Giant Crab MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Crab
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Giant Crab card offers board disruption, granting a significant card advantage through its creature-tapping ability.
  2. Its tapping synergy with instant speed spells maximizes strategic depth in blue-themed MTG decks.
  3. Despite its power, the Crab’s specific mana requirement and discard mechanic may limit versatility in play.

Text of card

o U: Until end of turn, Giant Crab cannot be the target of spells or abilities.

During the giant crabs' mating season, Skyshroud nights are filled with the clatter of their skirmishes.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Giant Crab card offers the potential to disrupt your opponent’s board presence, effectively creating a card advantage. With the ability to tap a creature without it untapping during its controller’s next untap step, you maintain superior board control.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing mana or resources, the Giant Crab’s control capabilities allow you to use your available resources more efficiently. This can indirectly accelerate your in-game strategy by keeping your opponent’s resources tied up.

Instant Speed: This card may not have instant speed itself, but it pairs well with cards that do. By using instants to protect the Giant Crab or remove threats during your opponent’s turn, you can ensure that the Giant Crab’s ability is used to its fullest extent each round.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Giant Crab card asks players to discard another card when they want to use its ability. This trade-off can leave players at a disadvantage, especially when their hand is running low on cards. Letting go of potentially useful spells or creatures might hinder your gameplay strategy and cost you valuable momentum in a tight match.

Specific Mana Cost: To summon the Giant Crab to the battlefield, you need to pay not just any mana, but a particular combination that includes blue mana. This requirement restricts the card’s flexibility and makes it a less viable option for decks that aren’t focused on blue mana or that have a multicolored strategy with an already complex mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider the mana investment needed to play the Giant Crab, you might find that the cost is on the higher end compared to other creatures with similar power levels or abilities. Players have to weigh if this card’s abilities are worth the considerable chunk of mana, which could instead be used for casting multiple spells or creatures that collectively offer greater benefits to the game’s outcome.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Giant Crab offers a unique ability to control the battlefield in blue-themed decks. Its ability to tap potential threats ensures a level of control, making it a versatile inclusion for defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: Utilizing Giant Crab’s tapping ability can set up combinations with cards that capitalize on incapacitated creatures, leading to advantageous board states and potential game-winning scenarios.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive creatures dominate, Giant Crab can serve as a useful deterrent, slowing down the pace for a more strategic play style that can outmaneuver opponents.


How to Beat

Giant Crab brings a unique defense mechanism to the battlefield with its ability to dodge targeted spells, making it a slippery adversary in Magic: The Gathering. To triumph over this aquatic powerhouse, it’s essential to employ tactics that don’t rely on targeting. Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation are effective tools for removing Giant Crab without having to target it specifically. Ensnaring wider nets like Meekstone can also keep the Crab’s overwhelming size in check by restricting its ability to attack each turn.

Adapting strategies such as enhancing your creatures’ power can prove beneficial, too. Cards like Overrun enable your creatures to overpower the Giant Crab through sheer force. Alternatively, outpacing the Crab with swift, aggressive plays and using spells that hinder its user’s mana base, like Armageddon, can disrupt the tempo needed to play such a sizable creature. Understanding the Crab’s strengths and weaknesses is key to tailoring a strategy that will secure your victory on the mystical planes of Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Giant Crab

Giant Crab from Magic: The Gathering holds a unique place within the creature card canon. It shares traits with other high toughness blue creatures such as Wall of Kelp or Merfolk Thaumaturgist. Each of these cards is characterized by the ability to sustain significant damage, making them useful as defensive blocks. Giant Crab stands out with its capacity to become unblockable when paired with the right mana, which is a strategic advantage in various gameplay scenarios. This utility is not common among creatures with similar defensive stats.

Another card to consider is Cloak of Mists, an enchantment that provides unblockability to the creature it’s attached to. While it’s not a creature itself, when used in combination with a high toughness creature like Giant Crab, it can effectively replicate the Crab’s unblockability trait. However, it requires an additional card slot and mana investment.

Ultimately, in a deck that values resilience and strategic offensive moves, Giant Crab carves out its own niche. Its adaptability in gameplay to become an unassailable attacker can be a game-changer, situating it as a noteworthy option among similar MTG cards in its class.

Wall of Kelp - MTG Card versions
Merfolk Thaumaturgist - MTG Card versions
Cloak of Mists - MTG Card versions
Wall of Kelp - Homelands (HML)
Merfolk Thaumaturgist - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Cloak of Mists - Urza's Saga (USG)

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

Vesuvan Doppelganger - MTG Card versions
Water Elemental - MTG Card versions
Air Elemental - MTG Card versions
Sandbar Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Pirate Ship - MTG Card versions
Segovian Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - MTG Card versions
Mawcor - MTG Card versions
Timin, Youthful Geist - MTG Card versions
Geology Enthusiast - MTG Card versions
Coastal Hornclaw - MTG Card versions
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - MTG Card versions
Cloudhoof Kirin - MTG Card versions
Drelnoch - MTG Card versions
Adarkar Windform - MTG Card versions
Infiltrator il-Kor - MTG Card versions
Mulldrifter - MTG Card versions
Chasm Drake - MTG Card versions
Belltower Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Vesuvan Doppelganger - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Water Elemental - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Air Elemental - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Sandbar Crocodile - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Pirate Ship - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Segovian Leviathan - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Mawcor - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Timin, Youthful Geist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Geology Enthusiast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Coastal Hornclaw - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Cloudhoof Kirin - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Drelnoch - Coldsnap (CSP)
Adarkar Windform - Coldsnap (CSP)
Infiltrator il-Kor - Future Sight (FUT)
Mulldrifter - The List (PLST)
Chasm Drake - Magic 2012 (M12)
Belltower Sphinx - Magic 2012 (M12)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Giant Crab MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and Beatdown Box Set, 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 Crab and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Giant Crab Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2000-10-01. Illustrated by Tom Kyffin.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-10-14TempestTMP 661997normalblackTom Kyffin
22000-10-01Beatdown Box SetBTD 91997normalwhiteTom Kyffin

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Giant Crab has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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