Primordial Ooze MTG Card
1994-06-01 - Number 160
1995-07-01 - Number 54
1997-03-24 - Number 261
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Ooze |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Primordial Ooze gains power each turn, applying consistent pressure on opponents during matches.
- Flexibility issues arise from its specific mana cost and demand for green-focused decks.
- In the right scenarios, this card’s unique scalability can dominate the battlefield.
Text of card
Must attack each turn if possible. Gains +1/+1 at end of your upkeep. Use counters. Then pay o1 per counter or Ooze deals 1 damage to you for each counter and becomes tapped.
The thick, moving mass from the beginning of evolution swallows and digests the animate and inanimate as it unthinkingly strives to continue its existence.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The evolving nature of Primordial Ooze allows for an incremental advantage as it grows in power with each turn, ensuring you’re consistently applying pressure on your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly affecting resources, the Ooze’s increasing power creates a situation where your opponents are forced to deal with it, potentially diverting resources that could hinder your own acceleration.
Instant Speed: Although Primordial Ooze operates at sorcery speed, its dynamic power level can influence instant-speed decisions. Opponents might need to respond quickly to its growth, allowing you to capitalize on their rapid resource use.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Primordial Ooze demands that you discard a card to initiate certain abilities. For players closely guarding their hand, this can often feel counterintuitive, as maintaining a strong card presence is crucial to most strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: Tailored to fit seamlessly into decks with a heavy focus on green mana, Primordial Ooze can be restrictive for multicolored deck strategies that may not have the necessary resources to summon it easily.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game where tempo can determine the winner, the hefty sum required to play Primordial Ooze might not align with more cost-effective creatures that offer similar or better advantages on the battlefield for less mana.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Primordial Ooze offers a unique growing mechanism, making it a solid choice for decks focused on +1/+1 counters. It can adapt to various strategies, such as proliferate or Voltron-style tactics, becoming a significant threat over time.
Combo Potential: The card possesses inherent synergy with effects that double counters or provide additional ways to modify and manipulate counters. This combo potential can lead to explosive turns where Primordial Ooze becomes a game-ending creature.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that leans towards creature-centric play, Primordial Ooze can quickly outsize opponents’ threats. Its scalibility makes it a relevant and formidable inclusion, responding well to a play environment where board presence is key.
How to beat
Primordial Ooze is a unique creature card that poses an interesting challenge on the battlefield. Its power increases with every turn but at a cost, which can turn into an advantage for those who know how to tackle it effectively. One strategy involves using removal spells that can target it regardless of its power, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, before it grows out of control. Another is to enforce a state of pacifism using enchantments to prevent it from attacking or blocking, rendering its power boost moot.
Control decks excel in managing threats like Primordial Ooze by countering it as it hits the stack or returning it to its owner’s hand to reset its power buildup. Board wipes are also particularly effective, as they can remove the Ooze regardless of its size. Additionally, players can take a more passive approach, allowing their opponent to invest resources into growing the Ooze, then capitalizing on the mandatory upkeep cost by designing a game state where it becomes a liability for its controller.
Overall, the key to overcoming Primordial Ooze lies in timing and the efficient utilization of control elements within your deck to handle the growing threat it represents, ensuring your victory on the Magic: The Gathering playing field.
Cards like Primordial Ooze
Primordial Ooze represents a unique creature within Magic: The Gathering, situating itself as an intriguing card in the realm of creatures that grow over time. It roughly aligns with cards like Quirion Dryad, which also accumulates power as you play certain types of spells. Yet, the Ooze has a distinct, mandatory growth mechanic which requires an increased investment of mana each turn to keep it alive, contrasting with the steady, conditional growth of the Dryad without extra costs.
Another similar card in this sphere is Managorger Hydra, which also thrives on the stack of spells being played, elevating its strength consistently. The Hydra, though, benefits passively from each player’s spells, unlike Primordial Ooze, which depends solely on the investment of its owner. Scute Mob is another parallel, gaining counters when you meet a land threshold, providing potentially limitless growth at no ongoing mana expense, differing from the Ooze’s more demanding survival conditions.
When diving deep into creature dynamics and growth mechanisms across similar cards, Primordial Ooze offers an unconventional challenge to MTG players, balancing the potential for immense power with a riskier requirement for resource allocation.
Cards similar to Primordial Ooze by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Primordial Ooze MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Chronicles, 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 Primordial Ooze 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
See Magic products
Printings
The Primordial Ooze Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 1997-03-24. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-06-01 | Legends | LEG | 160 | 1993 | normal | black | Sandra Everingham | |
| 2 | 1995-07-01 | Chronicles | CHR | 54 | 1993 | normal | white | Sandra Everingham | |
| 3 | 1997-03-24 | Fifth Edition | 5ED | 261 | 1997 | normal | white | Randy Gallegos |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Primordial Ooze has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Primordial Ooze card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | It becomes tapped even if the damage is prevented. |
