Crosis, the Purger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Dragon
Abilities Flying
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Crosis the Purger can control the game by forcing opponents to discard, reducing their strategic options.
  2. Requires specific mana colors, challenging deck building for players outside the Grixis strategy.
  3. Despite a high mana cost, it’s a valuable addition for decks utilizing discard synergy.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Crosis, the Purger deals combat damage to a player, you may pay o B. If you do, choose a color. That player reveals his or her hand and discards all cards of that color from it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Crosis the Purger provides a unique edge when dealing with opponents. Each successful attack forces the opponent to discard their hand, drastically reducing their options and boosting your strategic advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a traditional resource accelerator, Crosis can indirectly hasten your victory by depleting an opponent’s resources, allowing you to maintain a steadier pace with your mana and cards while they struggle to recover.

Instant Speed: Deploying removals or counterspells before Crosis’s attack can ensure its ability triggers without hindrance, indirectly benefiting from instant-speed spells that clear the path, secure the attack, and capitalize on creating a hand disadvantage for your opponent.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Crosis the Purger’s intimidating presence on the battlefield is somewhat mitigated by the requisite discard action it triggers. This ability forces your opponent to discard a card, but it only occurs when Crosis deals combat damage to a player, making it a conditional disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting of Crosis the Purger demands a precise blend of mana colors. To summon this dragon, you must channel mana across black, blue, and red hues. This specificity can challenge deck-building, particularly for players not running a dedicated Grixis color strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three colored mana and three generic, the investment to bring Crosis onto the field is substantial. In the rapid tempo of modern gameplay, there are other creatures that provide significant impact at a lower mana cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Crosis the Purger offers a unique blend of offensive power and strategic disruption, making it a valuable addition to any deck seeking to dominate through both creature force and tactical control.

Combo Potential: This dragon excels when paired with cards that manipulate opponents’ hands, amplifying the pain of discarding with potent, resource-denying effects or leveraging discard synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where multicolored decks are prevalent, Crosis the Purger becomes a targeted threat, capable of punishing opponents playing those schemes and shaping a game’s outcome with each attack phase.


How to beat

Crosis the Purger looms as a formidable presence on the battlefield for any Magic: The Gathering player. Its power comes from causing discard chaos in the hands of your opponents upon dealing combat damage. To successfully navigate this threat, one must preempt the dragon’s attack. Employing instant-speed removal such as Path to Exile or countering it before it even lands with a spell like Counterspell can keep your hand safe.

Strategically, it’s advisable to keep mana open, keeping watch for the moment Crosis appears. If it does manage to hit the board, avoiding becoming the target of its trigger is crucial. This can be done by presenting more pressing threats that your opponent must address first, or by using veil effects like Veil of Summer to protect your hand.

Ultimately, defeating Crosis the Purger comes down to timing, board control, and a little game sense. By keeping your hand secure and managing threats wisely, you maintain your course toward victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG strategy with cards like Crosis the Purger can revolutionize how you play the game. This dragon’s ability to force discards transforms each attack into an opportunity to cripple your adversary’s game plan. Beyond the raw power it offers on the battlefield, Crosis is ripe for combos with hand disruption tactics that can tilt the scales of victory in your favor. Balancing your collection and honing your gameplay with such strategic cards ensures your deck isn’t just powerful but also versatile and formidable. Dive deeper with us and discover how Crosis the Purger can reshape your MTG matches.


Cards like Crosis, the Purger

Crosis the Purger stands out in MTG among dragon creatures for its potential to wreak havoc on opponents’ hands. Comparable to other legendary dragons, such as Bladewing the Risen, Crosis can influence the board considerably upon arriving. Bladewing can be quite a force by reanimating other dragons from the graveyard, but lacks the targeted discard ability that Crosis the Purger offers – a significant tactical advantage that can disrupt opponent strategies.

Another dragon to consider is Nicol Bolas, which shares a similar discard trigger upon dealing damage to an opponent. However, Nicol Bolas compels the disposal of an entire hand, a much more devastating effect, but it comes with a steeper casting cost compared to Crosis. Meanwhile, Keiga, the Tide Star focuses on controlling the battlefield by taking possession of an opponent’s creature upon death, a different approach to board impact than Crosis’ targeted discard.

On evaluating the intricacies and unique strengths of each dragon, Crosis the Purger is highly esteemed for its blend of aerial might and strategic hand disruption, making it a formidable asset in any MTG deck aiming to control the game through targeted disruption.

Bladewing the Risen - MTG Card versions
Nicol Bolas - MTG Card versions
Keiga, the Tide Star - MTG Card versions
Bladewing the Risen - Scourge (SCG)
Nicol Bolas - Legends (LEG)
Keiga, the Tide Star - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)

Cards similar to Crosis, the Purger by color, type and mana cost

Sedris, the Traitor King - MTG Card versions
A-Glamorous Outlaw - MTG Card versions
Glamorous Outlaw - MTG Card versions
Be'lakor, the Dark Master - MTG Card versions
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Missy - MTG Card versions
Sedris, the Traitor King - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
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Be'lakor, the Dark Master - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Sauron, the Dark Lord - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR)
Missy - Doctor Who (WHO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crosis, the Purger MTG card by a specific set like Invasion and Premium Deck Series: Graveborn, 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 Crosis, the Purger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Crosis, the Purger Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2000-10-02 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12000-10-02InvasionINV 2421997normalblackPete Venters
22011-11-18Premium Deck Series: GravebornPD3 52003normalblackChris Rahn
32017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1682015normalblackChris Rahn
42020-09-26The ListPLST C17-1682015normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crosis, the Purger has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 You choose the color during resolution. This means your opponent does not get to react after knowing the color you chose.

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