Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Ogre Spirit |
| Released | 2014-07-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Magic 2015 |
| Set code | M15 |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 153 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Slawomir Maniak |
Key Takeaways
- Activating artifact abilities twice, Kurkesh ensures a steady flow of resources, commanding a powerful board position.
- Greater mana access boosts casting of high-impact spells, giving players a discernible lead over opponents.
- Red mana cost and discard requirement limit deck diversity but bolster mono-red or artifact-centered strategies.
Text of card
Whenever you activate an ability of an artifact, if it isn't a mana ability, you may pay . If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
The Onakke were masters of dark arts and artifice. Their creations continue to spread foul magic, paving the way for their return.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient grants you the potential to double up on activated abilities of artifacts, which can lead to significant card advantage. By copying abilities that allow you to draw cards or manipulate your deck, you maintain a fuller hand and exert greater control over the course of the game. This ensures you’re never falling behind your opponent in terms of resources.
Resource Acceleration: This legendary ogre provides a unique form of resource acceleration. While Kurkesh itself doesn’t directly generate additional mana, it effectively doubles the output of mana-generating artifacts at the cost of one red mana. This can result in a substantial increase in your available mana, propelling you ahead in summoning more powerful spells and creatures earlier than your opponents can handle.
Instant Speed: The beauty of Kurkesh’s ability lies in its flexibility. Although it doesn’t operate at instant speed, it allows you to enhance instant-speed interactions with your artifacts, creating surprising twists during your opponent’s turn. By copying abilities when most opportune, such as in response to an opponent’s actions, Kurkesh can quickly turn the tides of the game in your favor, preserving the element of surprise and strategic depth.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: For Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient, the necessity to discard can be a setback in gameplay, especially if your hand is already running low on cards. This requirement can leave you at a disadvantage by reducing your options for responses during your opponents’ turns.
Specific Mana Cost: Kurkesh carries a specific mana cost that requires a significant commitment to red mana sources. This can make it challenging to integrate into multicolored decks that require a diverse mana base, potentially restricting its playability to mono-red or decks heavily skewed towards red.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana may seem steep when you compare Kurkesh to other cards that amplify mana or modify abilities. Decks seeking to establish a board presence more swiftly might find Kurkesh less appealing than alternatives with lower mana requirements or more immediate impacts on the game state.
Reasons to Include Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient in Your Collection
Versatility: Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient has the ability to enhance a wide array of strategies through its ability to copy activated abilities of artifacts. This flexibility allows it to fit seamlessly into artifact-centric decks or any build looking to exploit artifact synergies.
Combo Potential: With Kurkesh on the battlefield, any number of artifact-based combos can become more powerful. Whether you’re looking to generate infinite mana, draw copious cards, or create insurmountable board states, Kurkesh provides the engine to take these combos to the next level.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where artifacts play a prominent role, Kurkesh shows its true colors. This legendary Ogre offers a unique advantage, keeping your deck relevant and competitive by turning otherwise simple artifacts into dominant game-changers.
How to beat
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient elevates every artifact strategy in a player’s deck, with the potential to double activated abilities. This makes it a key target to neutralize in a game. The most straightforward strategy to defeat Kurkesh is through removal spells. Cards with unconditional removal, such as Murder or Path to Exile, can effectively handle the threat without triggering its ability. Additionally, countering Kurkesh while it’s on the stack with spells like Cancel or Mana Leak prevents the Onakke Ancient from ever impacting the board.
Artifact disruption is also effective. Cards like Shatterstorm or Vandalblast can decimate the reliant artifact-heavy decks that typically include Kurkesh, cutting off the synergy before it becomes overwhelming. If Kurkesh manages to activate an ability, responding with instant-speed disruption can minimize the impact. Moreover, including graveyard hate, like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenger Grounds, prohibits recursion strategies from bringing Kurkesh back from the graveyard, ensuring your victory stays in place.
In essence, combining quick removal with artifact hate and graveyard control creates a hostile environment for Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient, often leading to a swift and undeniable victory over players relying on this formidable MTG card.
Cards like Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient introduces a dynamic approach to exploiting activated abilities of artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. Its closest counterpart is probably Rings of Brighthearth, which shares the ability to copy activated abilities, albeit without restricting it to artifacts. Kurkesh’s red mana requirement and exclusivity to artifacts make it a unique fit in artifact-centric decks, differentiating itself with a narrower but often more synergistic application.
Another analogous card is Strionic Resonator, which copies triggered abilities instead of activated ones. While Strionic Resonator is more versatile by affecting any permanent’s triggered ability, Kurkesh shines by creating a repeatable advantage every turn with the right artifact. Also, Voltaic Key, known for its untap artifact ability, plays well with Kurkesh as it doubles the Key’s function, leading to an intricate interaction.
Through the lens of utility and synergy, Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient offers a solid option for players looking to double down on artifact manipulation. It stands out as a specialized tool among its peers, commanding a spot in decks designed to maximize the potential of artifact abilities.
Cards similar to Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015, 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 Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-07-18 | A mana ability is an ability that (1) could put mana into a player’s mana pool when it resolves, (2) isn’t a loyalty ability, and (3) doesn’t target. |
| 2014-07-18 | Activated abilities are written in the form “Cost: Effect.” Some keywords are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder texts. |
| 2014-07-18 | If paying the activation cost of the ability includes sacrificing Kurkesh, the ability won’t be copied. At the time the ability is considered activated (after all costs are paid), Kurkesh is no longer on the battlefield. |
| 2014-07-18 | If the ability has in its cost, the value of X is copied. |
| 2014-07-18 | If the ability is modal (that is, it says “Choose one —” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can’t choose a different one. |
| 2014-07-18 | The copy will have the same targets as the ability it’s copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can’t choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal). |
