Greataxe MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2021-07-23 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Adventures in the Forgotten Realms |
| Set code | AFR |
| Number | 245 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Kari Christensen |
Key Takeaways
- Cost-efficient equipment like Greataxe enhances creatures, boosting performance without depleting mana reserves.
- Despite resource advantages, the card requires careful hand management due to its discard condition.
- Greataxe’s mana specificity may limit deck-building options, emphasizing strategic inclusion in your game plan.
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +4/+0. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
"If you're so mighty, scaled one, then why are you dead?"
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Greataxe facilitates card advantage by potentially equipping it for free whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control. This effect eliminates the mana cost usually needed to equip, allowing you to utilize cards more efficiently and maintain momentum.
Resource Acceleration: Though not directly providing resource acceleration like mana ramp, Greataxe increases your board presence without additional mana investment. This frees up resources for playing other spells, effectively accelerating your game plan.
Instant Speed: While Greataxe itself is not an instant, its ability synergizes well with creatures that can be flashed in. Dropping a surprise blocker and equipping Greataxe without tapping any additional mana can be a game-changer, providing instant-speed-like advantages during combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Greataxe card necessitates sacrificing another card from your hand, which can be a steep price, especially in the midst of a resource crunch.
Specific Mana Cost: With a casting requirement that includes specific mana types, Greataxe may not seamlessly fit into multicolored decks, potentially limiting its play to decks with a heavy emphasis on those colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Equipping a creature with Greataxe comes at a substantial mana investment, which might be problematic in faster-paced games where efficiency and speed are key to victory.
Reasons to Include Greataxe in Your Collection
Versatility: The Greataxe card can be a powerful addition to a wide variety of decks, lending itself particularly well to strategies that favor equipment or boosting creature capabilities.
Combo Potential: With its potential to turn any creature into a significant threat, Greataxe synergizes well with cards that capitalize on equipped creatures or increased power and toughness.
Meta-Relevance: Equipment strategies often emerge in various metas, and with the right support, Greataxe can be a serious game-changer against decks that struggle to deal with large, well-equipped creatures.
How to beat
Greataxe poses a unique challenge in the arena of Magic: The Gathering. This artifact card can potentially shift the tides of battle with its ability to grant a substantial power boost to a creature. Players looking to mitigate its impact need to focus on strategies that revolve around artifact control and removal. Incorporating cards like Disenchant or Naturalize into your deck can provide a swift response to Greataxe’s appearance on the battlefield. Targeted removal spells enable you to dismantle your opponent’s setup before they can capitalize on the power spike.
Another effective tactic is to limit your opponent’s creature pool with removal spells. By keeping their battlefield clear, you ensure that even if Greataxe is in play, it has no host to latch onto and becomes a dead card. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can be particularly devastating after your opponent invests resources into equipping Greataxe. Controlling the pace and flow of the game is essential; thus, keeping a watchful eye for the right moment to strike is key to overcoming the challenges this card presents.
By understanding and preempting your opponent’s strategies, even a card as formidable as Greataxe can be rendered ineffective, ensuring your continued dominance in the game.
Cards like Greataxe
The Greataxe card carves out its unique niche within the realm of equipment artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. This formidable tool compares closely with other equipment cards such as Short Sword, which also grants a power bonus to the equipped creature. However, Greataxe overshadows it by offering a mightier power increase, though at a higher equip cost.
Another analogous piece of equipment is the Colossus Hammer, a card that confers an immense power and toughness boost, but like Greataxe, it comes with a hefty equip price. While the Colossus Hammer severely limits the creature’s ability to attack the same turn it’s played, due to its high equip cost, Greataxe manages to strike a middle ground in power enhancement and equip costs, making it strategically flexible.
Evaluating these options, Greataxe fits well within the strategy of players looking to significantly power up their creatures on the battlefield without incurring excessive equip costs. Its balance between cost and effect makes it a compelling choice amidst the diverse array of MTG equipment cards.
Cards similar to Greataxe by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Greataxe MTG card by a specific set like Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Greataxe and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Greataxe has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
