Crush Underfoot MTG Card

Lorwyn (LRW)
2007-10-12 - Number 162

Modern Masters (MMA)
2013-06-07 - Number 109

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Tribal Instant — Giant

Key Takeaways

Crush Underfoot leverages giants for direct damage, giving players board and card advantage.
Instant speed allows tactical responses, making it a versatile threat during gameplay.
Necessity for giants can limit use but turns into an asset in tribal strategies.

Text of card

Choose a Giant creature you control. It deals damage equal to its power to target creature.

Five-toed grave —Kithkin phrase meaning "a giant's footprint"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Crush Underfoot provides a niche advantage by directly interacting with giants you control, allowing you to utilize the creature’s presence on the board as a resource to deal potentially significant damage to a target creature or player. This interaction bolsters your field’s threat level without costing you an extra card from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not providing traditional mana acceleration, Crush Underfoot synergizes with strategies that place giants onto the battlefield. This can effectively accelerate your resource utilization by allowing you to convert giant creatures into direct damage, potentially clearing a path for further attacks or disrupting your opponent’s game plan.

Instant Speed: The utility of Crush Underfoot is enhanced by its instant speed, giving you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s actions. This can be a pivotal feature as it allows you to make decisions with more information, potentially outmaneuvering opponents by removing key threats during their turn or delivering unexpected damage to close out a game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Crush Underfoot doesn’t have a discard requirement, it does necessitate having a Giant creature on the battlefield, which can be restrictive and similar to a ‘discard’ setback if your board state doesn’t meet this condition.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell’s casting cost includes red mana and can only be included in decks that can produce or accommodate red mana, which could limit its versatility in multi-color or color-restricted formats.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its targeted damage output, Crush Underfoot might be outpaced by other spells that require less mana investment and offer a more immediate and flexible response during gameplay.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Crush Underfoot thrives in decks built around Giants, providing a reliable removal option that can be essential for controlling the board. Its dependency on a specific creature type becomes an asset in tribal decks, as it harmonizes with the overall strategy.

Combo Potential: In Giant-focused decks, this card can easily become a staple. It works in unison with mechanics that summon Giant tokens or with features that bounce Giants back to your hand, setting up repetitive damage combos that can decimate the opponent’s creatures turn after turn.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-heavy metas, having targeted removal options like Crush Underfoot can give you a significant edge. When the battlefield is crowded with formidable creatures, being able to pinpoint and squash a threat with the help of your giants puts you at a tactical advantage.

How to beat

Crush Underfoot shines in decks rich with Giants, allowing a player to utilize their substantial power to squash an opponent’s creature. This focused power can be intimidating, but isn’t unbeatable. One effective strategy against Crush Underfoot is to limit the presence of Giants on the battlefield. Spells that neutralize creatures or remove them before they are a threat, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade, can sever the linkage that Crush Underfoot relies on.

Maintaining a diverse array of creatures in-play can also be a solid tactic to mitigate the impact of giant footsteps. With a variety of potential blockers or creatures with abilities like First Strike or Deathtouch, you can pose unexpected roadblocks. Moreover, instant-speed removal spells give you the versatility to respond to Crush Underfoot, rendering it useless.

It’s also essential not to overlook cards that can counter spells. Holding up mana for counterspells like Counterspell or Negate can keep Crush Underfoot from ever hitting the table, turning the tide in your favor. In essence, the key is anticipation – either by disrupting the Giant’s battlefield dominance or countering the spell outright, you will find the path to victory much clearer.

Cards like Crush Underfoot

In the realm of Giant synergy, Crush Underfoot boasts a unique position in Magic: The Gathering. Looking at cards with parallel characteristics, we find that Giant’s Grasp allows you to control creatures by using the power of Giants, albeit this card leans more towards control than dealing direct damage. Another comparable card is Battle of Frost and Fire, a saga that sweeps the board but also benefits specifically from having Giants, which resonates with the thematic link of Crush Underfoot.

Feast of the Gargantuan further exemplifies cards that play off the strength of Giants, rewarding you for having a Giant on the battlefield. While distinct in function—Crush Underfoot reliably deals direct damage based on a Giant’s power—Feast of the Gargantuan instead focusses on bolstering your own forces. Lastly, Thundercloud Shaman can be mentioned in this context, as its board-clearing ability scales with the number of Giants under your command, like a mass version of Crush Underfoot’s targeted approach.

Crush Underfoot holds its ground within Giant-themed cards, offering precise removal tied directly to the impressive power of Giants, a clear plus in decks built around these massive beings.

Battle of Frost and Fire - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Crush Underfoot by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Crush Underfoot MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn and Modern Masters, 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 Crush Underfoot and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Crush Underfoot Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-10-12 and 2013-06-07. Illustrated by Steven Belledin.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2007-10-12	Lorwyn	LRW		162	2003	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin
2	2013-06-07	Modern Masters	MMA		109	2003	Normal	Black	Steven Belledin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Crush Underfoot has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-06-07	Crush Underfoot doesn’t target the Giant creature you control. You choose that Giant as Crush Underfoot resolves. If you don’t control a Giant creature at that time, the spell will finish resolving with no effect.