Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and hobbyjapan.co.jp/cardgamer, check out green’s latest monster from Core Set 2021 — Elder Gargaroth.
In terms of raw numbers for mana, Elder Gargaroth packs quite the punch. Just as a 6/6 for five mana, this beast draws the eye before breaking down all the text on the card.
Vigilance, reach, trample
Similar to the first line of Questing Beast, three keywords kicks off its text box. While Elder Gargaroth doesn’t have haste to make an immediate impact, it does have trample to be able to get through damage in combat. It also has vigilance and reach to be able to play both ways and defend against most creatures, which is important for the rest of its abilities.
Whenever Elder Gargaroth attacks or blocks, chose one –
Create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
You gain 3 life.
Draw a card.
While it doesn’t provide immediate impact or an enters-the-battlefield trigger, Elder Gargaroth does a good job playing defense the turn it’s played by generating value if your opponent has to attack into it. Making a Beast token can be great for going wide, the three life can help stabilize against aggro or burn strategies, and drawing a card is everything a Magic player wants to do.
Elder Gargaroth is an efficient, heavy-hitting creature, but can it make its mark in a format dominated by Teferi, Time Raveler, Elspeth Conquers Death, and Priest of Forgotten Gods?