Magic: The Gathering uses cards to depict the vast and diverse Multiverse, which in turn is made up of endless planes of existence. All manner of creatures reside on those planes, from classic goblins and forest elves to vampires and even deep-sea merfolk. One of the franchise's more abstract races is the Elemental creature type, and they show up just about everywhere.
Elementals, as their name suggests, are powerful, natural incarnations of certain elements, such as stone, fire, water and wind, as well as other concepts like time or fungi. Elementals can potentially be very old and durable, standing firm against the ravages of time. On some planes, elementals are the most ancient and primal beings of all, but they're not always willing to share their stories.
Some creature types are more common to the Multiverse than others. Elves are fairly common, appearing on most planes, and humans are nearly omnipresent. Elementals are among the most common races, since practically every plane has nature and mana in it -- the two main ingredients necessary for elementals to be born.
An elemental's shape and temperament may vary depending on its native plane, terrain and the type of mana it's made of. For instance, a stone elemental may be slow, tough and stubborn, while an air elemental is whimsical, playful and always on the move. Nature-based elementals act as guardians of the forest, alongside treefolk and so on. Some planes have unique types of elementals in them, and such elementals might play a major role in the plane's affairs.
The wild world of Zendikar is the perfect home for elementals, and sure enough, many of these beings can be found there. A great number of them are based on the ocean, storms, rocks, trees and more, wandering the expansive wilderness of Zendikar and protecting its ancient secrets and sacred natural wonders. Such creatures are guardians of the natural order and often pose a problem for explorers -- though they aren't necessarily malicious. When the all-devouring Eldrazi arrived, the elementals fought hard to destroy them and preserve the natural order of Zendikar. Thus, elementals became fierce allies of the anti-Eldrazi coalition.
The storybook plane of Lorwyn also has many elementals, which are split into two camps. One is made up of traditional elementals that can take bizarre and monstrous forms, many of which defy description. The other camp is comprised of flame-kin elementals, humanoid beings who embody the passion and creativity of red mana. When Lorwyn's night side took over, Shadowmoor, the flame-kin became ashen and cold, the elemental version of a zombie.
Meanwhile, the Jund shard of Alara is home to many elementals of red, green and black mana, often based on lava, stone and jungle plant life. Such elementals are fearsome predators, and when Jund collided with the other four shards of Alara, brand-new elementals were born in the maelstrom, some of which embody all five colors of mana at once.
Elementals can also be found in the urban landscape of Ravnica, such as green-white elementals that fight for the Selesnya Conclave guild or wild elementals that help the Gruul guild smash apart civilization. Some elementals also joined forces with the creative Izzet League guild, alongside similar creatures such as Weirds.
True to the lore, Elemental creatures in Magic: The Gathering are highly diverse; aside from some mild tribal themes, they have no consistent gameplay theme or strategy. Elementals are represented in all five colors and across the spectrum of converted mana cost/mana value, and they feature all kinds of triggered and activated abilities. Some are simply brute-force attackers, ideal for games of booster draft Limited. However, certain trends have emerged. For the most part, Elementals appear in red and green mana, with blue mana being the next most common. White and black Elemental are fairly rare, so a mono-black Elemental deck isn't likely to take off anytime soon.
A handful of legendary Elementals have made a name for themselves. In the original Zendikar block, the mono-green Elemental Omnath, Locus of Mana could stockpile mana in a hurry. This legendary Elemental returned in the Battle for Zendikar block as Omnath, Locus of Rage, now with red mana added. Omnath appeared again in a core set in Temur colors, then again in Zendikar Rising as Omnath, Locus of Creation.
Horde of Notions is a WUBRG Elemental from the Lorwyn block, and it was reprinted in Modern Masters 2015 to support that set's Elemental draft archetype. It's tricky to cast, but if players pull it off, they get a vicious 5/5 that can cast Elementals from the graveyard, making the deck highly resilient. Finally, the Prismari school from the Strixhaven: School of Mages set has Elemental as its "mascot" token type, always appearing as 4/4 blue and red creatures. These Elementals act as meaty beaters that are easily backed up by this school's myriad spells and tricks.
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