Crystal, Inhuman Princess is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Flying Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, Crystal deals X damage to each opponent, where X is the number of colors that spell is. : Add , , , or .

Complete guide

Crystal, Inhuman Princess is a versatile legendary creature that punishes your opponents for every colorful noncreature spell you cast. By acting as both a mana source and a source of incidental damage, she rewards decks that lean into multi-colored spells. This guide will help you navigate her abilities to maximize your impact on the battlefield.

Harnessing Elemental Energy

Crystal has two distinct roles: providing mana and dealing damage. Her passive triggered ability triggers whenever you cast a noncreature spell, dealing damage to each opponent based on the number of colors that spell has. Colorless spells result in zero damage, while a five-color spell would deal five damage. Additionally, she can tap to add Red, Green, White, or Blue mana, making her an excellent mana fixer.

Resolution Step-by-Step

When you cast a noncreature spell, Crystal's ability goes on the stack on top of that spell. First, the game checks the colors of the spell as it was cast. Second, the ability resolves before the actual spell does, dealing X damage to each opponent. Finally, your original spell resolves. Note that if the spell is countered, Crystal's damage still resolves because the ability was already triggered by the act of casting.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is assuming that creature spells trigger her ability; however, only noncreature spells like Sorceries, Instants, Enchantments, Artifacts (if they aren't creatures), and Planeswalkers count. Another mistake is miscalculating the colors of a spell. A spell's color is determined by its mana cost and any color indicators, not by the mana spent to cast it. For example, a spell with a colorless mana cost like an Eldrazi spell deals zero damage, even if Crystal is on the board.

When to Play Crystal

Crystal is most effective in decks that run a high density of multi-colored noncreature spells. Since her damage scales with the number of colors, she shines in 'domain' or four-color builds. She should be played early to utilize her mana-fixing capabilities, allowing you to ramp into larger, more colorful spells that subsequently trigger her damage ability.

Interaction examples

The Creature Limitation

Solemn Simulacrum

If you cast Solemn Simulacrum while Crystal, Inhuman Princess is on the battlefield, no damage is dealt. Even though Solemn Simulacrum is a non-land card, it has the 'Creature' type. Crystal only triggers on 'noncreature' spells, so the Golem enters the battlefield without triggering her elemental blast.

Strategic Sequencing

Sakura-Tribe Elder

You can use Crystal's activated ability to tap for Green mana to help pay for Sakura-Tribe Elder. However, casting the Elder will not trigger Crystal's damage ability because it is a creature spell. This interaction shows Crystal's utility as a mana producer even when you aren't casting spells that trigger her damage.

Flying Over the Competition

When Crystal is alone on the battlefield, remember she has Flying. This allows her to attack safely over ground blockers. In a turn, you might tap her for mana to cast a three-color Enchantment, dealing 3 damage to each opponent, and then later in the game use her as an evasive attacker to finish off an opponent whose life total was lowered by her triggers.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.