Stone Giant MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 17 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Giant
Power 3
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Stone Giant creates advantageous board states, prompting opponents to deplete resources and inadvertently offer card advantage.
  2. Its ability to boost a creature’s attack without extra mana can accelerate your offense unexpectedly during a game.
  3. While not at instant speed, activating Stone Giant’s ability shifts battle dynamics suddenly, disrupting opponent strategies.

Text of card

Tap to make one of your own creatures a flying creature until end of turn. Target creature, which must have toughness less than Stone Giant's power, is destroyed at end of turn.

What goes up, must come down.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Stone Giant itself doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, it can create advantageous board states that may force your opponent to expend multiple resources to handle the threats you create, effectively leading to card advantage on your side.

Resource Acceleration: Stone Giant doesn’t provide traditional resource acceleration like ramp spells or artifacts do. However, its ability to temporarily boost a smaller creature allows you to potentially accelerate your offensive capabilities without requiring additional mana investment for a turn.

Instant Speed: Stone Giant’s ability may not be at instant speed, but its activation can lead to instant consequences for your opponent. You can shift dynamics quickly by making an unexpected blocker on your opponent’s turn, potentially messing up their combat calculations and forcing them to adapt instantly to the new threat.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Stone Giant’s ability necessitates sacrificing a creature at the beginning of the next end step, posing a potential disadvantage if you’re unable to capitalize on the temporary boost.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes two red mana, this card is best suited for mono-red or red-heavy decks, potentially limiting its inclusion in more varied color strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a creature with a power/toughness of 3/4, the Stone Giant requires a relatively high mana cost, which might be inefficient compared to other creatures with similar or better stats and abilities.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stone Giant offers unique tactical flexibilities, fitting well in decks that capitalize on manipulating creature dynamics and board states.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with high-powered creatures, utilizing its ability to grant temporary flying, which could be a formidable combo with cards that benefit from attacking or dealing combat damage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where board presence and evasion tactics are crucial, Stone Giant has the potential to be a game-changer, altering the flow and outcome of matches.


How to beat

The Stone Giant presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, requiring a strategic approach to overcome. As a three-power creature with the ability to grant another creature flying until end of turn, it demands immediate attention. To effectively neutralize this giant’s advantage, consider using instant-speed removal when the giant targets a creature with its ability. This timing ensures the target will be sacrificed at the end of the turn due to the Giant’s debilitating effect, maximizing the efficiency of your removal spell.

Another key tactic is to limit the creatures that the Giant can target. Ensnaring effects or pacifism auras restrict the Giant’s ability to manipulate the battlefield. Counterspells are also a powerful tool against the Stone Giant, preventing it from ever taking effect. Lastly, board wipes neutralize the presence of the Stone Giant, resetting the playing field. By employing these strategies, you can diminish the influence of the Stone Giant and maintain control of the game.

Mitigating the Stone Giant’s impact is crucial for maintaining a favorable board state. Implement these techniques, and your opponents will find their Stone Giants much less formidable, paving your way to victory.


Cards like Stone Giant

Stone Giant holds a unique stance in the realm of red creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. A classic from earlier sets, Stone Giant shares functionalities with cards that allow you to manipulate creatures in some way. For instance, Ball Lightning epitomizes the characteristic of high attack power with the catch of sacrificing it at the end of the turn, somewhat mirroring Stone Giant’s ability that grants temporary power at the risk of destroying a creature.

Comparatively, Brion Stoutarm offers a similar flavor in terms of utilizing creatures as artillery, hurling them at the opponent for damage equivalent to their power. However, unlike Stone Giant, Brion Stoutarm’s ability doesn’t risk the creature’s immediate demise. On another front, Aether Membrane is yet another card that controls the battlefield but in a defensive manner, deterring attacks with its return to hand effect, diverging from Stone Giant’s offensive role.

To sum up, Stone Giant’s capability to temporarily empower creatures while risking their survival carves out a distinct position among red cards. It encourages strategic play, balancing the potential for a massive hit with the peril that follows, a hallmark of red’s risk-reward philosophy in Magic: The Gathering.

Ball Lightning - MTG Card versions
Brion Stoutarm - MTG Card versions
Aether Membrane - MTG Card versions
Ball Lightning - The Dark (DRK)
Brion Stoutarm - Resale Promos (PRES)
Aether Membrane - Planar Chaos (PLC)

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

Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Dragon Whelp - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Keldon Warlord - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Goblin Goon - Legions (LGN)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stone Giant MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Stone Giant and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stone Giant Magic the Gathering card was released in 16 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 1761993normalblackDameon Willich
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 1771993normalblackDameon Willich
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 1771993normalwhiteDameon Willich
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 1771993normalblackDameon Willich
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 1771993normalblackDameon Willich
61994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 1791993normalblackDameon Willich
71994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 1791993normalwhiteDameon Willich
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 1791993normalwhiteDameon Willich
91995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 2231993normalblackDameon Willich
101995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 2231993normalwhiteDameon Willich
111997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 2691997normalwhiteJames Allen
122007-09-10Masters EditionME1 1091997normalblackDameon Willich
132009-07-17Magic 2010M10 1592003normalblackWarren Mahy
142012-03-30Duel Decks: Venser vs. KothDDI 552003normalblackWarren Mahy
152020-09-26The ListPLST DDI-552003normalblackWarren Mahy
162022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 1722015normalblackDameon Willich
172022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 4691997normalblackDameon Willich

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stone Giant has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-08-01 If the Giant’s power and/or toughness change so that its toughness is less than its power, you can have the ability target the Giant itself.
2009-10-01 If Stone Giant’s ability is activated during a turn’s end step, the delayed triggered ability won’t trigger until the beginning of the next turn’s end step. The targeted creature will be destroyed at that time.
2009-10-01 To work as an evasion ability, an attacking creature must already have flying when the declare blockers step begins. Once a creature has become blocked, giving it flying won’t change that.
2009-10-01 When the delayed triggered ability resolves, the targeted creature is destroyed, even if it’s no longer a creature, no longer under your control, or no longer has toughness less than Stone Giant’s power at that time.

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