Craven Giant MTG Card

Craven Giant offers card advantage and can pressure opponents while maintaining your hand size. Its size dictates the game’s pace, potentially straining an opponent’s resource management. Instant speed spells complement the Giant’s presence, enhancing your turn efficiency.

Portal (POR)
1997-05-01 - Number 121

Stronghold (STH)
1998-03-02 - Number 78

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 128

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Giant
Power	4
Toughness	1

Text of card

Craven Giant can't intercept.

"The best armor is to keep out of range." —Italian proverb

Cards like Craven Giant

Craven Giant stands tall in the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, bearing similarities to other creatures that favor attacking over blocking. One parallel can be drawn with the card Raging Goblin, which, like Craven Giant, is geared towards aggressive strategies with its ability to attack immediately without waiting thanks to haste. However, Raging Goblin’s lower power and lack of restrictions on blocking distinguish it from Craven Giant’s heftier power statistic and inability to block.

Another card that echoes the aggressive nature of Craven Giant is Ball Lightning. Both share the tendency to be utilized in high-tempo attack phases. While Ball Lightning boasts a formidable power strike, it sacrifices longevity on the board due to its transient existence, unlike Craven Giant’s persistent presence unless dealt with by opponents. Moreover, the Giant’s constraint in defensive maneuvers sets a different strategic use compared to Ball Lightning’s all-in aggressive approach.

When examining the scope of creature cards designed for offensive combat in Magic: The Gathering, Craven Giant certainly finds its niche. Its significant attack capability aligns well with decks that prioritize dealing damage quickly, even with the trade-off of defensive limitations.

Cards similar to Craven Giant by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Craven Giant offers a unique leverage point in buffer plays. When it enters the battlefield, its power to draw a card keeps your hand replenished, ensuring that you are not falling behind in card quantity compared to your opponent. This is significant as it consistently applies pressure while sustaining your own resources.

Resource Acceleration: This colossal creature might not directly generate mana or treasure, but its mere presence can dictate the pace of the match. By demanding an answer due to its formidable size, Craven Giant can indirectly accelerate your game plan by tying up the opponent’s resources, which they might otherwise use to strengthen their own board position or hinder yours.

Instant Speed: Craven Giant pairs well with cards that can be played at instant speed. The ability to cast spells during the end of your opponent’s turn, right before the Giant untaps, maximizes efficiency. This capability allows you to remain reactive and flexible, adapting to the constantly changing battlefield while capitalizing on the Giant’s imposing stature whenever it’s your turn to attack.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging a Craven Giant in your gameplan demands a strategic choice, often pairing its summoning with the discarding of another potential ally or spell from your hand. For players tight on resources, this prerequisite can lead to unfavorable trade-offs that may hinder later gameplay maneuvers.

Specific Mana Cost: Calling upon the behemoth strength of the Craven Giant comes with a cry for specific mana alignments. Its dependency on a particular color composition could restrict its deployment to decks built to accommodate such elemental constraints. Trending in the realms of MTG are manifold strategies, yet not all necessitate or harmonize with the chromatic specifics of the Giant.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Committing to the Craven Giant requires the investment of a significant chunk of mana. Though its stature is formidable, the mana-efficiency of its call into battle is an aspect seasoned players carefully assess. In the vast universe of MTG, myriad cards vye for inclusion based on their cost-to-impact ratio, and the Giant’s requirement might loom large against other options offering more nuanced utility or flexibility.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Craven Giant offers a unique blend of size and affordability, often finding a fitting role in decks that can maneuver around its conditional restrictions or focus on defense.

Combo Potential: While initially challenging to engage in combat, this card can synchronize with strategies that aim to remove its limitations or utilize its imposing presence as a deterrent on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Given its specific abilities, Craven Giant holds potential value in the meta where controlling board states and strategic deck construction can tip the scales in favor of its unique nature.

How to beat

Craven Giant is a card that presents a unique challenge due to its sizeable stature for a relatively low mana cost. Yet, like many formidable creatures in Magic: The Gathering, it has its own set of vulnerabilities that savvy players can exploit. One strategy is to deploy creatures with a ‘reach’ ability, which can block flyers effectively, mitigating the Giant’s evasion. Alternatively, the use of removal spells that don’t require targeting a specific creature type can be a straightforward solution to remove the Giant from the battlefield.

Another effective tactic is to control the tempo of the game. Cards like Essence Scatter allow players to counter creatures as they are cast, preventing the Giant from ever becoming a threat. In addition, enchantments like Pacifism can neutralize a Craven Giant, rendering it unable to attack or block without having to remove it. It’s key to have the right mix of countermeasures and not rely solely on taking down creatures once they have landed, as the battlefield can quickly become overwhelming.

Ultimately, the secret to dethroning the Craven Giant lies in a balanced blend of foresight, control, and the readiness to react. This ensures that no matter how towering the adversary may be, there is always a strategy for domination in the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Craven Giant MTG card by a specific set like Portal and Stronghold, 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 Craven Giant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Craven Giant Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-05-01 and 2015-05-06. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1997-05-01	Portal	POR	121	1997	Normal	Black	Ron Spencer
2	1998-03-02	Stronghold	STH	78	1997	Normal	Black	Brian Snõddy
3	2015-05-06	Tempest Remastered	TPR	128	2015	Normal	Black	Brian Snõddy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Craven Giant has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal