Loamdragger Giant MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Giant Warrior
Released	2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Shadowmoor
Set code	SHM
Power	7
Toughness	6
Number	210
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Pete Venters

Key Takeaways

Loamdragger Giant ensures sustained land drops, granting significant card advantage and board influence.
It enables resource acceleration, vital for executing high-impact plays and maintaining growth.
Its kinship with instant speed land-discard strategies unlocks surprise landfall opportunities.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When the Loamdragger Giant enters the battlefield, it brings a hefty body that can influence board presence profoundly. Its ability to recur lands from the graveyard maintains your land drops and sustains card advantage over opponents who may be struggling to keep lands in play.

Resource Acceleration: The inherent ability of Loamdragger Giant to recover lands directly translates to resource acceleration. Efficiently churning lands back into your hand ensures a steady growth in your available resources, supporting more impactful plays as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: While Loamdragger Giant itself does not operate at instant speed, it synergizes with cards that can be played at instant speed that dump lands into your graveyard. This can create surprise landfall opportunities or set up powerful graveyard strategies at a moment’s notice and when least expected by your opponents.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Loamdragger Giant comes with the hurdle of needing another giant creature card in your graveyard to reap the benefits of its kinship ability. This can be restrictive and often necessitates the deliberate discarding or milling of valuable giant cards from your deck to set up effectively.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands both green and red mana, this giant is not as flexible as mono-colored cards. This requirement can prove challenging in decks that aren’t tailored to accommodate such specific mana needs, potentially hindering its inclusion in more diverse deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Boasting a casting cost of six mana, Loamdragger Giant’s impact on the game might not align with its mana investment, especially when compared to other creatures in the same cost bracket. Players may find other creatures or spells that offer more immediate board presence or value for a similar, if not lower, mana cost.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Loamdragger Giant is a robust addition to decks that thrive on high-powered creatures. Its substantial power and toughness make it a formidable presence on the battlefield, well-suited to a variety of game plans, particularly those that revolve around stompy strategies or reanimation themes.

Combo Potential: This giant can be a key component in combos involving creatures with power-based triggers or graveyard synergies. It can be reanimated easily or serve as a significant enabler for cards that interact with large creatures in the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where big creatures dominate or where games tend to go long, the Loamdragger Giant shines. Its versatility can be a game-changer, especially for players looking to capitalize on the high impact plays that tilt the match in their favor.

How to beat

Addressing the Loamdragger Giant in the room, overcoming this sizable creature card in Magic: The Gathering boils down to timing and control. Having trample, this behemoth can be a real issue once it’s on the battlefield. Unlike outright removal spells like Murder, you might need to strategize around it. Enchantment-based control spells like Pacifism can neutralize the giant without necessitating a direct confrontation.

Counterplay can also hinge on utilizing more subtle interactions. Bounce spells, for instance, can return the Loamdragger Giant to its owner’s hand, effectively resetting their mana investment without using a removal card. Including a mixture of removal, bounce, or control elements in your deck can give you the upper hand against this colossus of the field. It’s about assessing the situation and knowing when to bide your time for the perfect disabling move.

Deftly navigating around a Loamdragger Giant can serve as a testament to a player’s proficiency. Control is key in MTG, and effectively managing threats like Loamdragger Giant can tilt the scales in your favor, ensuring you stay in command of the game’s rhythm and flow.

Cards like Loamdragger Giant

Loamdragger Giant carves a niche for itself within the family of ramp creatures in Magic: The Gathering. At first glance, its kinship with the classic powerhouse Vine Trellis is evident. Both creatures help ramp up mana, but the Giant steps forward with a beefier body, ready to loom over the battlefield. Unlike Vine Trellis, Loamdragger Giant’s higher power and toughness make it a formidable presence that goes beyond a simple mana source.

Comparatively, Dawntreader Elk offers a similar ramp effect, however, it sacrifices itself to fetch a land directly to the battlefield. While the Elk serves a one-time purpose, the Giant persists, presenting a consistent threat. Furthermore, the notable difference lies in their mana cost-to-effect ratio. Krosan Tusker, another peer in the ramp department, digs for land and cycles into a new card, but it can’t match the staying power of Loamdragger Giant’s sheer size on the battlefield.

Choosing the right card depends on the deck’s strategy and the role each creature plays within it. The Loamdragger Giant, with its blend of mana acceleration and combat readiness, holds its ground effectively among its counterparts in the game of Magic: The Gathering.

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

Atarka, World Render - MTG Card versions

Omnath, Locus of Rage - MTG Card versions

Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient - MTG Card versions

Gut, Bestial Fanatic - MTG Card versions

Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Loamdragger Giant MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Loamdragger Giant and other MTG cards: