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"Savage lifeforms don't even follow their own rules." Q


In this web page, I hope to present to you strategies, combos, and obscure uses for a new Magic: The Gathering card every single day.

The Card of the Day is...(For all you people that feel all the cards I review are stupid and useless)

Giant Shark

The Dark Common

5U Summon Shark

4/4
"If Giant Shark is assigned to block a creature that has taken damge this turn, or a creature that has taken damage this turn is assigned to block Giant Shark, Giant Shark gains +2/+0 and trample until end of turn. Giant Shark cannot attack unless defending player controls at least one island. Giant Shark is buried immediately if at any time controller controls no islands."

I once carried every Magic card I owned in a small green luchbag. I was invited to my local store one evening to play some cards. I scooped up everything I owned and went to have some fun. The one attendant at the store had many power cards in his possession. I know he had some Moxen in and out of his collection...you know the type. Lots of cards. I started to play my friends, then the attendant said since I play my friends all the time, why don't I play him instead? I gulped and scooped up my lunchbag and sat in front of him. I feared the worst, knowing this guy was going to be tough. I saw such things as Bad Moons, Forcefields and Icy Manipulators (before Ice Age). Somehow, I beat him 3 out of 3 with my jumbled mess of a Fungusaur/Thallid deck, an Icatian Skirmishers/Personal Incarnation deck, and a Prodigal Sorcerer/Giant Shark deck. Ahh, those were the days. I didn't know that certain cards were clearly inferior to others, and didn't care if I had any black border basic set stuff. People tend to build decks with some focus on preparing against standard deck styles. "Oh, I better add a few Pyroclasms in case I face a weenie deck"...you know the routine. Who prepares for Giant Shark attacks? Nobody. Even though I'd rather use Taniwha or Air Elemental instead of a Giant Shark anyday if I was in a tournament for money, but in almost all other situations I use my buddy Giant Shark. Sharks are cool. Swift fierce hunters with big pointy teeth. I really love cards whose abilities closely resemble the name or picture. Giant Shark can be sent into a feeding frenzy if you can just wound the creature that will block it. Not an easy task, but accomplishable. If you're sure that islandhome thing isn't going to be a problem and you're able to keep harming the shark's blockers, the end result shark is quite a bargain at 6/4 trample for 5U. There are a few too many "if's" in that last sentence for most players though. I understand. For all the rest of you that do make a "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" or "Buried at Sea" deck, here's some fun ideas to try with Giant Shark: