Thorn Elemental MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elemental
Power 7
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Thorn Elemental allows players to direct damage, bypassing creature blocks, for strategic endgame scenarios.
  2. Its seven power threshold makes it a formidable force, challenging opponents to find quick removal solutions.
  3. Green decks capitalize on Thorn Elemental’s strengths, weaving it into ramp strategies for a timely and impactful play.

Text of card

Thorn Elemental may deal its combat damage to defending player as though it weren't blocked.

Rain from this storm leaves you pinned to the ground like an insect.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thorn Elemental offers distinctive card advantage to its owners. With the power to assign combat damage in a way that it isn’t blocked, it easily bypasses your opponent’s line of defense, inflicting direct damage. Such sneaky yet potent tactics maintain or enhance card advantage during matches.

Resource Acceleration: This massive creature accelerates the resources in your arsenal. By dropping this heavyweight on the battlefield, you provide a strong front creating opportunities to secure a quicker victory. Its potential on the board can be utilized as a resource accelerator, raising the pressure bar on your opponent.

Instant Speed: While Thorn Elemental doesn’t possess instant speed innately, numerous green spells within MTG allow you to play creatures at instant speed. Thorn Elemental, therefore, can take advantage of these to surprise opponents with its unusual assignments of combat damage during their turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thorn Elemental, despite its potential power, has a critical drawback. It imposes a discard requirement which can cause problems, especially when your hand is scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a specific mana configuration that predominantly includes green, Thorn Elemental’s dependency can limit its deployment to only certain deck types. Thus, hindering its universal usage in a diverse range of MTG decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a significantly high mana cost, the Thorn Elemental card might not be the first choice for many players. There are numerous other card options in MTG that can provide better efficiency and versatility in resource generation or card drawing terms for less mana.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thorn Elemental packs quite the punch in a variety of deck setups. Its ability to deal damage as though it weren’t blocked allows it a place in aggressive decks seeking quick wins.

Combo Potential: With an ability that, if chosen, lets you assign its combat damage as direct hits to your opponent, the Thorn Elemental pairs perfectly with cards that boost strength or grant additional attack phases.

Meta-Relevance: Thorn Elemental stands tall in metagames dominated by creature-heavy decks, soaking up damage and rupturing through defensive lines. Its innate trait of direct damage padding its relevance in open-field strategies.


How to beat

If you are up against Thorn Elemental in an MTG game, preparation is key. This creature, a force in Magic The Gathering, possesses unique abilities that any player should be aware of. Most importantly, it can deal damage as if unblocked. Hence, having cards that can directly eliminate creatures is a good strategy. One such card is Doom Blade, which destroys a non-black creature at an instant speed, making it effective for taking out Thorn Elemental.

Another card is Pacifism, which can neutralize Thorn Elemental’s strategy by preventing it from attacking or blocking. You can also consider using Blue cards that can counteract creature spells or return Thorn Elemental to a player’s hand. A compelling example is Counterspell or Unsummon.

Additionally, remember to ensure a well-stocked life points. This way, even if you can’t block the damage from Thorn Elemental, you have a good chance of surviving its combat damage. Keep in mind that the key to beating Thorn Elemental is adapting swiftly with a strategy that mitigates its strengths.


Conclusion

In conclusion, Thorn Elemental is a card that exemplifies the depth of strategy within Magic the Gathering. As you tailor your decks and sharpen your tactics, recognize the potential of such unique creatures. This journey of building and battling is about more than just individual victories; it’s about the enduring quest for improvement. Keep venturing further into the realm of MTG, uncovering advanced playstyles and adding formidable cards to your collection. Are you prepared to enhance your gameplay? Discover more with us and rise above the competition to claim your place as a distinguished MTG tactician.


Cards like Thorn Elemental

Thorn Elemental, in the world of MTG, shares its unique features with several other creatures. One such creature is Silvos, Rogue Elemental. Both belong to the Elemental creature type, have substantial strength and toughness, and possess abilities that handle damage in unconventional ways. However, Silvos sets itself apart with its Regenerate feature, providing a robust mechanism to recover from fatal damages.

Moving on, we consider Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar, another creature that shares its grounds with Thorn Elemental. Like Thorn Elemental, Multani gets stronger relative to certain game variables—specifically, the number of lands you own. The critical difference lies in the utility; Multani can return to hand, providing a safety against removal spells.

Our last comparison brings us to Verdant Force. It exploits a long-running theme in green – generating Saproling Tokens at each upkeep. While Thorn Elemental brings unblockability in creatures, Verdant Force brings board presence, adding layers of complexities during combat.

As the comparisons show, Thorn Elemental shines in scenarios requiring hard-to-block threats, making it a formidable card in the MTG universe, alongside Silvos, Multani, and Verdant Force.

Silvos, Rogue Elemental - MTG Card versions
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar - MTG Card versions
Verdant Force - MTG Card versions
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - Onslaught (ONS)
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar - Dominaria (DOM)
Verdant Force - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Thorn Elemental by color, type and mana cost

Penumbra Wurm - MTG Card versions
Stone-Tongue Basilisk - MTG Card versions
Thriss, Nantuko Primus - MTG Card versions
Beanstalk Giant // Fertile Footsteps - MTG Card versions
Somberwald Beastmaster - MTG Card versions
Cultivator Colossus - MTG Card versions
Garruk's Horde - MTG Card versions
Krosan Tusker - MTG Card versions
Hundroog - MTG Card versions
Enormous Baloth - MTG Card versions
Ancient Ooze - MTG Card versions
Cytospawn Shambler - MTG Card versions
Panglacial Wurm - MTG Card versions
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
Duskdale Wurm - MTG Card versions
Avenger of Zendikar - MTG Card versions
Pelakka Wurm - MTG Card versions
Engulfing Slagwurm - MTG Card versions
Kalonian Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Maul Splicer - MTG Card versions
Penumbra Wurm - Ultimate Masters (UMA)
Stone-Tongue Basilisk - Odyssey Promos (PODY)
Thriss, Nantuko Primus - Judgment (JUD)
Beanstalk Giant // Fertile Footsteps - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Somberwald Beastmaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cultivator Colossus - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Garruk's Horde - Welcome Deck 2017 (W17)
Krosan Tusker - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Hundroog - Legions (LGN)
Enormous Baloth - Legions (LGN)
Ancient Ooze - Scourge (SCG)
Cytospawn Shambler - Dissension (DIS)
Panglacial Wurm - The List (PLST)
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer - Tenth Edition (10E)
Duskdale Wurm - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)
Avenger of Zendikar - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Pelakka Wurm - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Engulfing Slagwurm - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Kalonian Behemoth - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Maul Splicer - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thorn Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Media Inserts and Urza's Destiny, 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 Thorn Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thorn Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 2018-04-27. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-01-02Media InsertsPMEI 261997normalblackrk post
21999-06-07Urza's DestinyUDS 1231997normalblackrk post
31999-07-01Starter 1999S99 1471997normalwhiterk post
42001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 273★1997normalblackrk post
52001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 2731997normalwhiterk post
62003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 283★2003normalblackrk post
72003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 2832003normalwhiterk post
82018-04-27DominariaDOM 1852015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thorn Elemental has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-04-27 If blocked by a creature with banding, the defending player decides whether or not the damage is assigned “as though it weren’t blocked”.
2018-04-27 When assigning combat damage, you choose whether you want to assign all damage to blocking creatures, or if you want to assign all of it to the player or planeswalker this creature is attacking. You can’t split the damage assignment between them.
2018-04-27 You can decide to assign damage to the defending player or planeswalker even if the blocking creature has protection from green or damage preventing effects on it.

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