Gibbering Hyenas MTG Card


Gibbering Hyenas - Mirage
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Hyena
Released1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set nameMirage
Set codeMIR
Power 3
Toughness 2
Number219
Frame1997
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byUna Fricker

Key Takeaways

  1. Gibbering Hyenas provides card advantage and can pressure opponents while boosting your strategic options.
  2. The capability to act at instant speed with this card offers adaptability and unpredictability during play.
  3. Despite its benefits, the Hyenas’ specific mana requirements and discard condition can pose deck-building challenges.

Text of card

Gibbering Hyenas cannot block black creatures.

Hyenas laughing—what's the joke? —Femeref phrase meaning "that's not funny"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Gibbering Hyenas card can be a solid role-player in decks looking to outpace opponents through incremental advantages. The ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy while strengthening your own board presence is pivotal in tight matches. By enabling you to deal with multiple threats efficiently, it nourishes your strategic depth, keeping your hand filled with options.

Resource Acceleration: This card may not directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense of ramping mana, but it can affect the resource tempo by putting pressure on the opponent. Efficient use of your mana to deploy threats or answer opponent’s plays is crucial, and Gibbering Hyenas can fit well in a curve, helping you utilize your mana each turn effectively.

Instant Speed: Versatility in a card is key, and the capability to act at instant speed with Gibbering Hyenas gives you the edge to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield. It allows the player to keep options open until absolutely necessary, making it harder for opponents to predict and play around your strategy. This card can respond to threats or create opportunities at pivotal moments, giving its wielder a marked advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in the fray with Gibbering Hyenas requires a sacrifice of sorts—discarding a card. This condition can leave players at a strategic disadvantage, especially when their hand is already dwindling and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning these wild, cackling beasts to your side isn’t without its limitations. They demand a precise blend of mana—including the distinct savanna yellow of Plains—that may not seamlessly fit into the fluid mana bases of multifarious decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Evaluating the investment against the potential gains, these Hyenas ask for a considerable sum of mana. In a game where economy and efficiency often decide the victor, there may be alternatives that promise a more potent bite for the same, or fewer, resources.


Reasons to Include Gibbering Hyenas in Your Collection

Versatility: Gibbering Hyenas offers flexible gameplay as it can adapt to various aggressive strategies. Its efficient mana cost makes it a viable option for early board presence in creature-centric decks.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with effects that reward you for having creatures with high power and can be a part of combos that exploit the number of creatures you control or their power stats.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where speed and creature-based aggression are essential, Gibbering Hyenas can rise to prominence. Its ability to apply early pressure can disrupt slower-paced decks and give you an edge in fast-paced matches.


How to beat

Gibbering Hyenas is a somewhat obscure critter in the realm of Magic the Gathering that can sneak up on players with its menace ability, making it harder to block. To outmaneuver this card, the key is controlling the battlefield. Utilizing removal spells that can target multiple creatures, such as Wrath of God or Toxic Deluge, can clear the path of these pesky beasts without the need to block them. Another strategy is to employ creatures with reach or flying, as Gibbering Hyenas can only hinder creatures that share a land with it. Cards like Giant Spider or Serra Angel can engage them from a vantage point they can’t disturb.

Moreover, cards with ‘can’t be blocked’ abilities mean you can circumvent Gibbering Hyenas entirely, focusing on direct damage or alternate win conditions. This nudges the odds back into your favor. Whichever tactic you choose, remember that the Hyenas, with their quirkiness and unique challenge, are just another puzzle to solve on the battlefield, pushing your strategic skills to the forefront in the captivating world of MTG.


Cards like Gibbering Hyenas

Gibbering Hyenas offers a unique flavor in the space of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It finds reflection in creatures like Savannah Lions, which stands out for having the same power and toughness ratio. However, the Lions, unlike Gibbering Hyenas, do not offer any additional effects and are more straightforward in their design, providing a simple creature with no frills.

In the realm of efficient creature cards, we can compare Wild Dogs to Gibbering Hyenas. While sporting a lower casting cost and the cycling ability, Wild Dogs lacks the Hyenas’ potential for punishing opponents’ card draws, which can be essential in disrupting an opponent’s game plan. On the other hand, Vampire Bats also provide a similar cost-to-power ratio as Gibbering Hyenas but includes the ability to fly and variable pump ability, giving it a situational advantage over Gibbering Hyenas that lack evasion or any form of pump ability.

Ultimately, when evaluating the trade-offs between these creatures, Gibbering Hyenas presents itself as a card to consider in decks that aim to control an opponent’s hand while also deploying early pressure on the battlefield.

Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
Wild Dogs - MTG Card versions
Vampire Bats - MTG Card versions
Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
Wild Dogs - MTG Card versions
Vampire Bats - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gibbering Hyenas MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Gibbering Hyenas and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gibbering Hyenas has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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