Cyclopean Giant MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Giant |
| Released | 2006-10-06 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Time Spiral |
| Set code | TSP |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 100 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mark Tedin |
Key Takeaways
- Graveyard strategies gain an edge, as Cyclopean Giant offers a unique land transformation upon death.
- Transmuting into a Swamp post-mortem, it integrates seamlessly with black mana-heavy and graveyard-centric decks.
- While it presents a high mana cost, its death-triggered ability can be a game-changer, influencing board state significantly.
Text of card
When Cyclopean Giant is put into a graveyard from play, target land becomes a Swamp. Remove Cyclopean Giant from the game.
A tomb-eye may remain shut for centuries. It opens when it sees a world as twisted and hollow as the wretch beneath its lid.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Cyclopean Giant provides key utility in graveyard strategies, letting you potentially turn it into a land upon death, potentially replacing itself and keeping you from losing ground in long matches.
Resource Acceleration: Although Cyclopean Giant itself doesn’t accelerate resources directly, its transformation into a ‘Tombstone’ land after falling in battle can subtly boost your mana availability, ensuring that even in death, it contributes to your game plan.
Instant Speed: While this towering creature may not be cast at instant speed, its land-creating death trigger occurs instantly. This reactive element can surprise opponents who might not account for the sudden shift from creature to mana source, subtly shifting the pace of the game in your favor without needing to rely on your turn to progress your board state.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Cyclopean Giant demands that you have a card to discard, which can be a steep price to pay, especially when your hand is already running low. This diminishes your ability to hold key cards for crucial moments in the game.
Specific Mana Cost: The Giant requires a blend of generic and black mana, specifically two black mana points. This requirement makes it a less flexible choice for decks that are not heavily skewed towards black mana or multicolored decks that may struggle to produce enough black mana consistently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, this Giant might be seen as an investment that doesn’t necessarily align with the tempo of most aggressive or control-oriented strategies. In an environment where mana-efficiency is king, the Cyclopean Giant competes with other creatures and spells that could offer more immediate impact or board presence for the same or lesser cost.
Reasons to Include Cyclopean Giant in Your Collection
Versatility: Cyclopean Giant has the unique ability to impact the board even after it leaves play. This black creature card can serve as both an offensive and defensive asset, suitable for black decks focused on graveyard mechanics or control strategies.
Combo Potential: When Cyclopean Giant is put into a graveyard from play, it turns a land into a Swamp, which can synergize with land-based strategies or enhance decks that benefit from having more Swamps on the field, especially in formats where land manipulation can be key.
Meta-Relevance: Given the fluctuating nature of the MTG environment, having a card that can modify land types is meaningful. This can disrupt opponents’ mana bases or assist in enabling your Swamp-centric mechanics, making Cyclopean Giant a relevant choice against various decks in the metagame.
How to beat
Cyclopean Giant presents an interesting challenge as a card on the MTG battlefield, reminiscent of creatures that have a lasting impact even after leaving the field. This permanence makes it essential to have a strategy in place when facing this towering terror. Unlike creatures that go away quietly, Cyclopean Giant ensures it’s remembered through its graveyard-triggered ability, turning a land into a Swamp once it dies.
To effectively combat Cyclopean Giant, consider playing cards that exile it rather than destroy it, such as Path to Exile or Silent Gravestone, to prevent its ability from triggering. Control decks have the upper hand here, using countermagic such as Cancel or Dissipate to deal with it before it even hits the board. Additionally, graveyard interaction, with cards like Relic of Progenitus or Tormod’s Crypt, can neutralize the Giant’s postmortem effects, keeping your lands safe from its swampy curse. Immediate removal or graveyard disruption—precision is key in handling the Cyclopean Giant’s looming threat.
It is crucial to approach Cyclopean Giant with a blend of foresight and timely response. By preparing the right answers in your deck, you’ll ensure that the towering menace is cut down to size without altering the landscape of your game.
Cards like Cyclopean Giant
In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Cyclopean Giant stands as a monolithic creature, reminiscent of other graveyard-interacting cards. Sowing Salt is a card that shares the graveyard hate theme, but instead of targeting creatures, it exiles lands. Though Sowing Salt provides a different form of disruption, Cyclopean Giant offers a recurring effect, becoming a land itself upon death.
Another analogue is Bojuka Bog, a land card that also targets graveyards upon entering the battlefield. While it doesn’t require a sacrifice to activate and provides an immediate impact, unlike Cyclopean Giant, it doesn’t serve as a creature to defend you. Tormod’s Crypt takes graveyard deletion a step further by offering a free activation cost but lacks the body that Cyclopean Giant provides, illustrating the trade-off between impact and board presence.
By evaluating these cards side by side, it becomes evident that Cyclopean Giant provides a unique combination of a looming creature threat plus postmortem utility, enriching strategies focused on disrupting the opponent’s graveyard while maintaining a presence on the board.
Cards similar to Cyclopean Giant by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Cyclopean Giant MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral, 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 Cyclopean Giant 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 Cyclopean Giant 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 Cyclopean Giant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-09-25 | If a Vesuvan Shapeshifter that’s copying Cyclopean Giant is put into a graveyard, the Shapeshifter will be exiled when the ability resolves even though it’s not a Cyclopean Giant anymore. |
| 2006-09-25 | If the triggered ability doesn’t resolve (the targeted land becomes an illegal target, for example), Cyclopean Giant remains in the graveyard. |