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Commander Nexus
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  3. Etali, Primal Storm

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Etali, Primal Storm

Etali, Primal Storm

Legendary Creature — Elder Dinosaur

Etali wants a deck that casts extra spells for free off the top of its deck. It also works in a deck built around Dinosaurs, Elders or Library Manipulation.

  • Mana cost4 genericredred
  • Red ()
  • Power / toughness6 / 6
  • RarityRare

Whenever Etali attacks, exile the top card of each player's library, then you may cast any number of spells from among those cards without paying their mana costs.

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Archetypes

Cards That Fit Etali, Primal Storm

Picked for what they do in Etali's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Etali's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Etali, Primal Storm

explain how Etali works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

Any cards not cast, including land cards, remain in exile. They can't be cast on later turns, even if Etali attacks again.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

Because all attacking creatures are chosen at once, a creature cast this way can't attack during the same combat as Etali, even if it has haste.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

If an exiled card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the card.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

If you cast any of the exiled cards, you do so as part of the resolution of the triggered ability. You can't wait to cast them later in the turn. Timing permissions based on a card's type are ignored, and the spells resolve before blockers are declared.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

If you cast more than one of the exiled cards, you choose the order in which to cast them. A spell you cast this way can be the target of a later spell you cast this way. However, permanent spells cast this way won't resolve until you're done casting spells, so the permanents they become can't be the target of spells cast this way. For example, if you exile Twincast and Lightning Strike, you can cast Lightning Strike and then cast Twincast targeting it; but if you exile a creature card and an Aura card, you can't cast that Aura targeting that creature.

Wizards of the Coast 19 Mar 2021

In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, any spells or permanents you control from Etali's ability are exiled.

7 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Etali, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryRPlayers write colors as letters: R for red.Cascade/Free CastCascade decks cast extra spells for free, straight from the top of their deck, every time they cast the right card. Cascade turns over cards from the top of your library until it hits a cheaper spell, which you may cast without paying for it.Open the Cascade/Free Cast pageImpulse DrawExiles cards from the top of your library and lets you play them for a short time, usually only that turn. You have to use them or lose them. Act on Impulse Prosper, Tome-BoundOpen the Impulse Draw pageCard SelectionImproves what you draw rather than how much: you look at the top few cards of your library and decide what stays on top. Ponder lets you rearrange the top three, Serum Visions lets you scry, and Consider lets you surveil. It makes your draws more reliable without giving you extra cards.Open the Card Selection pageFree CastCan be cast without paying its mana cost when a condition is met, often "if you control your commander". Because it costs nothing, you can still answer something after your mana is already spent. Fierce Guardianship, Deflecting SwatOpen the Free Cast pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation page