Gigapede MTG Card

Onslaught (ONS)
2002-10-07 - Number 264

Vintage Masters (VMA)
2014-06-16 - Number 214

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Insect
Abilities	Shroud
Power	6
Toughness	1

Key Takeaways

Gigapede ensures a recurring presence on the board, demanding opponents to repeatedly find answers.
Its ability to mimic instant-speed play adds strategic depth and resilience to your hand.
The card’s dependency on discards may limit hand variety but enables ongoing threat potential.

Text of card

Gigapede can't be the target of spells or abilities. At the beginning of your upkeep, if Gigapede is in your graveyard, you may discard a card from your hand. If you do, return Gigapede to your hand.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When the Gigapede is put into the graveyard from play, it offers a consistent form of card advantage by allowing you to return it to your hand at the beginning of your next upkeep provided that you discard a card. This cycle can be repeated each turn, ensuring that you always have a creature to use.

Resource Acceleration: The Gigapede provides a form of resource advantage in the sense that it demands answers from your opponent, potentially exhausting their removal spells. While not directly affecting mana resources, it can create indirect resource acceleration by outpacing the opponent’s removal capabilities.

Instant Speed: Despite not being an instant itself, Gigapede’s ability to be retrieved at the beginning of your upkeep can be leveraged in a versatile manner that mimics instant-speed strategies. It adds to your hand during your upkeep, thus not hindering you from drawing another card during your draw step while keeping your options open for other plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gigapede’s reliance on being discarded from the hand can constrain strategic variety, particularly in fast-paced games where maintaining a robust hand is crucial. This condition may compel you to relinquish valuable cards to leverage its reusability.

Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost demands both green mana and generic mana, which may not align seamlessly with multicolored or colorless strategies. This makes the Gigapede a less adaptable choice for decks that aren’t predominantly green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a requirement of five mana to cast, this card can be hefty when compared to other creatures in its class. In the ever-evolving game dynamics, the mana investment might not always equate to a corresponding impact on the battlefield, especially when more cost-efficient creatures are available.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gigapede offers a resilient threat that can continually pressure your opponent. It slips cleanly into decks that value creatures which can evade common forms of removal, such as targeted spells, thanks to its ability to return to your hand at the beginning of your upkeep if it’s in your graveyard.

Combo Potential: In decks that exploit creature death and graveyard recursion, Gigapede shines. It pairs well with abilities that trigger upon creatures dying or cards being discarded, allowing for synergistic interactions that can sustain long-term value and board presence.

Meta-Relevance: Especially in environments where control decks are prevalent, Gigapede’s persistence makes it a continual threat. It demands an answer every turn. It can be particularly effective against decks that rely on one-for-one removal spells, given its built-in mechanism for self-recovery from the graveyard.

How to beat

Overcoming Gigapede in MTG can be seen as a tactical challenge due to its evasive ability to dodge removal by being shuffled back into the owner’s deck. To effectively navigate against this persistent creature, players should consider using exile effects or graveyard interference strategies. Options like Path to Exile or Leyline of the Void can prevent the Gigapede from returning to the battlefield or even entering the deck again. Board control is also crucial; since Gigapede can’t block, maintaining a strong presence on the board can help players race against the damage it might cause, especially since it typically doesn’t impact the game immediately upon being cast.

Counterspells are another solid line of defense against Gigapede. By preventing it from hitting the field in the first place, players avoid dealing with its shuffling trigger altogether. It’s important to note that Gigapede has a significant casting cost, which makes early-game control tactics potentially effective in denying the resources needed to cast it.

Understanding the ins and outs of Gigapede’s mechanics allows for the development of robust strategies to counteract its strengths and exploit its inherent weaknesses, which is vital in navigating high-stakes gameplay in MTG.

Cards like Gigapede

Gigapede presents a unique standpoint in Magic: The Gathering’s array of recurring creature cards. This creature bears resemblance to other self-recycling cards like Undying Beast, which ensures its return to the top of the library upon death. However, Gigapede requires a card to be discarded for its effect to trigger during the upkeep phase, offering a cyclical advantage unlike the one-off return of Undying Beast. In this respect, it provides consistent board presence and pressure.

Another card with resemblance is Squee, Goblin Nabob. Similar to Gigapede, Squee can return to your hand, providing resilience against control strategies. While Gigapede’s bulk requires a specific condition to be met for its comeback, Squee unconditionally returns during each upkeep. The Gigapede, however, brings more power to the battlefield. Then we have Bloodghast, with its landfall-triggered resurrection, which doesn’t rely on the discard mechanic but instead on land plays that can be easier to maneuver, though it does not pose as much of a threat due to its smaller size.

Despite sharing mechanics with these creatures, Gigapede’s substantial power and recurrent nature carve out its own niche, making it an interesting choice for players looking to maintain a persistent threat on the board.

Cards similar to Gigapede by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

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