Child of Gaea MTG Card


Child of Gaea - Urza's Saga
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Trample
Released1998-10-12
Set symbol
Set nameUrza's Saga
Set codeUSG
Power 7
Toughness 7
Number242
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byPaolo Parente

Key Takeaways

  1. Child of Gaea ensures card advantage, ramping up your hand for sustained in-game dominance.
  2. Trample allows for resource acceleration, linking damage output directly to strategic gains.
  3. Despite lacking instant speed, it synergizes well with instant-speed plays, demanding opponent response.

Text of card

Trample During your upkeep, pay o Go G or sacrifice Child of Gaea. o1oo G Regenerate Child of Gaea.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Child of Gaea is a powerful addition to any deck focusing on longevity. Its ability to replenish your hand by allowing you to sacrifice it for cards ensures long-term strategic dominance on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: This formidable card also contributes to accelerating your resources efficiently. Its Trample ability ensures that excess damage can potentially translate into additional resources as you whittle down your opponent’s defenses.

Instant Speed: Despite not having instant speed itself, Child of Gaea complements decks that operate at instant speed. It serves as a multifaceted threat that requires immediate answers, thus pairing well with instant-speed interactions to protect it or capitalize on the distracted state of your opponents.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Child of Gaea necessitates discarding a card as part of the activation of its trample ability, which can be a steep price to pay during crucial game moments, especially when your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana requirement that heavily leans towards green, incorporating Child of Gaea into your deck demands a dedicated commitment to green mana sources, potentially limiting deck diversity and flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The investment of six mana to summon Child of Gaea can be cumbersome, particularly when compared to other creatures in the game that might provide a more immediate impact on the battlefield for a lesser cost.


Reasons to Include Child of Gaea in Your Collection

Versatility: Child of Gaea can be a versatile asset fitting well into a variety of green-focused decks. Its ability to regenerate makes it a recurring threat on the battlefield, capable of withstanding removal spells that often wipe out other creatures. This endurance ensures it continues to serve your strategy across multiple turns.

Combo Potential: This creature’s trample feature allows it to push through damage, making it synergize well with effects that increase its power or leverage damage-dealing. Deck builders can explore combinations that make Child of Gaea an even more formidable force, especially in decks built around creature buffs and combat tricks.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to act as a resilient blocker or a powerful attacker, Child of Gaea can adapt to the evolving meta. It thrives in environments where maintaining board presence is key to victory, ensuring that your game plan has a steadfast piece to rely on against a variety of opponents.


How to beat

The Child of Gaea is a potent force in the MTG arena, providing both a formidable presence on the battlefield and a self-preserving ability. To effectively overcome this card, players should consider strategies that circumvent its regeneration capability. Targeted removal spells that don’t destroy, such as exile effects or -X/-X spells, can efficiently handle this green juggernaut. Additionally, imposing game states like graveyard disruption or land destruction can curb the advantages gained from Child of Gaea’s upkeep cost and land-based synergies.

Strategic planning is crucial, as attempting to fight Child of Gaea in combat is a less effective approach due to its considerable toughness. Utilizing control elements, such as continuous board wipes or enchantments that limit creature abilities, can neutralize the card’s impact. Moreover, seizing control of a player’s turn with spells or abilities can prevent them from paying the upkeep, thus compelling Child of Gaea to sacrifice itself. In essence, players must think beyond traditional destruction tactics and embrace alternative methods to claim victory over Child of Gaea in MTG matches.


Cards like Child of Gaea

The Child of Gaea stands as an intriguing creature in Magic: The Gathering, bearing resemblance to other formidable green creatures. Its trample ability and substantial presence remind one of the classic Craw Wurm, offering a hefty creature for a stable mana investment. Child of Gaea, however, enhances the deal with the ability to regenerate, providing a resilience that Craw Wurm lacks, ensuring its staying power on the battlefield.

Examining Verdant Force, we see another parallel. Both cards summon significant force in green, with Verdant Force having the advantage of creating Saproling tokens each upkeep. Child of Gaea doesn’t generate additional creatures, but instead emphasizes endurance with regeneration. Then there’s Thorn Elemental, another green entity that may deal damage as though it weren’t blocked. While Thorn Elemental can reliably deliver damage to the opponent, Child of Gaea excels in its potential to continuously rise after being dealt with by an opponent.

Weighing these comparisons, Child of Gaea finds its niche as a stout protector and an enduring force. In green decks focusing on longevity and tenacious creatures, Child of Gaea is certainly a strong candidate, balancing cost with the ability to withstand repeated attempts on its survival in the world of Magic: The Gathering.

Craw Wurm - MTG Card versions
Verdant Force - MTG Card versions
Thorn Elemental - MTG Card versions
Craw Wurm - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Verdant Force - Tempest (TMP)
Thorn Elemental - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Cards similar to Child of Gaea by color, type and mana cost

Craw Wurm - MTG Card versions
Gaea's Liege - MTG Card versions
Wiitigo - MTG Card versions
Autumn Willow - MTG Card versions
Ancient Silverback - MTG Card versions
Sulam Djinn - MTG Card versions
Verdeloth the Ancient - MTG Card versions
Nemata, Grove Guardian - MTG Card versions
Gang of Elk - MTG Card versions
Kavu Howler - MTG Card versions
Crashing Centaur - MTG Card versions
Giant Warthog - MTG Card versions
Rhox - MTG Card versions
Kodama of the East Tree - MTG Card versions
Terra Stomper - MTG Card versions
Feral Throwback - MTG Card versions
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - MTG Card versions
Brontotherium - MTG Card versions
Elvish Aberration - MTG Card versions
Seshiro the Anointed - MTG Card versions
Craw Wurm - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Gaea's Liege - Revised Edition (3ED)
Wiitigo - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Autumn Willow - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Ancient Silverback - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Sulam Djinn - Invasion (INV)
Verdeloth the Ancient - Modern Masters (MMA)
Nemata, Grove Guardian - The List (PLST)
Gang of Elk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Kavu Howler - Apocalypse (APC)
Crashing Centaur - Odyssey (ODY)
Giant Warthog - Judgment (JUD)
Rhox - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Kodama of the East Tree - Commander Legends (CMR)
Terra Stomper - Zendikar (ZEN)
Feral Throwback - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - Onslaught (ONS)
Brontotherium - Legions (LGN)
Elvish Aberration - Masters 25 (A25)
Seshiro the Anointed - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Child of Gaea MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga, 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 Child of Gaea and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Child of Gaea has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Child of Gaea card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 You choose whether to pay or not on resolution. If not, then you sacrifice Child of Gaea. You can choose to not pay even if you no longer control Child of Gaea on resolution.
2009-10-01 If you do choose not to pay, but no longer control Child of Gaea, you cannot sacrifice. It will remain on the battlefield under its current controller’s control.

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