Spitting Gourna MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Beast
Abilities	Morph,Reach
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Power	3
Toughness	4
Number	284
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Heather Hudson

Key Takeaways

Spitting Gourna excels in defense, deterring flyers and maintaining board control effectively.
The card’s specific green mana cost may limit deck diversity and demand strategy tweaks.
Its high mana value competes with more impactful creatures, necessitating judicious deck building.

Text of card

Spitting Gourna may block as though it had flying. Morph o4o G (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spitting Gourna provides a substantial presence on the battlefield with its formidable toughness, making it an excellent blocker that can deter opponents and protect your life total, essentially yielding an advantage over time as you deflect threats and maintain board stability.

Resource Acceleration: While Spitting Gourna itself doesn’t directly produce mana or accelerate resources, its presence can be considered a form of indirect resource acceleration by conserving the life and battlefield position you need to deploy bigger threats or execute key strategies without the pressure of dwindling defenses.

Instant Speed: Though Spitting Gourna is a creature that cannot inherently be cast at instant speed, it can synergize with cards that enable flash or with effects that put creatures onto the battlefield during an opponent’s turn. This strategic deployment can be a surprise tactic, disrupting opponent’s plans or offering an unexpected blocker when they least expect it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spitting Gourna’s discard requirement can be a strategic setback, as it forces players to deplete their hand, possibly discarding crucial spells or creatures that could be vital for upcoming turns.

Specific Mana Cost: Spitting Gourna demands a specific green mana cost, which may not align with multicolor decks that have mana bases skewed towards other colors. This restriction can hinder the card’s inclusion in varied deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that leans on the higher side, Spitting Gourna competes with other creatures and spells that could provide more impactful board presence or versatility at the same or lower mana value.

Reasons to Include Spitting Gourna in Your Collection

Versatility: Spitting Gourna offers a flexible role in your MTG deck. With its reach ability, it is an excellent defender against flying creatures, making it a solid choice in various matchups.

Combo Potential: Its ability to deter attacks from airborne threats means that Spitting Gourna can be a key component in strategies aiming to stabilize the board while you set up your winning combo or synergy.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to block creatures with flying, Spitting Gourna may find a place in sideboards or main decks in environments where flying creatures are prevalent, providing you with a relevant tool to adapt to the evolving meta.

How to beat

Spitting Gourna presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield with its direct damage ability and considerable toughness. To outmaneuver this creature, focus on bypassing its defenses or rendering its ability irrelevant. Removal spells that circumvent its regeneration, such as exile or -1/-1 counter based removals, efficiently handle the Gourna without having to engage in direct combat. Cards with the ‘destroy’ effect may not be as effective due to the Gourna’s regeneration.

Flying creatures offer a strategic advantage since they can evade the Gourna’s reach, allowing for consistent damage from above. Spells that neutralize the creature’s abilities, such as those that tap it and prevent it from untapping during the next untap step, ensure it remains a non-threat during crucial turns. Alternatively, overwhelming the Gourna with numerous small creatures can dilute the impact of its ability, as it can only deal damage to one at a time, leaving the path clear for the rest.

A carefully curated deck that offers flexible responses to different threats can leverage these strategies against Spitting Gourna, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in your game plan.

Cards like Spitting Gourna

Spitting Gourna, a green creature card in Magic: The Gathering, finds its place among the plethora of mid-range creature options available to players. Comparable cards include the likes of Stampeding Wildebeests and Baloth Gorger, both of which also offer significant board presence. Stampeding Wildebeests stands out with its return-a-green-card ability, enabling players to replay cards for multiple uses, while Spitting Gourna’s strength lies in its ability to affect the board immediately with reach. Baloth Gorger, on the other hand, offers flexibility with its kicker cost allowing for a larger creature later in the game.

Another creature sharing the same mana cost as Spitting Gourna is the renowned Thragtusk. Though Thragtusk does not have reach, it provides a noteworthy life gain and leaves behind a token when it leaves the battlefield, ensuring resilience against removal. However, Spitting Gourna’s reach should not be underestimated as it provides defense against flying creatures, a key tactical advantage in many matches.

Ultimately, while Spitting Gourna may not offer the recurring value of Stampeding Wildebeests or the flexibility of Baloth Gorger, it solidifies its position in MTG as a dependable defensive creature card, particularly useful in metas with prevalent flying threats.

Stampeding Wildebeests - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Spitting Gourna by color, type and mana cost

Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spitting Gourna MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Spitting Gourna and other MTG cards: