Swarmborn Giant MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Giant |
| Abilities | Monstrosity |
| Released | 2014-05-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Journey into Nyx |
| Set code | JOU |
| Power | 6 |
| Toughness | 6 |
| Number | 144 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Jaime Jones |
Text of card
When you're dealt combat damage, sacrifice Swarmborn Giant. : Monstrosity 2. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.) As long as Swarmborn Giant is monstrous, it has reach.
Cards like Swarmborn Giant
Swarmborn Giant is a unique creature that can be found in MTG players’ collections. This giant stands out with an intriguing trigger – it becomes an absolute beast when swarms of creatures surround it. When compared to other cards like Ravenous Giant, which offers consistent high power without conditional triggers, Swarmborn Giant provides a dynamic gameplay element. Ravenous Giant doesn’t demand the presence of multiple creatures, but also deals damage to you during your upkeep.
Looking at another similar card, we have Hamletback Goliath, a giant that grows whenever another creature enters the battlefield. Though it lacks the built-in potential to attack immediately like Swanborn Giant under specific conditions, it can quickly outscale it in size. Then there’s Gigantosaurus, with colossal power and toughness for a lower mana cost, though it doesn’t possess any additional abilities and requires a commitment to green mana.
Each of these giants offer their own advantages, but Swarmborn Giant uniquely challenges players to adapt their strategy, playing around its conditional awakening. It captures a specific tactical niche, providing a fascinating option for decks that thrive on creature count and synergy.
Cards similar to Swarmborn Giant by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When you’re holding Swarmborn Giant, you’re primed to capitalize when opponents trigger its monstrosity ability. This can potentially lead to a gargantuan creature that gives you a commanding board presence, tipping the scales of card advantage in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: Although Swarmborn Giant itself doesn’t accelerate resources directly, it synergizes well with decks focused on ramping. With the right mana resources, you can activate its monstrosity sooner rather than later, thus accelerating your path to a game-winning giant.
Instant Speed: Swarmborn Giant offers players an opportunity to make strategic decisions at instant speed. Should an opponent unwittingly cast two spells during their turn, you can instantly transform your Giant into a monstrous threat, catching them off guard and possibly altering the flow of the game in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Swarmborn Giant requires you to have a creature card to discard which can set you back if your hand is already depleted or if you prefer to keep a full grip for other strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature demands a particular blend of mana, specifically green, making it less flexible for decks that are not heavily invested in that color or that struggle with color consistency.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a significant investment of four mana, Swarmborn Giant can be burdensome on your resources, especially when more cost-effective giants or large creatures are available that provide similar or better board presence without stringent conditions.
Reasons to Include Swarmborn Giant in Your Collection
Versatility: This formidable card is a great addition to giant-themed or ramp decks, effortlessly fitting into strategies that thrive on casting large creatures. Its synergy with lands that rapidly enter the battlefield makes it an unexpected threat opponents must be wary of.
Combo Potential: Combine Swarmborn Giant with cards that generate numerous creature tokens to trigger its monstrosity ability. This can lead to explosive turns where this giant turns monstrous, especially in a deck that manipulates the number of creatures on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state with decks that excel at populating the board with creatures, Swarmborn Giant can emerge as a formidable answer. Its ability to become monstrous in the face of numerous enemies makes it a relevant card, especially if creature-heavy strategies dominate the playing field.
How to beat
Encountering the Swarmborn Giant in Magic: The Gathering can be a towering obstacle. This formidable creature card benefits from its monolithic presence on the battlefield, provided an opponent hasn’t cast two or more spells during your last turn. Consequently, this stipulation can become the keystone in developing a strategy to surmount the Giant.
One approach is to harness a sequence of low-cost spells to trigger the Giant’s downside, causing it to become tapped and lose its guard. Alternately, relying on a removal spell that can bypass the Giant’s conditional indestructibility, such as those that exile or force the controller to sacrifice it, can also serve to topple this colossal adversary.
Leveraging such tactical maneuvers ensures that the Swarmborn Giant’s potential is mitigated, keeping the path clear for your own strategy. With a tactical plan in place, the presence of this otherwise daunting force on the battlefield can be effectively neutralized, safeguarding your game state and ensuring a maintained advantage.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Swarmborn Giant MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Swarmborn Giant 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
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Swarmborn Giant has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Swarmborn Giant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-04-26 | An ability that triggers when a creature becomes monstrous won't trigger if that creature isn't on the battlefield when its monstrosity ability resolves. |
| 2014-04-26 | Monstrous isn't an ability that a creature has. It's just something true about that creature. If the creature stops being a creature or loses its abilities, it will continue to be monstrous. |
| 2014-04-26 | Once a creature becomes monstrous, it can't become monstrous again. If the creature is already monstrous when the monstrosity ability resolves, nothing happens. |