A 5/4 with trample for 4? Sign me up. That's a big threat on turn 4. Combined with racecourse fury and some defenders so you don't leave yourself open to too much damage. This guy sets up nicely for rakdos, lord of riots too, as most blockers cant stand up to 5 full damage. Then after rakdos, you can cast more of these guys for as little as (R)(R). Scary.
All in all, this is a very versatile creature. Perfect rakdos compliment.
SirMalkin
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Very nice. It's difficult to be negative about 5 power for four mana, especially with trample.
lorendorky
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Unleash is literally gravy on top of your deep fried turkey leg with this guy. Compare to the common Shatterksull Giant. There are just WAY too many giants at 4cc in red.
Avensai
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
As with most Unleash creatures, this guy could really use haste. Fortunately for all of us bloodthirsty red mages, Fervor is a thing. It's almost as if Wizards knew what they were doing when they printed it...
majinara
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Now that's a nice uncommon. 4/3 trample for four is not awesome, but since you will most often be attacking instead, you will have this as a 5/4 trampler anyway most of the time. For an uncommon that's very good.
Lotsofpoopy
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(6 votes)
Unleash is a great ability. Pros like me will know the right times to use the unleash ability and when not to. I am a pro, though, so I will most likely be using it a lot.
Trygon_Predator
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Versatile and quite brutal. I can't imagine not using the Unleash ability unless you're terrified of attackers; a 5/4 trampler for 4 is awesome.
DarthParallax
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I love Hill Giant so much, just like I love Giant Growth. It's not so much that they themselves are good cards, but they are like a simple Hydrogen or Helium atom--
From them, you can Design some really awesome cards that compare to the originals the way Iron Bricks compare to Stone Bricks- you could even see yourself using the Stone Brick, but the Iron is-- well- ''gravy and deep-fried on top of your turkey leg'' sounds just about right.
You sometimes see people ask the "What would you change about MAGIC?" question. Here's what I wouldn't change: Hill Giant is a tried-and-true Core Set Common forever.
I've mostly been iffy on Unleash throughout preview season, but now I'm more positive about it. Guys like this, while not very interesting, game-bending on their own (and thus not too conducive for previews), do have a lot of value on the table. I think it's just that they don't really push cool interactions with the +1/+1 counters on Unleash creatures, other than Chaos Imps anyhow.
cioskookycards
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is GOLD for a Heartless Summoning deck . With HS ,all your unleash people come down for 2 less at their printed cost if you use unleash ,so essentually , he would come down as a 4/3 trample for 2 mana , which is CRAAAAAAAAAAAZY! So what if the Raksos people cant BLOCK ,thats what kill and burn spells are for ! Since the Raksos people are coming out the same day that Scars block goes bye bye , the Standard deck wont have myr superion to back it up but it will still be fun!
Dabok
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
A lot of positive stuff has been said about this card and it's relation to the Unleash mechanic. But what I love most about it is that it's monored. I like multicolored stuff in Ravnica, but this being mono-red means that I can use this even in a non rakdos colored deck! That's awesome! - Also, why is this card's rating so low? People these days...
Augustin_V
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Unleash is far, far more interesting and powerful than I had been giving it credit for. Play with some cards like this and you'll see: the +1/+1 is hugely relevant. It's not about dealing slightly more damage, its about your opponent being unable to block profitably.
SyntheticDreamer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy's really good if you're drafting Rakdos. 5/4 trampler for 4 is excellent in Limited. With Heartless Summoning, this is a pretty decent beater if that deck becomes viable in Constructed again (as a 4/3 trampler for 2).
Radagast
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I like this guy!
He's actually well priced. Even a 4/3 Trampler for 2RR isn't terrible, and he'll usually go into "Juggernaut" mode anyway as a 5/4 trampler who can't block. All around good creature with a solid design. I also like to see Red get a trampler and some variety beyond the usual Goblins and Dragons - and Giants should trample, IMHO. Even the flavor text on the original Hill Giant makes that very clear.
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a 5/4 trampler for 4cmc. That's pretty much the whole deal.
You weren't expecting to block with it or anything ANYWAY.
4/5. A 4/3 trampling beater with unleash at uncommon for a CMC of 4. This a card I will be looking to draft. This may even be good enough for competitve constructed and a definate all-star in casual.
carbondragon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hello Peasant Standard RDW...just gotta get that Crimson Mage reprint...
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Playable card.
clockword44
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Only 3 stars? What do you people want from WotC? 5 - A, 4 - B, 3 - C, 2 - D, 1 - F.
blurrymadness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Definitely a 3.5 card. Above the curve with an ability for a small drawback, which can be negated by early game creatures or simply just not unleashing. Without unleashing he's a 3, but you get your choice between a 3* and a 3.5* creature, depending on what you need; which is great.
Very strong to have 5 trample T4 IMO
Ataraxiom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is one of those cards that just feels right to play.
Because it's monored, I can run it in my Gruul unleash/evolve deck. Having this come down after a turn-3 Renegade Krasis is amazing; the giant enters with its own +1/+1 counter, so it'll evolve almost anything and then get another +1/+1 counter from the krasis' effect.
People will always talk about the flashy mythic that can win the game single-handedly, but to me that'll never be worth as much as a card like this that creates strategy and synergy. It's beautiful in a weird way.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A 5/4 trample can't block for 5 is fair in red. But for 4? I don't see why this guy never saw even fringe Standard play.
Comments (24)
All in all, this is a very versatile creature. Perfect rakdos compliment.
From them, you can Design some really awesome cards that compare to the originals the way Iron Bricks compare to Stone Bricks- you could even see yourself using the Stone Brick, but the Iron is-- well- ''gravy and deep-fried on top of your turkey leg'' sounds just about right.
You sometimes see people ask the "What would you change about MAGIC?" question. Here's what I wouldn't change: Hill Giant is a tried-and-true Core Set Common forever.
Since the Raksos people are coming out the same day that Scars block goes bye bye , the Standard deck wont have myr superion to back it up but it will still be fun!
But what I love most about it is that it's monored.
I like multicolored stuff in Ravnica, but this being mono-red means that I can use this even in a non rakdos colored deck! That's awesome!
-
Also, why is this card's rating so low? People these days...
He's actually well priced. Even a 4/3 Trampler for 2RR isn't terrible, and he'll usually go into "Juggernaut" mode anyway as a 5/4 trampler who can't block. All around good creature with a solid design. I also like to see Red get a trampler and some variety beyond the usual Goblins and Dragons - and Giants should trample, IMHO. Even the flavor text on the original Hill Giant makes that very clear.
You weren't expecting to block with it or anything ANYWAY.
Also, Stinkdrinker Daredevil, just cos he's a giant.
Very strong to have 5 trample T4 IMO
Because it's monored, I can run it in my Gruul unleash/evolve deck. Having this come down after a turn-3 Renegade Krasis is amazing; the giant enters with its own +1/+1 counter, so it'll evolve almost anything and then get another +1/+1 counter from the krasis' effect.
People will always talk about the flashy mythic that can win the game single-handedly, but to me that'll never be worth as much as a card like this that creates strategy and synergy. It's beautiful in a weird way.