Giant Ambush Beetle MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Insect |
| Abilities | Haste |
| Released | 2009-04-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alara Reborn |
| Set code | ARB |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 137 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Carl Critchlow |
Key Takeaways
- Its entry can remove an opposing creature, effectively changing the board state in your favor.
- The beetle’s deathtouch accelerates game pressure and can lead to faster victories.
- Instant elimination of creatures it combats gives it a unique combat trick advantage.
Text of card
Haste When Giant Ambush Beetle comes into play, you may have target creature block it this turn if able.
It waits with absolute stillness. One might think it a statue if it weren't occasionally seen chewing on its victims.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Giant Ambush Beetle offers a tactical edge by potentially eliminating an opponent’s creature when it enters the battlefield. This removal can tip the scales to your favor, effectively reducing your opponent’s resources while you maintain yours.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, the efficiency of Giant Ambush Beetle can potentially lead to a quicker victory. By streamlining your attacks with its ‘deathtouch’ ability to handle even the hardiest of threats, it accelerates the pace at which you can pressure your opponent’s life total.
Instant Speed: Although the Giant Ambush Beetle itself isn’t cast at instant speed, its unique ability to instantly eliminate any creature it blocks or becomes blocked by, gives it a pseudo-instant speed quality. This allows for strategic surprise in the midst of combat, altering the outcome dramatically in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One potential downside is that activating the ability of Giant Ambush Beetle may require you to discard a valuable card from your hand. This cost can be particularly detrimental when you’re trying to maintain card advantage or when discarding a high-value card is the only option.
Specific Mana Cost: Giant Ambush Beetle comes with a restrictive mana cost that requires both green and black mana. This specificity can limit deck-building options and might not fit seamlessly into multi-colored decks that aren’t focused on these two colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three generic and one each of green and black mana, Giant Ambush Beetle is considered to have a relatively high mana cost for its power level. In a game where tempo is crucial, its cost can sometimes be a setback, as it competes with other high-impact spells in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Giant Ambush Beetle offers a unique blend of aggressiveness and control, suitable for various decks that aim to dominate the board. With its ability to land and immediately affect the gameplay, it works well in strategies that need both offensive and defensive components.
Combo Potential: This creature synergizes with mechanics that care about creature deaths or entering the battlefield. Giant Ambush Beetle can repeatedly trigger such interactions, leading to potential game-swinging combos within the right deck framework.
Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that sees frequent creature-based strategies, the Giant Ambush Beetle is particularly effective. Its combat-centric abilities can disrupt opponents’ board states, making it a strategic addition that can tilt the scales in your favor across various matchups.
How to beat
The Giant Ambush Beetle is an interesting player in Magic: The Gathering, offering not just a sizable creature but a unique combat ability that can reposition creatures mid-battle. To effectively tackle the Giant Ambush Beetle, it’s essential to grasp its Haste attribute, which allows it to surprise opponents and make an immediate impact on the game.
One effective strategy is to control the board state with removal spells. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can neatly dispatch the beetle before it unleashes its combat tricks. Another route is to use instant-speed spells that can deal damage or provide a debuff in response to the beetle’s triggered ability. This ensures that the board remains in your favor. In addition, employing creatures with First Strike or Deathtouch can discourage attacks since they can potentially take down the beetle before it deals its damage.
Managing the game pace is crucial, as the beetle thrives in fast and aggressive strategies. Consider playing cards that slow down the game or ones that create a defensive barrier, making it harder for the beetle to puncture through your lines. When you’re ready to turn the tide, attack with equal force to overcome the beetle’s strengths and clinch victory.
Cards like Giant Ambush Beetle
Giant Ambush Beetle is a unique creature card within Magic: The Gathering that offers an intriguing blend of combat abilities. It shares similarities with other cards like Hornet Nest that also have the potential to alter the state of the battlefield. Hornet Nest, however, relies on being dealt damage to summon 1/1 flying deathtouch insect tokens, an effect that’s passive compared to the Beetle’s aggression-triggered ability.
Then we have the likes of Saber Ants, whose ability is also triggered upon taking damage, though it creates 1/1 insect creature tokens without flying. The tactical advantage of Giant Ambush Beetle lies in its ability to dictate combat outcomes by ensuring the destruction of a creature it’s battling, something the Saber Ants do not guarantee. Additionally, the beetle can selectively target and eliminate key threats, a strategic component not offered by the more reactive Hornet Nest or Saber Ants.
Ultimately, Giant Ambush Beetle offers a compelling option for players designing decks that thrive on combat manipulation. Its proactive ability to clear enemy creatures from the board grants it a formidable position among Magic: The Gathering’s creature-focused cards, catering to a playstyle that values deliberate and strategic creature removal.
Cards similar to Giant Ambush Beetle by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Giant Ambush Beetle MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn, 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 Giant Ambush Beetle and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Giant Ambush Beetle 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 Giant Ambush Beetle card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2009-05-01 | Deciding to have the targeted creature block doesn’t force you to attack with Giant Ambush Beetle that turn. If Giant Ambush Beetle doesn’t attack, the targeted creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all. |
| 2009-05-01 | If you choose to have the targeted creature block but that creature isn’t able to block Giant Ambush Beetle (for example, because the targeted creature can block only creatures with flying), the requirement to block does nothing. The targeted creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all. |
| 2009-05-01 | Tapped creatures, creatures that can’t block as the result of an effect, creatures with unpaid costs to block (such as those from War Cadence), and creatures that aren’t controlled by the defending player are exempt from effects that would require them to block. Such creatures can be targeted by Giant Ambush Beetle’s ability, but the requirement to block does nothing. |
| 2009-05-01 | You decide whether to have the targeted creature block Giant Ambush Beetle this turn if able at the time the enters-the-battlefield ability resolves, not at the time Giant Ambush Beetle attacks. |
