Primal Prayers – Modern Horizons III
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 3.75
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
This is another card whose effect will seem very familiar to longtime players: it’s a pretty close approximation of Aluren, which was a pretty powerful rogue combo card in its day. The core interaction – looping creatures with effects that put you ahead of the opponent – is quite possible to stop, especially in modern Magic with an additional 20 years or so of design innovation after the Aluren decks in Extended. But it’s always been able to catch people out when they weren’t prepared for it, and the energy requirement adds an interesting advantage in that there’s only a handful of ways to prevent opponents from accumulating or spending it (Solemnity and Suncleanser being the best ones). It has additional hoops to jump through compared to its famous ancestor, but the effect is powerful enough that I’m pretty confident someone will find a way to do just that.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Part of the cycle of pulled-down energy retrains of old and busted cards, Primal Prayers most clearly resembles Aluren…only with a different set of targets that abuse it, with Greenbelt Rampager at the top of that list by granting infinite comes-into-play triggers as long as you don’t have 2 or more energy on resolution. That said, this does have one major advantage in not being symmetrical; while Aluren is usually a spell you can abuse, it can backfire if your opponents are positioned to capitalize.
I do think Primal Prayers is pretty good on its own, giving you two instant-speed warm bodies that can add up to six mana worth of value. Obviously, it shines more if you have ways to produce more energy and abuse what this can do, and I do think this is positioned well enough to make waves in Modern.
Constructed: 4 (maybe optimistic, but this pays for itself quickly and has a lot of potential)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4 (two free creatures, and energy does play well with itself here)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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