Primal Empathy
Primal Empathy: Enchantment, New Capenna Commander. At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you control a creature with the greatest On Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {1}{G}{U}
- Mana value
- 3
- Type
- Enchantment
- Colour identity
- Blue and green (UG)
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Set
- New Capenna Commander (NCC)
- Released
- 2022-04-29
- Collector number
- 348
- Artist
- Micah Epstein
Build around this card with Grover
About Primal Empathy
Primal Empathy is a Magic: The Gathering card, an uncommon blue and green enchantment from New Capenna Commander (NCC), a Commander product released in April 2022. It is collector number 348 in that set, with art by Micah Epstein. It costs {1}{G}{U} (one generic, one blue and one green mana) to cast, for a mana value of 3. Its colour identity is blue and green. It is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Historic, Timeless and Gladiator. It has been printed in 3 sets, from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (2020) to New Capenna Commander (2022). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.24 (normal finish, as of 2026-10-23).
Card text
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you control a creature with the greatest power among creatures on the battlefield. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control.
"From this day forward, we confront this world together, lifting each other up."
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.24 (as of 2026-10-23).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Primal Empathy by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Pioneer | Legal |
|---|---|
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
Other printings of Primal Empathy
Primal Empathy has been printed in 3 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Commander 2021 (C21) #227 | Uncommon | 2021 |
| Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO) #200 | Uncommon | 2020 |
Official rulings
Four official rulings apply to Primal Empathy, newest first.
- If you control no creatures, you do nothing as Primal Empathy's ability resolves. If there are no creatures on the battlefield at all, you don't draw a card.
- If the greatest power among creatures on the battlefield is shared by a creature you control and a creature you don't control, you draw a card.
- If you don't control a creature with the greatest power, you choose which creature gets a +1/+1 counter while the ability is resolving. Players can't take actions in between the time you make this choice and the time that creature has a +1/+1 counter.
- You determine whether you draw a card or put a +1/+1 counter only as Primal Empathy's triggered ability begins resolving. Players may respond to the ability to try to change which happens.
Similar cards
Other enchantment cards with a blue and green colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.