Animar, Soul of Elements MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Elemental
Abilities Protection
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Animar grows stronger with creature spells, catalyzing cost-efficiency and board presence in creature-heavy decks.
  2. Resource acceleration and strategic play are boosted, allowing faster creature deployment and versatile turn options.
  3. Understanding its strengths and weaknesses is key to maximizing Animar’s potential in your deck’s synergy.

Text of card

Protection from white and from black Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Animar, Soul of Elements. Creature spells you cast cost less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Animar, Soul of Elements is renowned for facilitating substantial card efficiency in your deck. With each creature spell you cast, Animar grows stronger, reducing the mana cost of future creatures. This creates a powerful synergy, especially in a deck dense with creatures, enabling you to deploy more threats and sustain pressure while conserving cards in hand for pivotal moments.

Resource Acceleration: This card exhibits remarkable resource acceleration capabilities. Each counter placed on Animar effectively serves as a cost reduction for your creatures, allowing you to cast them at a fraction of their original cost. Not only does this increase the speed at which you can flood the board with creatures, but it also frees up mana for other spells and abilities, enhancing your strategic options each turn.

Instant Speed: While Animar itself does not operate at instant speed, it incentivizes a deck construction that can take advantage of instant-speed interactions. The mana you save on casting creature spells can be strategically allocated to instant-speed removal, counter spells, or end-of-turn plays, keeping opponents constantly off-balance and reacting to your evolving board state.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Animar, Soul of Elements requires a very specific mana alignment with one green, one blue, and one red to cast. This can prove challenging in decks that are not heavily focused on mana-fixing or that don’t operate primarily within these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting casting cost of three different mana, Animar can be a slower addition to the field compared to other creatures in the early game. Players could potentially cast multiple creatures with lower individual costs for quicker board presence.

Discard Requirement: While Animar itself does not have a discard requirement, its synergies often involve casting numerous creatures, which can deplete your hand quickly. This may leave a player vulnerable to disruption and without sufficient cards to maintain momentum in the mid to late game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Animar Soul of Elements offers a flexible cost reduction for creature spells, making it fit seamlessly into a wide array of creature-based decks. Its ability to grow in strength and resilience makes it a dynamic choice for various gameplay strategies.

Combo Potential: Known for its synergistic capabilities, Animar can quickly spiral out of control with combo decks, where each creature played not only costs less but also buffs Animar’s power. This interacts well with endless combos and also facilitates a powerful engine for casting large creatures much sooner than usual.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that rewards proactive board development and cost-efficient plays, Animar Soul of Elements stands out. It can outpace control decks by deploying threats faster than they can be answered and challenge aggro strategies with progressively larger creatures that become difficult to remove.


How to Beat Animar, Soul of Elements

Animar, Soul of Elements stands as a formidable commander in MTG, boasting protection from white and black spells and the capacity to grow with every creature cast. Countering this multicolored powerhouse typically involves bypassing its color protection. Red and blue spells, untargeted removal, or board wipes like Wrath of God, are practical strategies as they aren’t impeded by Animar’s protective traits.

In addition, focusing on reducing the amount of creatures on the board can undermine Animar’s ability to scale. Tools such as Relic of Progenitus help control creature-related graveyard strategies that may complement Animar decks. Utilizing spells that counter creature spells directly, like Essence Scatter, is also a valuable tactic since they prevent Animar from gaining counters. Cards that change creature base power and toughness such as Sudden Spoiling can also turn the tide by neutralizing Animar before it becomes too large to manage effectively.

Ultimately, quick reaction and strategic planning are crucial when facing Animar, Soul of Elements. Disabling the synergy it creates with other creatures, employing comprehensive board management, and capitalizing on its color protection limitations can even the playing field and position you for victory against this dynamic elemental force.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the vast world of Magic the Gathering, Animar, Soul of Elements stands as a cornerstone for creature-heavy decks. With its ability to reduce casting costs and collectively strengthen your board presence, it’s easy to see why Animar is a must-have for competitive play. Crafting a deck around Animar promises a thrilling blend of strategy and power, unlocking new tiers of gameplay. For those looking to harness Animar’s potential and expand their collection with a card that evolves with every turn, peek into our insights. Dive into our pool of knowledge and bring Animar’s elemental might to your next duel.


Cards like Animar, Soul of Elements

Animar, Soul of Elements stands out as an exceptional commander in the multiverse of MTG. This legendary creature is often compared to other creature-centric commanders like Riku of Two Reflections, who also amplifies the value of your creatures. However, Animar’s unique ability to reduce creature spell costs for each +1/+1 counter presents a distinct advantage, enabling you to cast larger creatures much sooner than with Riku.

Another card that echoes the essence of Animar is Maelstrom Wanderer, which also resides in the Temur color identity. Both commanders encourage a cascade of high-impact plays. Yet, Animar has the added benefit of being able to grow progressively stronger and more cost-efficient with every creature spell cast, a true game-changer for heavy creature strategies.

Lastly, consider Uril, the Miststalker, who thrives on enchantment auras for power boosts and protection. While Uril has inherent hexproof and gets stronger with enchantments, Animar’s protection from white and black, combined with the ability to cheat mana costs of creatures, offers a broader and more flexible path to gaining an overwhelming board presence.

Riku of Two Reflections - MTG Card versions
Maelstrom Wanderer - MTG Card versions
Uril, the Miststalker - MTG Card versions
Riku of Two Reflections - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Maelstrom Wanderer - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Uril, the Miststalker - Alara Reborn (ARB)

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Vodalian Mindsinger - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Averna, the Chaos Bloom - Commander Legends (CMR)
Savage Knuckleblade - The List (PLST)
Yasova Dragonclaw - Fate Reforged Promos (PFRF)
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Animar, Soul of Elements MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2011 and Commander 2011 Oversized, 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 Animar, Soul of Elements and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Animar, Soul of Elements Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2011-06-17 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 1812003normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
22011-06-17Commander 2011 OversizedOCMD 1812003normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
32015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 932015normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
42018-03-16Masters 25A25 1962015normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
52019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 13872015normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
62020-09-26The ListPLST A25-1962015normalblackPeter Mohrbacher
72022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 4702015normalblackFilip Burburan
82022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 1712015normalblackFilip Burburan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Animar, Soul of Elements has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-03-16 Animar’s triggered ability resolves before the creature spell that causes it to trigger. The ability will resolve even if that spell is countered.
2018-03-16 Animar’s triggered ability triggers only when a creature spell is cast, after costs are paid. The counter put on Animar for a creature spell won’t affect the cost of that creature spell, only future ones.
2018-03-16 To determine the total cost of a creature spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the creature remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

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