Heartwood Giant MTG Card

Tempest (TMP)
1997-10-14 - Number 232

Heartwood Giant - Tempest Remastered (TPR)

Tempest Remastered (TPR)
2015-05-06 - Number 174

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Giant
Power	4
Toughness	4

Key Takeaways

Heartwood Giant influences MTG matches with card advantage and can disrupt opponent strategies effectively.
Its presence accelerates resources, dictating game tempo and providing strategic flexibility for players.
Despite its potential, the high mana cost and the discarding requirement balance its in-game power.

Text of card

oc T, Sacrifice a forest: Heartwood Giant deals 2 damage to target player.

Wind in the trees is soothing, but the same can't be said for trees on the wind.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Heartwood Giant boasts a leveraging mechanism that consistently contributes to card advantage. Engaging this resilient creature in your lineup can perturb the balance of card strength in your favor over the course of a match. The innate capacity to facilitate card draw or force opponents into unfavorable trades elevates your strategic position.

Resource Acceleration: As a tangible force on the battlefield, Heartwood Giant can be a catalyst for resource acceleration. Not only does it represent a substantial presence as a sizeable creature, but its integration into your deck supports broader strategic maneuvers, often dictating the tempo of the game and allowing you to outpace your opponents by developing your mana resources more efficiently.

Instant Speed: While not inherently at instant speed, Heartwood Giant works harmoniously with spells of this nature. Its ability to sway the pace of play can indirectly lead to strategic advantages when instant speed spells are poised for launch. Wielding spells at this velocity in conjunction with the Giant’s formidable presence compounds the pressure on your adversary, setting the stage for a decisive victory.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Heartwood Giant comes with a hefty price as it necessitates the discarding of another card. For players who are struggling to maintain a full hand, this could be a significant setback, potentially forcing them to give up crucial resources or strategic options just to get Heartwood Giant on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Heartwood Giant requires a specific combination of mana types to cast, which could present a challenge for those running multi-colored decks. For such decks, ensuring the right mana is available at the right time to summon Heartwood Giant without disrupting the mana curve can be tricky.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing 5 mana, Heartwood Giant is an investment that might not yield an immediate return, especially considering other creatures and spells in the same mana range that could have a more immediate impact on the game. This makes Heartwood Giant a card that needs careful consideration before being included in your deck.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Heartwood Giant offers flexibility for deck builders due to its solid status as a 4/4 creature. This allows it to serve as a reliable blocker or an efficient threat on the board, fitting seamlessly into various strategies that value substantial creature presence.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its color identity and moderate casting cost, Heartwood Giant can be a cornerstone in combos, particularly with cards that capitalize on creature size or those that seek to manipulate the top of the library for setup plays. Its straightforward interaction with green’s creature-centric buffs makes it a natural ally in synergistic strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board control is vital, and creatures are key to victory, Heartwood Giant’s solid stats make it a competent contender in many matchups. It’s strong enough to stand against various threats and supports strategies aimed at dominating the mid-game phase, making it relevant in numerous meta scenarios.

How to beat

Encountering Heartwood Giant in a Magic: The Gathering match can be quite the obstacle, given its power that scales with the number of cards in your hand. This makes it particularly formidable in formats where players tend to have an ample hand size. To effectively combat this formidable creature, you’ll want to strategize around reducing the number of cards in your opponent’s hand, thus limiting Heartwood Giant’s power.

One efficient tactic is utilizing discard effects, which directly target your opponent’s hand. Cards like Thoughtseize or Duress are excellent at stripping key cards from your opponent’s grasp, thereby weakening Heartwood Giant’s potential impact on the game. Cards that restrict the number of cards drawn, such as Narset, Parter of Veils, can also be crucial in diminishing Heartwood Giant’s strength.

Additionally, having removal spells at the ready can ensure you’re prepared to handle Heartwood Giant when it hits the board. In MTG, having a balanced removal suite that can address a variety of threats, including those that scale with hand size, is vital. By effectively managing your opponent’s resources and staying equipped with answers, you’ll stand a much better chance at overcoming the might of Heartwood Giant.

Cards like Heartwood Giant

The Heartwood Giant is an intriguing creature card, resonating with fans of green-based decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its stature in comparison to other creatures like Leatherback Baloth is worth noting. Leatherback Baloth boasts a similar mana cost but without the conditional power boost tied to the number of forests you control, which is a signature of Heartwood Giant.

Another noteworthy comparison is with Dungrove Elder, which also has its power and toughness determined by the number of Forests in play. Dungrove Elder offers the benefit of hexproof, making it a resilient threat against targeted removal. The Heartwood Giant, while lacking hexproof, compensates with potentially greater power in a mono-green deck focused on Forests.

While assessing the Heartwood Giant in a vacuum may not reveal its full potential, it is clear that within a deck rich in Forest lands, its power can quickly outpace similarly costed creatures. This makes it particularly potent in the appropriately themed deck, providing a dynamic option for players who value adaptability and the synergistic growth of their creatures.

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

Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Heartwood Giant MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Tempest Remastered, 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 Heartwood Giant and other MTG cards: