Greater Stone Spirit MTG Card
2006-07-21 - Number 84
2012-03-30 - Number 61
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Elemental Spirit |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
Greater Stone Spirit can't be blocked by creatures with flying. : Until end of turn, target creature gets +0/+2 and gains ": This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
Having charted their way up the difficult face, the two mountaineers had to contend with the mountain's decision to stand up.
Cards like Greater Stone Spirit
For MTG enthusiasts who enjoy the strategic deployment of creatures to command the battlefield, Greater Stone Spirit serves as a notable inclusion. It bears some resemblance to other formidable creatures that dominate the red mana spectrum, such as Inferno Titan. While Inferno Titan packs a punch with its entering-the-battlefield ability to deal damage divided as you choose, Greater Stone Spirit offers utility by being unblockable as long as it’s attacking alone.
When considering protection, we can look at Bellowing Tanglewurm. This creature ensures that your green creatures are unblockable by creatures without green in their color identity, akin to the elusive nature of the Greater Stone Spirit against creatures when it attacks alone. However, the Tanglewurm’s influence on a wider range of creatures may sway a player’s favor, depending on their deck’s strategy.
Assessing their places in the MTG realm, while other cards might offer more immediate board impact or broader effects, Greater Stone Spirit holds its ground with a unique blend of unblockability and the capacity to fuel your other creatures. Its resilience and versatility can be crucial in the right deck, making it a viable contender in specific MTG strategies.
Cards similar to Greater Stone Spirit by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Greater Stone Spirit doesn’t directly provide card advantage, but it complements strategies that rely on having creatures to sustain pressure, ensuring your valuable creatures are always a threat.
Resource Acceleration: Although it’s not used for resource acceleration in the traditional sense, its ability to be unblockable as long as you have the mana can be a significant tactical advantage, forcing opponents to leave mana open instead of developing their board.
Instant Speed: The activation of Greater Stone Spirit’s ability can be done at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to decide during combat on your turn or on your opponent’s turn if they’ve left a blocker that can’t block it, allowing for surprise attacks and strategic defense.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Greater Stone Spirit comes with a substantial cost that can impede your gameplay, demanding a discard action which may strain your hand especially when your options are already wearing thin.
Specific Mana Cost: This formidable elemental requires a dual investment in both red and generic mana, making it a tough fit outside of dedicated red or red-heavy decks. This necessity can stymie its inclusion in more diverse or color-flexible strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting requirement on the heftier side, the Greater Stone Spirit might fall behind in the race against cards with lower mana costs. Other strategies could be empowered more efficiently, leaving this stone spirit trailing in their dust.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Greater Stone Spirit demonstrates flexibility by providing both defensive and offensive capabilities. Its ability to be unblockable by creatures with flying can act as a reliable source of damage in the late game, while its firebreathing-like skill can be a deterrent, discouraging opponents from attacking.
Combo Potential: This card can seamlessly integrate into decks that exploit its untapped mana clause. By using cards that untap creatures or enhance power, players can unleash potent combos and maximize Greater Stone Spirit’s firebreathing ability for substantial damage.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where flyers dominate the skies, Greater Stone Spirit’s unblockable nature keeps it relevant. Moreover, its ability to power up with additional mana resonates with metas that allow for ramp strategies, making it a useful asset in the right environment.
How to beat Greater Stone Spirit
Greater Stone Spirit is a unique creature card in MTG that offers substantial resilience with its ability to prevent all damage that would be dealt to it by creatures with flying. This defensive trait can make it seem like an impregnable wall, particularly against decks that rely on aerial assaults. However, there are effective strategies to circumvent its protections and turn the tides in your favor.
To effectively counter Greater Stone Spirit, consider utilizing removal spells that don’t specify combat damage, such as “Path to Exile” or “Doom Blade,” to bypass its defensive capability. These spells can exile or destroy the Stone Spirit outright, sidestepping the need for combat altogether. It’s also advisable to leverage spells that impose sacrifice effects, forcing the controller of Greater Stone Spirit to choose and sacrifice it, such as “Diabolic Edict.” Additionally, cards that restrict the player’s ability to pay for the Stone Spirit’s untap ability can shut down its potential for combat utility, so employing mana disruption tactics can be a sound strategy.
Ultimately, having a diverse roster of non-damage-based removal and a keen understanding of its untap mechanic can prepare you to face and defeat Greater Stone Spirit in your MTG matchups.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Greater Stone Spirit MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap and Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth, 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 Greater Stone Spirit and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Greater Stone Spirit Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-07-21 and 2012-03-30. Illustrated by Yokota Katsumi.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-07-21 | Coldsnap | CSP | 84 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Yokota Katsumi | |
| 2 | 2012-03-30 | Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth | DDI | 61 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Yokota Katsumi |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Greater Stone Spirit has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Greater Stone Spirit card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-07-15 | After Greater Stone Spirit’s activated ability is activated, the affected creature gains an activated ability that only that creature’s controller can activate. |
| 2007-05-01 | Creatures with the Reach ability (such as Giant Spider) can block this because they don’t actually have Flying. |