Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 13 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Praetor
Abilities Vigilance
Power 4
Toughness 7

Key Takeaways

  1. Elesh Norn can instantly tip the battlefield balance, buffing your creatures while nerfing opposing forces upon entry.
  2. Specialized mana cost limits Elesh Norn to certain decks but makes an impactful addition in compatible archetypes.
  3. Despite a formidable board presence, Elesh Norn can be countered by spells like Path to Exile or strategic play.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Vigilance Other creatures you control get +2/+2. Creatures your opponents control get -2/-2.

"The Gitaxians whisper among themselves of other worlds. If they exist, we must bring Phyrexia's magnificence to them."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite grants an impressive card advantage to its controller. Once on the battlefield, it weakens the opponent’s creatures while strengthening your own army. This not only diminishes the opponent’s field advantage but can also eradicate smaller creatures instantly, creating card advantage for you.

Resource Acceleration: While Elesh Norn doesn’t directly accelerate resources, the subsequent pressure it applies enables faster winning conditions. By cutting down on opponent’s board presence, it effectively accelerates your victory path, giving the feel of resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although Elesh Norn is not an instant-speed spell, the immediate impact it makes on the board when cast is comparable. Its static abilities are always active, influencing both your and your opponent’s turn, rapidly tilting the game balance into your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite may not require card discards for activation, but its combined effects can quickly deplete your hand, leaving your board defenseless after its play. These outcomes can be detrimental, especially when facing opponents with card-drawing mechanics.

Specific Mana Cost: The Cenobite’s mana cost includes white, positioning it as an asset for mono-white or multicolor decks with a high white presence. This specialization can restrict the number of playstyles and deck types where Elesh Norn can efficiently operate, limiting versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite has a total mana cost of seven, which is considerably high even for a powerful effect. The pace of many modern games can render such expensive cards less effective as they may come into play too late. In comparison, lower-cost alternatives exist that can provide similar advantages earlier on in the game, thereby proving more practical.


Reasons to Include Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite in Your Collection

Versatility: Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite can easily adapt to several deck archetypes. A favorite in mono-white Commander decks, it is a force to be reckoned with due to its built-in static abilities, affecting both your and your opponents’ creatures.

Combo Potential: This card pairs perfectly with token strategies, complimenting them by providing a sizeable boost. It also fits well with strategies related to graveyard manipulation, as its Phyrexian Praetor property allows for a power-packed resurrected creature play.

Meta-Relevance: With changes in the meta-game favoring control or mid to late game strategies, the ability of Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite to reduce the strength of opponent’s creatures while bolstering your own makes it highly relevant. Its unique abilities can swing the tide of the game in your favor, making it a key card to have.


How to Beat

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite card is a daunting challenge in the MTG arena. Flushing out this monstrous white praetor requires planning and strategic countermoves. Elesh Norn’s strength in bolstering your opponent’s creatures while seizing your own can upset the balance of play in an instant.

Counterspell cards can provide a lifeline, disrupting the casting of Elesh Norn. Similarly, Instant removal spells such as Path to Exile or Murder are crucial. Stripping your opponents of their mana resources is also effective. This includes land destruction cards like Armageddon or cards that deny mana like Mana short.

In edh/Commander format, tuck mechanics can return Elesh Norn to the library, restricting its resurrecting capabilities. Deathtouch creatures also provide a good countermeasure, eliminating the threat of Elesh Norn in combat. Lastly, running cards that offer hexproof or shroud to your creatures can be a game changer, rendering Elesh Norn’s debuff ability useless.

Though formidable, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is not unbeatable. By judiciously deploying the right mix of cards and strategies in your MtG deck, you can turn the tables on this fearsome adversary.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the dynamics of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite in your MTG collection offers profound strategic depth. The ability to give and take power across the battlefield makes it a distinguished card that can pivot the game to your favor. If your style leans towards white-centered or multicolor decks that value creature presence or graveyard mechanics, this Phyrexian Praetor is a match for you. We encourage players to explore creative combinations and to anticipate strategies that might counter such a powerful card. Ready to deepen your knowledge and integrate Elesh Norn into your winning decks? Let’s dive into crafting that superior strategy together.


Cards like Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

The Mighty Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite is an iconic card in Magic: The Gathering universe. It holds some semblance to its counterparts, in particular, Sheoldred, Whispering One, which also stands out due to its unique set of abilities. Elesh Norn tends to diversify its approach by decimating opposing creatures’ strength, whereas Sheoldred relies on forcing opponents to sacrifice their creatures and reviving yours from the graveyard.

Another card comparison can be made with Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger. Sharing the Praetor creature type, Vorinclex operates on a different axis by controlling and disrupting land resources. However, it doesn’t have the global impact that Elesh Norn possesses in reducing enemy creature strength.

From another perspective, we find Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur with a comparable cost and similar creature type. Although both cards bring a decisive sway to the battlefield, Jin-Gitaxias focuses more on control aspects like reducing opponents’ hand size, while Elesh Norn manipulates creature power dynamics.

In conclusion, Elesh Norn Grand Cenobite demonstrates a truly unique stature among similar cards in Magic: The Gathering, marked by its capability to reshape the battlefield’s power dynamics and its user-friendly casting cost.

Sheoldred, Whispering One - MTG Card versions
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - MTG Card versions
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur - MTG Card versions
Sheoldred, Whispering One - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite by color, type and mana cost

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Yoked Plowbeast - MTG Card versions
Vengeful Archon - MTG Card versions
Angelic Arbiter - MTG Card versions
Elder Land Wurm - Renaissance (REN)
Seraph - Masters Edition (ME1)
Archangel - Starter 1999 (S99)
Ancestor's Chosen - Ultimate Masters (UMA)
Serra Avatar - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Drogskol Cavalry - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Eternal Dragon - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Soul of Eternity - Commander Legends (CMR)
Resolute Archangel - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)
Crowd Favorites - Onslaught (ONS)
Kami of the Honored Dead - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Luminous Angel - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Angel of Retribution - Battlebond (BBD)
Ghosts of the Innocent - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Angel of Glory's Rise - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Windbrisk Raptor - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Pale Wayfarer - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Yoked Plowbeast - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Vengeful Archon - Magic 2011 (M11)
Angelic Arbiter - Commander Anthology (CMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and New Phyrexia, 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 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 2011-05-13 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 523062003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
22011-05-13New PhyrexiaNPH 92003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
32014-01-01Judge Gift Cards 2014J14 82003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
42015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 162015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
52017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 182015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
62019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 882015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
72019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 2092015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
82020-09-26The ListPLST IMA-182015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
92021-05-27Historic Anthology 5HA5 22015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
102023-04-21Multiverse LegendsMUL 682015normalblackIgor Kieryluk
112023-04-21Multiverse LegendsMUL 133z2015normalborderlessFlavio Girón
122023-04-21Multiverse LegendsMUL 1332015normalborderlessFlavio Girón
132023-04-21Multiverse LegendsMUL 32015normalborderlessFlavio Girón

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-11-17 If a second Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite comes under your control, you'll put one into its owner's graveyard due to the “legend rule” at the same time that any of your opponents' creatures getting -4/-4 are put into their owner's graveyard for having 0 or less toughness.

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