An elemental is a sentient being composed of elemental energy. The most common varieties are those of the classical elements, expressing themselves as Air Elementals, Fire Elementals, Earth Elementals, 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.
Alaran Elementals
Before the Conflux, they inhabited exclusively in Jund and were characterized as violent beings that spawned from areas of it. But, afterwards they have began to appear in other shards such as Grixis and Naya; Fusion elemental represents a byproduct of the Conflux.
Lorwyn–Shadowmoor Elementals
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 the mental concepts.
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.
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.[1][2]
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.
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 nonsentient 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.
Ravnican Elementals
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 by 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 insure 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 its 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.
Notable Elementals
- Ashling
- The Horde of Notions - A legend which represents a collective of Lorwyn's greater elementals.
- 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 residing in Vitu-Ghazi and only appearing on special occasions such as the Decamillennial.
- Molimo
- 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.
Elemental Lord
- Incandescent Soulstoke is an Elemental Lord.
Tribal - Elemental
Lorwyn block featured four Tribal - Elemental cards, which could be fetched by Flamekin Harbinger:
- Consuming Bonfire
- Eyes of the Wisent
- Hoofprints of the Stag
- Rebellion of the Flamekin
- Brigthearth Banneret makes Elementals spells cheaper to cast.
Elemental tokens
A wide range of Elemental Creature tokens is produced by:
- Call the Skybreaker (5/5 blue and red Elemental with Flying)
- Devastating Summons (X/X red Elemental)
- Development (3/1 red Elemental)
- Din of the Fireherd (5/5 black and red Elemental)
- Dokai, Weaver of Life (X/X green Elemental)
- Elemental Appeal (7/1 red Elemental with Trample and Haste)
- Elemental Mastery (1/1 red Elemental with Haste)
- Eyes of the Wisent (4/4 green Elemental)
- Feral Lightning (3/1 red Elemental with Haste)
- Firecat Blitz (1/1 red Elemental Cat with Haste)
- Grove of the Guardian (8/8 green and white Elemental with Vigilance)
- Heartcage Giant (3/1 red Elemental Shaman)
- Hoofprints of the Stag (4/4 white Elemental with Flying)
- Hostility (3/1 red Elemental Shaman with Haste)
- Lightning Coils (3/1 red Elemental with Haste)
- Master of the Waves ((1/0 blue Elemental)
- Molten Birth (two 1/1 red Elementals)
- Rakka Mar (3/1 red Elemental with Haste)
- Rebellion of the Flamekin (3/1 red Elemental Shaman with Haste)
- Satyr Nyx-Smith (3/1 red Elemental enchantment creature with Haste)
- Sparkspitter (3/1 red Elemental with Trample and with Haste, named Spark Elemental)
- Voice of the Woods (7/7 green Elemental with Trample)
- Walker of the Grove (4/4 green Elemental)
- Wand of the Elements (2/2 blue Elemental with Flying and 3/3 red Elemental)
- Young Pyromancer (1/1 red Elemental)
- Zektar Shrine Expedition (7/1 red Elemental with Trample and Haste)
Creature 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)
- Spuzzem (Floral Spuzzem)
- Thundermare (Thundermare), as well as Horse