Gaze of Granite MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Gaze of Granite provides scalable removal, clearing threats matching your invested mana.
  2. Indirectly hampers opponents’ resource acceleration by eliminating their mana generators.
  3. Sorcery speed encourages careful mana planning and strategic game control.

Text of card

Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value X or less.

"Show yourself, thief."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gaze of Granite offers a unique form of card advantage through its ability to clear the board of all nonland permanents with a converted mana cost equal to or less than the number you pay into X. This flexible scaling ensures that as the game progresses, you’re equipped to handle a wider range of threats, thus tipping the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Gaze of Granite itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by eliminating your opponent’s mana dorks, artifact ramp, and other accelerants. This can leave your adversaries scrambling to rebuild their mana base, allowing you to take the lead.

Instant Speed: Gaze of Granite’s ability to be played at sorcery speed may initially seem like a drawback, but it actually encourages strategic play. Planning your mana usage carefully to maximize the impact of this sweeping removal can be pivotal to controlling the game’s pace and setting up a game-winning move on your following turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Gaze of Granite doesn’t force a discard, it necessitates having an established board presence or sufficient mana to leverage its full potential, which could be a strategic disadvantage in games where setup is disrupted.

Specific Mana Cost: Gaze of Granite has a demanding mana cost of one black, one green, and one generic mana, making it less flexible and harder to integrate into multi-colored decks that may not prioritize these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s base mana cost is high considering it scales with the amount you pay into X. To effectively clear the board, substantial mana investment is required, which may be impractical or too slow in fast-paced games against agile decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gaze of Granite offers wide-ranging utility as a powerful board clear, capable of removing numerous threats at once. Its scalable nature allows it to flexibly adapt to the evolving state of the game, whether you’re early in a match or reaching the endgame.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that benefit from wiping the board, setting the stage for you to deploy your threats on a clean slate. It’s also a boon for decks that capitalize on permanent destruction, possibly triggering abilities or graveyard strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta teeming with token strategies or superfluous permanents, Gaze of Granite serves as an effective reset button. It especially shines in environments where players overextend their board presence, setting you up to turn the tide with a well-timed clear.


How to beat

Gaze of Granite stands out in the powerful pantheon of board wipe spells within Magic: The Gathering. Its uniqueness lies in the ability to precisely scale the destruction based on the amount of mana invested into it, allowing players to eliminate all nonland permanents with converted mana cost smaller than the chosen value. To outplay Gaze of Granite, the key lies in diversifying the mana costs within your deck and leveraging indestructible creatures or permanents that can regrow from your graveyard.

Counterspells remain a classic maneuver against such board wipes. Holding up mana for a timely Negate or Dovin’s Veto can protect your side of the battlefield from being decimated. Alternatively, playing creatures like Selfless Spirit, which can sacrifice itself to grant indestructibility to your other creatures, disrupts Gaze of Granite’s strategy by safeguarding your board presence regardless of the mana invested.

Understanding the cadence of your opponent’s potential plays is crucial, as timing Gaze of Granite for maximum impact usually involves substantial mana commitment. This often telegraphs their intention a turn ahead, allowing you to either keep a lower board profile or set up protective measures beforehand. Reactively, prioritizing the existence of indestructible and graveyard-return mechanics mitigates Gaze of Granite’s effectiveness, preserving your resources and potential to reclaim the board after the dust settles.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is an art of balancing strategy, deck composition, and understanding of individual card strengths. Gaze of Granite stands as a testament to this intricacy. With its board-clearing prowess and the tactical edge it provides, incorporating this card into your repertoire could be a game-changer. In a landscape where board presence can make or break a match, properly timing Gaze of Granite can decisively tilt the balance in your favor. Looking to enhance your gameplay and adapt to different MTG environments? Dive deeper with us, where we explore strategic insights and deck-building tips to make Gaze of Granite a cornerstone of your victories.


Cards like Gaze of Granite

Gaze of Granite offers a versatile and potent cleansing effect to Magic: The Gathering players looking to clear the board. In comparison, cards like Pernicious Deed provide a similar function, allowing the controller to destroy each artifact, creature, and enchantment with a cost less than the amount of mana paid. However, Gaze of Granite does not require an activation cost and hits planeswalkers too, which sets it apart as a devastating one-time wipe for varied board states.

Another parallel can be drawn with the card Damnation, which is a clean sweep at four mana. Damnation isn’t flexible with the destruction cost, but it’s usually more cost-effective for clearing away creatures. On a different note, Casualties of War stands out as a multi-target option, hitting up to one of each permanent type, which provides targeted precision rather than Gaze of Granite’s sweeping variable cost.

In analyzing these options, Gaze of Granite emerges as a formidable choice in MTG for its scalability and ability to tailor to the current board situation. With its tight grip on gameplay, it allows players to manipulate the board and ensure their victory over opponents who are building up a significant presence.

Pernicious Deed - MTG Card versions
Damnation - MTG Card versions
Casualties of War - MTG Card versions
Pernicious Deed - Apocalypse (APC)
Damnation - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Casualties of War - War of the Spark (WAR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gaze of Granite MTG card by a specific set like IDW Comics Inserts and Dragon's Maze, 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 Gaze of Granite and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Gaze of Granite Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2012-01-01 and 2021-04-23. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-01-01IDW Comics InsertsPIDW 142003normalblackDan Scott
22013-05-03Dragon's MazeDGM 722003normalblackNils Hamm
32018-08-09Commander 2018C18 1812015normalblackNils Hamm
42018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 612015normalblackNils Hamm
52020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2142015normalblackNils Hamm
62021-04-23Commander 2021C21 2172015normalblackNils Hamm

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gaze of Granite has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gaze of Granite card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2013-04-15 If a permanent has in its mana cost, the value of that X is 0.
2013-04-15 The mana value of a creature token is 0 unless that token is a copy of another creature, in which case it copies that creature’s mana cost.

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