Monstrous Carabid MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Insect |
| Abilities | Cycling |
| Released | 2009-04-30 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alara Reborn |
| Set code | ARB |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 43 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Pete Venters |
Key Takeaways
- Cycling the Carabid allows hand refinement and instant adaptability within a match.
- Facilitates strategies by accelerating resources in graveyard synergy decks.
- Despite its power, the Carabid’s specific mana and discard costs can limit its play.
Text of card
Monstrous Carabid attacks each turn if able. Cycling {BR} ({BR}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
What happens when a plane of predators collides with four planes of prey?
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When cycling Monstrous Carabid, it facilitates card filtering, effectively refining your hand to adapt to the current state of the game.
Resource Acceleration: By including Monstrous Carabid in decks with graveyard synergies, you can expedite your strategies. Its cycle ability contributes to graveyard resource acceleration, crucial for decks leveraging delve mechanics or reanimation themes.
Instant Speed: Cycling Monstrous Carabid can be done at instant speed, offering you flexibility to react to an evolving game situation. This allows players to maintain mana availability throughout their opponents’ turns, choosing the optimal moment to cycle and replace the card.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the defining traits of Monstrous Carabid is its need for the player to discard a card when utilizing its cycling ability. This can present a challenge if you are running low on cards in hand, effectively forcing you to weigh the benefits of a new card against the loss of a potentially important resource.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Monstrous Carabid is strictly entrenched in red and black mana. With two red and two black mana required, it compels deck builders to commit to these colors or have a manabase capable of generating both types consistently, potentially limiting its inclusion to only specific types of decks built around these colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to play Monstrous Carabid from hand is quite steep compared to other creatures in the game. With a total cost of four mana to put this creature onto the battlefield, some players may find that their mana could be better spent on creatures or spells that offer more immediate impact or versatility for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Monstrous Carabid in Your Collection
Versatility: Monstrous Carabid can be a key player in various deck types, especially in those that require a consistent creature presence. With its ability to return to your hand each turn, it serves as a reliable option for sacrificing mechanics or triggering discard effects.
Combo Potential: The Carabid is particularly useful in decks that utilize cards like “Greater Gargadon” or “Living End.” It can help set up graveyards for a potent cascade effect, making it an instrumental piece in executing game-winning combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given its resilience and repeatability, Monstrous Carabid holds its ground in environments heavy with removal spells. It’s an efficient card that can maintain pressure without suffering from card disadvantage, rendering it a useful addition in a dynamic and ever-changing meta.
How to beat
Monstrous Carabid is a creature card that poses a relentless threat in the right MTG deck. This creature boasts an impressive stat line of 4/4 for just four mana, giving it the capability to deal significant damage early in the game. Its forced attack each turn can be a double-edged sword, providing both an advantage in terms of aggression and a drawback if you’re facing a more defensive opponent.
To counter Monstrous Carabid effectively, consider using removal spells that can target creatures regardless of their size, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade. Control decks can gain the upper hand by using spells like these at the right moment to eliminate Monstrous Carabid before it can inflict too much damage. Engaging in favorable blocks is also a strategy, as the Carabid’s mandatory attack can be turned to your advantage—with a well-placed deathtouch creature, for example, ensuring it will be a one-time threat.
Understanding the dynamic this card brings to the battlefield is crucial. While it offers an aggressive edge, the very nature of Monstrous Carabid’s mandatory attack each turn also opens up strategic opportunities to outmaneuver your opponent, making it a manageable challenge in your MTG duels.
Cards like Monstrous Carabid
In the realm of efficient beaters within Magic: The Gathering, Monstrous Carabid stands out with its unique attributes. This creature is often measured against other aggressive options like Putrid Leech. Both creatures command a presence on the board, but Monstrous Carabid offers the consistency of Cycling, allowing a player to draw a card and keep options open. Putrid Leech doesn’t afford such flexibility but it does present an on-demand power boost without the constraint of returning to a player’s hand at the beginning of the next end step.
Comparing with Demonic Dread, another card with Cycling, we see differences in role; Demonic Dread serves control strategies by preventing creatures from blocking and offers the cascade boon. While it provides a form of deck manipulation, it doesn’t match the direct combat prowess that Monstrous Carabid offers. Archfiend of Ifnir is another cyclable comparison but leans into a longer game plan, rewarding players for discarding cards by weakening opponents’ creatures, contrary to the immediate board impact Monstrous Carabid has.
Delve into these alternatives, and you’ll find Monstrous Carabid to be a formidable choice for anyone looking to apply pressure with a relentless clock, thanks to its combination of raw power and the versatility of Cycling.
Cards similar to Monstrous Carabid by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Monstrous Carabid 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 Monstrous Carabid 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 Monstrous Carabid 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 Monstrous Carabid card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Cycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. |
