from their graveyard to their hand. This ability is critical in long drawn-out battles, allowing for repeated utilization of powerful spells that can turn the tide in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: By seamlessly retrieving important instants or sorceries, Krovikan Elementalist accelerates your access to resources. This means you don’t just play what’s in your hand; you get to reuse the most impactful spells in your deck, essentially expanding your available options without needing to draw additional cards.

Instant Speed: With the power to operate at instant speed, Krovikan Elementalist gives players the flexibility to respond to opponents’ actions during their turns. This surprise factor can be game-defining, offering strategic advantages by disrupting the opponents’ plans or by creating unexpected turning points during crucial phases of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Krovikan Elementalist demands that you discard a card, which can be a significant drawback, especially if your hand is already stretched thin or you’re strategizing for future plays. This can sometimes offset the advantage gained by the card’s abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: This character’s abilities require a precise mana arrangement that includes blue. Decks not heavily invested in blue mana sources might find it challenging to reliably cast the Krovikan Elementalist, thus hindering its potential inclusion in a diverse range of strategy builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though offering a unique set of abilities, the Elementalist comes at a relatively steep price. With a casting cost of four mana, which includes double blue, players could be forced to delay playing other cards or miss developing their board presence in the early stages of the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Krovikan Elementalist offers flexibility in deck-building by providing a form of spell augmentation. Players can tweak their spells to be more impactful, which is invaluable in games that can hinge on the modified outcomes of instant and sorcery cards.

Combo Potential: This card can be a linchpin in decks that focus on spell-slinging synergies. It enhances combos that rely on instants and sorceries, making them more powerful or even facilitating the execution of a game-winning sequence.

Meta-Relevance: Given the correct meta-environment, Krovikan Elementalist can disrupt opponent strategies by amplifying your instant-speed interactions. Altered spell effects can tip the scales in a meta that’s heavy on creature-based tactics or where controlling the board is essential.

How to Beat

Krovikan Elementalist adds a nuanced layer of strategy to Magic: The Gathering, allowing for the temporary seizing of an opponent’s creature. The key to countering this card is to mitigate its impact. First and foremost, holding instant-speed removal can swiftly answer the Elementalist before its ability becomes a problem. This ensures that even if your opponent gains control of your creature, they won’t benefit from it for long.

A comprehensive understanding of the battlefield is also crucial. Ensuring that the creatures you play aren’t just high-value targets for such control effects reinforces your board state. Additionally, applying constant pressure on your opponent’s lifepoints can deter them from investing mana and card resources into an Elementalist. Consider using hexproof or shroud-enchanted creatures, which provide inherent protection against the Elementalist’s ability, thus reducing its utility and impact in the game.

Moreover, implementing cards that grant you protection from specific colors or cards that can counter activated abilities could prevent the Elementalist from asserting control. In summary, strategic removal, understanding the potential threats, and maintaining protection can nullify the disruptive capabilities of the Krovikan Elementalist and keep you in command of the game.

Cards like Krovikan Elementalist

Krovikan Elementalist presents a noteworthy dynamic in Magic: The Gathering’s realm of blue-enhanced creatures. While it’s relatively easy to draw parallels with staple creature cards like Nivix Guildmage, the Elementalist stands out due to its adaptability in controlling the field. Both cards provide a similar benefit in spell modification, yet the Elementalist excels in its specialized role. Nivix Guildmage offers the advantage of card filtering and the capacity to copy instant or sorcery spells, which is invaluable for certain strategies.

Another card that echoes the utility of Krovikan Elementalist is Goblin Electromancer. Although the Electromancer reduces the cost of spells, which is inherently powerful, it doesn’t grant the fine-tuned control over instant and sorcery spells that the Elementalist does. The guildmage and the electromancer are fixtures in many decks for their spell-enhancing abilities, but Krovikan Elementalist presents a more nuanced advantage that can be exploited in strategic deck builds to outmaneuver opponents in crucial moments.

To summarize, the intrinsic value Krovikan Elementalist brings to the table is its potent interaction with instants and sorceries. When compared to its kin in the spell-slinging category, the Krovikan Elementalist offers a unique twist, making it a card worth considering for decks that aim to dominate through tactical spell play.

Goblin Electromancer - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Krovikan Elementalist by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Krovikan Elementalist MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age, 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 Krovikan Elementalist and other MTG cards: