Woodfall Primus MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Treefolk Shaman
Abilities Persist,Trample
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Woodfall Primus offers significant disruption, targeting high-value noncreature permanents upon entering.
  2. Persist ability allows for repeated field presence and resource acceleration, doubling card value.
  3. Manage specific, high mana demand and prepare for counters when integrating Primus into your deck strategy.

Text of card

Trample When Woodfall Primus comes into play, destroy target noncreature permanent. Persist (When this creature is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Woodfall Primus provides significant card advantage by destroying any noncreature permanent, potentially disrupting your opponent’s strategies and paving the way for your own victory.

Resource Acceleration: Through its persist ability, Woodfall Primus has the potential to return to the battlefield and offer a repeat performance, essentially doubling the value you get from this single card and accelerating your command over the game’s resources.

Instant Speed: While Woodfall Primus doesn’t operate at instant speed, its presence influences your opponents’ decisions, knowing that any high-value noncreature permanent could be targeted by this powerhouse if it makes its way onto the battlefield.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Woodfall Primus demands a specific mixture of mana, notably eight in total with three of them as green. This restrictiveness can limit its inclusion to decks that can consistently produce the necessary colors and quantities of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to play Woodfall Primus is quite steep at eight mana, which could be a downfall in faster paced games. This makes it a target for counterspells or removal before its value is realized.

Discard Requirement: While Woodfall Primus itself does not have a discard requirement, playing such a high cost card sometimes necessitates considerable hand management. Ensuring it can be cast may mean withholding other potentially useful cards from being played earlier on.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Woodfall Primus is a powerhouse in any deck that thrives on board presence. Its ability to destroy any noncreature permanent on entry, paired with its significant toughness, makes it a threat in multiple formats.

Combo Potential: Given its persist ability, Woodfall Primus can combo with numerous cards that manipulate +1/+1 counters, providing recurring value and potential infinite combos in the right deck.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers dominate, Woodfall Primus serves as a robust answer to many strategies, reinforcing its position in the meta.


How to beat

Woodfall Primus is a formidable presence on the battlefield, renowned in Magic: The Gathering for instigating board control the moment it tramples onto the scene. With its destructive entrance ability, this creature can reshape the game by targeting noncreature permanents. However, there’s strategy in dealing with this behemoth. Consider leveraging exile spells which bypass its persist ability, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. This ensures that Primus doesn’t make a reappearance, preventing the subsequent devastation it can cause.

Another angle to consider is countering. As Woodfall Primus is nestled at the higher end of the mana curve, disrupting a player’s ramp is valuable. Land destruction or artifact removal inhibits the acceleration of mana, delaying or even preventing this titan from ever being cast. Should they manage to summon it, countermagic like Negate or Voidslime can intercept its casting, keeping your permanents safe from harm.

Lastly, remember that Woodfall Primus is mighty but not insurmountable. Tactics like enforcing sacrifice through Diabolic Edict or maintaining graveyard control with Rest in Peace can significantly neuter the potential of a returned Primus. Overall, your game plan should be pre-emptive disruption or decisive removal, ensuring that Woodfall Primus’ potency is diminished before it becomes a recurring nightmare.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves recognizing the strengths and mitigating the weaknesses of powerful cards like Woodfall Primus. Embrace the strategic depth this card brings by taking advantage of its ability to pulverize noncreature permanents and enhance your board state. For those seeking a formidable presence in their collections, especially in commander format, Woodfall Primus is a staple. To harness its full potential, consider the synergies and combos that maximize its persist mechanic and be mindful of its mana demands. Keen to dominate your next game with tactical prowess and insight? Discover advanced strategies and perfect your deck with insights from our full guide on Woodfall Primus.


Cards like Woodfall Primus

Woodfall Primus is a powerhouse creature in MTG that makes a significant impact on the board with its persistent ability and destructive entrance. In a similar fashion to Terastodon, Woodfall Primus obliterates opponents’ noncreature permanents. While Terastodon can target up to three permanents at once, Woodfall Primus’ persist mechanic allows it to leave a lasting effect even after it’s been dealt with, potentially destroying another permanent upon its revival.

Another titan, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, shares the trait of having a potent entrance to the battlefield with its land-locking ability. Unlike Woodfall Primus though, Vorinclex has a more direct approach to disrupting mana acceleration instead of focusing on permanent destruction. However, the Primus is less demanding mana-wise and has the added advantage of recurring through persist, which can be more versatile in certain decks.

Ultimately, Woodfall Primus holds its own in MTG as a robust choice for players seeking to control the battlefield, especially in a Commander format where its repeatable removal can shift the tides of the game. Its resilience and ability to affect board state make it a valuable inclusion in decks focusing on big creatures and repeatable effects.

Terastodon - MTG Card versions
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - MTG Card versions
Terastodon - Resale Promos (PRES)
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Cards similar to Woodfall Primus by color, type and mana cost

Scaled Wurm - MTG Card versions
Crash of Rhinos - MTG Card versions
Verdant Force - MTG Card versions
Deathcoil Wurm - MTG Card versions
Avatar of Might - MTG Card versions
Kamahl, Heart of Krosa - MTG Card versions
Skarrg Goliath - MTG Card versions
Myojin of Towering Might - MTG Card versions
Living Hive - MTG Card versions
Thousand-legged Kami - MTG Card versions
Uktabi Kong - MTG Card versions
Patron of the Orochi - MTG Card versions
End-Raze Forerunners - MTG Card versions
Walker of the Grove - MTG Card versions
Wolf Pack - MTG Card versions
Terastodon - MTG Card versions
Gigantomancer - MTG Card versions
Khalni Hydra - MTG Card versions
Liege of the Tangle - MTG Card versions
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - MTG Card versions
Scaled Wurm - Conspiracy (CNS)
Crash of Rhinos - Mirage (MIR)
Verdant Force - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Deathcoil Wurm - The List (PLST)
Avatar of Might - Tenth Edition (10E)
Kamahl, Heart of Krosa - Commander Legends (CMR)
Skarrg Goliath - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Myojin of Towering Might - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
Living Hive - Planechase (HOP)
Thousand-legged Kami - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Uktabi Kong - Unhinged (UNH)
Patron of the Orochi - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
End-Raze Forerunners - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Walker of the Grove - Ultimate Masters (UMA)
Wolf Pack - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Terastodon - Commander 2021 (C21)
Gigantomancer - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Khalni Hydra - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Liege of the Tangle - Double Masters (2XM)
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - Multiverse Legends (MUL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Woodfall Primus MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor and Modern Masters, 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 Woodfall Primus and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Woodfall Primus Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2008-05-02 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-05-02ShadowmoorSHM 1352003normalblackAdam Rex
22013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 1742003normalblackAdam Rex
32018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 1952015normalblackAdam Rex
42022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 3222015normalblackAdam Rex
52023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 2642015normalblackJohn Tedrick

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Woodfall Primus has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner's graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won't trigger and the card won't return to the battlefield. That's because persist checks the creature's existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point.
2013-06-07 If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they'll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing.
2013-06-07 If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can't return to the battlefield.
2013-06-07 If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player's persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player's persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time.
2013-06-07 The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it.
2013-06-07 When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it's a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence.

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