Elemental

Elemental
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/tribal cards)
Beeble Scale	1
Statistics	493 cards 4.3% 16% 5.9% 34.9% 21.5% 0.8% 0.6% 3% 2.8% 2% 0.4% 1.2% 1.2% 1.4% 0.6% 3% 0.2% as of Commander 2021
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type:"Elemental"

Elemental is a creature type describing a sentient being composed of elemental energy. The most common varieties are those of the classical elements, expressing themselves as air, fire, earth, and water elementals. These appeared as a cycle in Alpha. Many more exotic manifestations have also been created, such as elementals of lightning, thorns, fungus, rust and even time.

Elemental is the non-Human race with the widest distribution among all five colors.

Storyline

Alara

Before the Conflux, they inhabited exclusively in Jund and were characterized as violent beings that spawned from areas of it. But, afterward, they have begun to appear in other shards such as Grixis and Naya; Fusion elemental represents a byproduct of the Conflux.

Amonkhet

Most Elementals on Amonkhet are wild and the result of Nicol Bolas' corruption of the plane. During the Hour of Devastation, elementals arose from burning rock, the blood-tainted waters of the Luxa River, and the sands of the desert itself to turn on Naktamun and reduce it to rubble. As a result, most of them are strongly red-aligned.

Arcavios

To the Prismari mages of Strixhaven on Arcavios, elemental creatures are a form of living art. They sculpt artistic shells from a fusion of raw elements, then conjure living elemental energy to inhabit the shells. The result is a powerful creature capable of expressing sublime emotions . . . and wreaking wanton destruction. The inner core of a Prismari elemental might be a churning force of fire, wind, ice, water, lava, or solid rock.

Dominaria

Dominarian Elementals are mostly green, forming from plants and earth through great outpours of magic, like the Mirari that gave birth to Silvos. Otherwise, other elemental masses can be similarly affected, forming from elements. Others are more abstract, like the Time Elemental, Storm Elemental and Dawn Elemental, which are elemental energies given flesh. Following Dominaria's healing process after the Phyrexian Invasion and the Time Rifts, new elementals formed from the lands reinfusion with mana.

Niroso

The Niroso were rock/lava elementals that instigated a war between minotaurs and elves in the Dark Age.

Ikoria

Elementals are one of the dominant clades of Ikoria, being associated primarily with Ketria and blue mana. They are typically aloof rather than malicious. Many bear the mutagenic crystals common in the plane.

Innistrad

The elementals of Innistrad are closely aligned with green or red mana. While not as openly hostile against humanity as other monsters of the plane, the elementals are nonetheless dangerous, defending their territories viciously against fleshy intruders. Most are found in the vast forests of the plane, like the Somberwald and the Ulvenwald. Others arise from the fiery chasms that seem to be connected to demons.

In the wake of Emrakuls arrival, the elementals, like the Gnarlwood Dryad, became more aggressive.

Ixalan

The elementals of Ixalan are magically harnessed via the use of jade totems, constructed by the River Heralds, that hold them in stasis until intruders threaten their territory. When a totem opens, the elemental's physical form comes together, and the intruders are quickly dispatched.

River Heralds also make use of elementals formed of air, water, or vegetation (e.g. Air Elemental, Soul of the Rapids, and Wildgrowth Walker). In ancient times when folk of the River Heralds and the Sun Empire worked together, they harnessed fire elementals into guardians that still keep watch over certain forgotten ruins.

Lorwyn–Shadowmoor

The dual-plane of Lorwyn–Shadowmoor possesses two main types of native elementals: the humanoid flamekin/cinders, living beings made of stone and fire, are similar to elementals on other planes. Greater elementals, however, embody not physical elements but mental concepts. Being an elemental on Lorwyn means being a hybrid of surreal and animal elements that represents the living magic of an idea, thought, or dream.

Flamekin

Flamekin (no connection to the flame-kin of Ravnica) are elementals similar in size and shape to humans. Living in the mountains of Lorwyn, they are a passionate race of warriors and shamans who focus their inner flames into weapons in battle. Flamekin are sworn enemies of the elves, who use their treefolk servants to suppress the flamekin and confine them to their mountain homes.

Flamekin resemble humans made of smooth, living black stone with four-fingered hands and horned faces with graceful features; their inner fires blaze through their crowns, joints, and shoulders. Flamekin can control their flames, allowing them to wear textiles and safely interact with non-flamekin. A group of flamekin called the Brighthearth serve as emissaries of flamekin goodwill to other races, performing useful tasks that require fire, such as smithing.

At some point during the set's early design stage, flamekin were referred to as "salamands," after the belief among medieval alchemists that salamanders were beings of elemental fire.

Cinders

Cinders are the same beings as the Flamekin of Lorwyn. As their name suggests many of the cinders have lost their ability to hold a constant flame making them walking skeletal, smoky remains. According to their legend, the cinders' flames were taken long ago by a traitor known as the Extinguisher, and due to this, they have become very bitter. Most cinders want the entire world to suffer as much as they do and thus they attempt to sow chaos and destruction until nothing good remains. Due to the loss of their fire, they are extremely jealous of species that still use it, and if a fire is spotted by a cinder it will attack ferociously in an attempt to claim the fire for its own.

Greater Elementals

"Greater elementals" are the living embodiments of the abstract mental ideas and concepts dreamed by the people, such as vigor, hostility, and guile. Vastly different in form from other worlds' elementals, the greater elementals take the form of bizarre combinations of natural animals, many of colossal size. They are beasts that pursue their own simple needs with little concern for Lorwyn's tribal conflicts. Greater elementals may be born in the Primal Beyond.

Maro-Sorcerers

A "Maro-Sorcerer", also known as a Force of Nature, is the manifestation of the land, either brought about by strong magic, or of nature's own will. They are found across many worlds, though most known Maro-Sorcerers dwelt on Dominaria.

Mirrodin

Elementals on Mirrodin represented the metallic aspects of the plane, forming from plasma and quicksilver. Others represent the more energetic forces, like storms and sparks.

More abstract elementals include the Desecration Elementals and the War Elementals

Ravnica

Elementals are found throughout the city-plane of Ravnica. Most Ravnican elementals are bestial in intelligence, form, and ecological niche, though some distinct races of sentient, humanoid elementals exist on the plane as well.

Cytospawn

"Cytospawn" are huge humanoid elementals created by the Simic Combine, comprised of living cytoplast. They may be derived from root-kin stock.

Flame-Kin

Passionate zealots loyal to the cause of the Boros Legion, these flame-kin (no relation to the flamekin of Lorwyn) are fire elementals that have been blessed by the Boros Angels. Flame-kin eventually dissipate, like wildfires without any oxygen or fuel, as their power and existence burn out when a battle or war is finished. Flame-kin are strengthened by magic; though formidable on their own, the application of enchantments grants them devastating power.

Flame-kin resemble humans made of solid, blazing flame. They wear only black armor made by guild smiths.

Forgelings

Forgelings are large, demonic-looking, vaguely humanoid elementals made of living rock and magma. They are used to power the city's furnaces.

Guardians of Vitu-Ghazi

Created to guard the Selesnya city-tree, guardians of Vitu-Ghazi are giant-sized elementals of wood and rock made from living trees and green Selesnya crystal.

Root-Kin

A race of powerful warriors, "root-kin", are associated with the Selesnya Conclave and Simic Combine. They are hulking humanoid creatures made of thick, twisting green plant roots. Simic root-kin are often covered in strength-enhancing cytoplasts.

Weirds

Weirds are a combination of opposing elements; for example, a combination of fire and water elementals. Weirds were created by Niv-Mizzet during the Katazar-Razblat Elemental Symposium. The dragon, bored with the squabbling of the various elementalists, combined opposing elements to create the paradoxical creatures. The weirds have come to be the ubiquitous lab assistants to the Izzet League, as well as becoming magically bound into a great many forms of machinery and infrastructure to ensure proper workings and efficiency.

Weirds tend to be constructed with vaguely humanoid forms, their "skin" being self-sealed "plasmodermic bubbles" containing the diametrically-opposing energies that give them life. Different types of weirds include petrahydroxes (created from living stone as well as fire and water), gelectrodes (created to conduct electricity), and steamcore weirds (the basic type, used to power Izzet machinery).

Wood-Kin

Associated with the Gruul Clans, wood-kin are plantlike elementals that share the ferocious nature of their guildmates. They resemble gnarled tree trunks with humanoid heads and limbs. Older wood-kin petrify as they age.

Woodwraiths

Woodwraiths are hideous creatures of wood and slime that reproduce by corrupting the land, spreading their genes via black sap into natural fibers. They are used by the Golgari Swarm. The Simic studied woodwraiths as part of their research to create their cytoplasts.

Tarkir

In the old timeline of Tarkir, the Temur shamans were the clan most well-versed with the various elementals of the plane, mostly focusing on those of wood, frost, and heat. The Jeskai Way occasionally dealt with elementals of wind.

In the new timeline, elementals are birthed along with dragons from the energies of the dragon tempests. The thawing of the glaciers has driven many elementals from the former Temur lands.

Scaldkin

Scaldkin are elementals of heat and boiling water that arise spontaneously in the Qal Sisma Mountains. The Temur believe that scaldkin are born when eruptions melt the frozen whispers of sleeping ancestors.

Windfolk

Windfolk are elemental beings of snow and air who are found only at the highest elevations. Very few people have seen them, and only the Temur shamans are able to communicate with them. They are impervious to cold and wind, so they wear very little clothing—often only a simple wrap about the waist. Instead of hair or beards, they have mobile tentacles something like the barbels of catfish. They are psychically sensitive, detecting thoughts with their tentacles, and the shamans say that they can hear the humans' ancestors as well as the dreams of the dragons that still lie frozen in the ice.

Theros

The Theran Elementals are most often associated with the sea and waters, serving as extensions of the will of Thassa. Others, like the Humbler of Mortals, arise when the gods are angered and their rage echoes through Nyx and eventually reaches the mortal world, where it enchants the land to turn against the offenders.

Zendikar

The elementals of Zendikar are numerous, awakening through the activity of the Roil. They are highly varied, coming in the forms of infused animals that live normal cycles of birth and death, of animated plants, or even of animated pieces of the land, like walking islands, expanses of water, or high plateaus. They essentially are fragments of Zendikar's heart and soul.

Several elementals rose as pieces of the plane itself, acting as antibodies to the Eldrazi. The longer the Eldrazi rampaged across the plane, the more active and violent these elementals became, and the destruction of the Eldrazi has not entirely settled them.

Lords

• Incandescent Soulstoke is an Elemental Lord.

Tribal type

Lorwyn block featured four tribal Elemental cards, which could be fetched by Flamekin Harbinger and are made cheaper by Brighthearth Banneret.

• Consuming Bonfire
• Eyes of the Wisent
• Hoofprints of the Stag
• Rebellion of the Flamekin

Land Elementals

Lands can often become Elementals. Either be being manlands, mechanics like awaken or specific cards

Animists

• Balduvian Conjurer — 2/2 Elemental creature
• Balduvian Frostwaker — 2/2 Elemental creature with flying
• Destiny Spinner — X/X Elemental creature with trample and haste
• Embodiment of Fury and Embodiment of Insight — 3/3 Elemental creature with haste
• Ignition Team — 4/4 Elemental creature
• Koth of the Hammer — 4/4 Elemental creature
• Nissa, Worldwaker — 4/4 Elemental creature with trample
• Nissa, Who Shakes the World — 0/0 Elemental creature with vigilance and haste
• Skarrg Guildmage — 4/4 Elemental creature
• Vastwood Animist — X/X Elemental creature, where X is the number of Allies you control
• Wall of Resurgence — 0/0 Elemental creature with Haste
• Woodwraith Corrupter — 4/4 Elemental Horror creature

Manlands

• Hostile Desert — 3/4 Elemental creature
• Stalking Stones — 3/3 Elemental artifact creature
• Celestial Colonnade — 4/4 Elemental creature with flying and vigilance
• Creeping Tar Pit — 3/2 Elemental creature with unblockable
• Lavaclaw Reaches — 2/2 Elemental creature with ": This creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn."
• Raging Ravine — 3/3 Elemental creature with "Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it."
• Stirring Wildwood — 3/4 Elemental creature with reach
• Shambling Vent — 2/3 Elemental creature with lifelink
• Wandering Fumarole — 1/4 Elemental creature with with ": Switch this creature's power and toughness until end of turn."
• Hissing Quagmire — 2/2 Elemental creature with deathtouch
• Needle Spires — 2/1 Elemental creature with double strike
• Lumbering Falls — 3/3 Elemental creature with hexproof

Other spells

• Elemental Uprising — 4/4 Elemental creature with haste
• Hydroform — 3/3 Elemental creature with flying

Manstones

• Izzet Keyrune — 2/1 Elemental artifact creature

Creature update

In the Grand Creature Type Update, creature types changed into Elemental include:

• Aboroth (Aboroth)
• Ball-Lightning (Ball Lightning)
• Barishi (Barishi)
• Behemoth (Llanowar Behemoth)
• Effigy (Blazing Effigy)
• Force (Force of Nature)
• Mist (Hungry Mist)
• Nature-Spirit (Maro)
• Spawn (Elder Spawn) - reverted to its original type in the September 2011 Rules Update of Innistrad.
• Spuzzem (Floral Spuzzem)
• Thundermare (Thundermare), as well as Horse

Notable Elementals

Alara

• Maelstrom Wanderer

Arcavios

• Octavia

Dominaria

• Embereck
• Molimo
• Muldrotha
• Multani
• Silvos — An elemental created through the Mirari's magic in Krosa. It was exiled from its homeland and found a purpose fighting in the Cabal's pits.
• Titania
• Ur-Drago

Ikoria

• Brokkos
• Illuna
• Jegantha
• Kalamax
• Lutri
• Pako, Arcane Retriever
• Vadrok
• Zirda

Lorwyn

• Ashling
• The Horde of Notions - A legend which represents a collective of Lorwyn's greater elementals.

Ravnica

• Mat'Selesnya — The parun of the Selesnya Conclave, formed from the fusion of the original Chorus of the Conclave. She no longer takes an active role in the guild, instead she resides in Vitu-Ghazi and only appearing on special occasions such as the Decamillennial.

Theros

• Thryx, the Sudden Storm, an elemental giant.

Zendikar

• Ashaya, the Awoken World
• Omnath
• Phylath
• Yarok, the Desecrated,is an Elemental Horror which grieves within the waste of Bala Ged's corrupted land.
• Yasharn

Unknown plane

• Animar
• Averna
• Kediss
• Marath
• Skullbriar

Tokens

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Elemental	Blue	Creature — Elemental	1/0		Master of Waves
	Blue	Creature — Elemental	2/2	Flying	Wand of the Elements
	Blue/​Red	Creature — Elemental	5/5	Flying	Call the Skybreaker
	Blue/​Red	Creature — Elemental	4/4		Elemental Expressionist Elemental Masterpiece Elemental Summoning Expressive Artist Magma Opus Mascot Exhibition Multiple Choice Resculpt Will, Scholar of Frost Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
	Black/​Red	Creature — Elemental	5/5		Din of the Fireherd
	Green	Creature — Elemental	2/2		Zendikar's Roil
	Green	Creature — Elemental	3/3		Evil Comes to Fruition
	Green	Creature — Elemental	4/4		Eyes of the Wisent Walker of the Grove
	Green	Creature — Elemental	5/3		Titania, Protector of Argoth
	Green	Creature — Elemental	7/7	Trample	Voice of the Woods
	Green	Creature — Elemental	X/X		Dokai, Weaver of Life Marath, Will of the Wild Seed Guardian
	Green/​White	Creature — Elemental	8/8	Vigilance	Grove of the Guardian
	Green/​White	Creature — Elemental	*/*	This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of creatures you control.	Voice of Resurgence
	Red	Creature — Elemental	0/1	At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this creature and return target card named Rekindling Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste until end of turn.	Rekindling Phoenix
	Red	Creature — Elemental	1/1		Chandra, Acolyte of Flame Mask of Immolation Molten Birth Scampering Scorcher Seasoned Pyromancer Young Pyromancer
	Red	Creature — Elemental	1/1	Haste	Elemental Mastery Tilonalli's Summoner Tempt with Vengeance
	Red	Creature — Elemental	3/3		Wand of the Elements
	Red	Creature — Elemental	X/X		Devastating Summons
	Red	Creature — Elemental	3/1		Development
	Red	Creature — Elemental	3/1	Haste	Chandra, Flamecaller Feral Lightning Lightning Coils Rakka Mar
	Red	Enchantment Creature — Elemental	3/1	Haste	Satyr Nyx-Smith
	Red	Creature — Elemental	3/1	Trample, haste	Akoum Stonewaker Force of Rage Valduk, Keeper of the Flame
	Red	Creature — Elemental	7/1	Trample, haste	Elemental Appeal Zektar Shrine Expedition
	Red	Creature — Elemental	X/1	Trample, haste	Purphoros's Intervention
	Red/​Green	Creature — Elemental	5/5		Omnath, Locus of Rage
Ashaya, the Awoken World	Green	Legendary Creature — Elemental	4/4		Nissa, Sage Animist
Lightning Rager	Red	Creature — Elemental	5/1	Trample, haste At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this creature.	Rite of the Raging Storm
Elemental Bird	Blue	Creature — Elemental Bird	4/4	Flying	Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer
Elemental Cat	Red	Creature — Elemental Cat	1/1	Haste	Firecat Blitz
Elemental Shaman	Red	Creature — Elemental Shaman	3/1		Hearthcage Giant Rebellion of the Flamekin
	Red	Creature — Elemental Shaman	3/1	Haste	Hostility
Spawnwrithe	Green	Creature — Elemental	2/2	Trample Whenever Spawnwrithe deals combat damage to a player, put a token that's a copy of Spawnwrithe onto the battlefield.	Spawnwrithe
Spark Elemental	Red	Creature — Elemental	3/1	Trample, haste At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice Spark Elemental.	Sparkspitter