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'''Giants''' are massive creatures resembling gigantic [[human]]s. Most are known for being dimwitted and violent. Giants are associated with all colors of [[mana]] save [[blue]], but are most strongly aligned with [[red]]. They are not to be confused with creatures from other [[races]] that by magical or artificial circumstances have grown to ''giant'' sizes. Cards with the [[creature type]] first appeared in ''[[Alpha]]'': <c>Hill Giant</c>, <c>Stone Giant</c> and <c>Two-Headed Giant of Foriys</c> .
{{Infobox type
|type=creature
|beeble=1
|beeble_ref=<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/747935344149790720/hey-big-fan-of-some-of-the-more-monstrous|title=I was wondering where in the Beeble Scale would Ogres, Trolls, Cyclopses and Giants be?|April 16, 2024}}</ref>
|stats={{stats|W=41|U=17|B=20|R=86|G=28|BR=3|RW=6|WB=1|UR=2|GU=1|RG=8|M=6|A=1}}
{{stats|Giant creation|W=1|U=1|B=1|R=3|G=1|RG=1|A=1|state=collapsed}}
as of ''[[Murders at Karlov Manor]]''
}}
{{TOCright}}
'''Giants''' are massive creatures resembling gigantic [[Human]]s. Most are known for being dimwitted and violent. Giants are associated with all colors of [[mana]] but are most strongly aligned with [[red]]. They are not to be confused with creatures from other [[race]]s that by magical or artificial circumstances have grown to ''giant'' sizes. Cards with the [[creature type]] Giant first appeared in ''[[Alpha]]'': <c>Hill Giant</c>, <c>Stone Giant</c> and <c>Two-Headed Giant of Foriys</c>.


==Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Giants==
==Storyline==
===Lorwyn giants===
===Dominaria===
In the plane known as [[Lorwyn (plane)|Lorwyn]], giants are associated with white and red mana. They are reclusive and lonely. They are known to take long sleep periods after which they arise with a new purpose in life and name. Some are prone to have prophetic visions of the future.
During the [[Ice Age (event)|Ice Age]], some Giants of the '''Jötun''' tribe aided the [[Kjeldor]]ans in the fight against the [[Order of Stromgald]].


Their long life spans give them a particular perception of time, and wisdom that other races respect.
===Eldraine===
On [[Eldraine]], giants usually reside in the wilds and keep their distance from the humans of [[the Realm]]. These giants have always been hostile to the rulers of the Realm, even during the rule of the [[Elf|elves]].<ref name="D&D Eldraine">[[James Wyatt]] et al. (2023). "''[[D&D Monstrous Compendium: Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures]]''". [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> However, some giants choose to align themselves with the court of [[Garenbrig]], even achieving knighthood, and Garenbrig's king, [[Yorvo]], is himself a giant.<ref name="Quest">[[Kate Elliott]] (2019), ''[[Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest]]'', Penguin Random House</ref><ref name="Guide to Eldraine">{{DailyRef|feature/planeswalkers-guide-eldraine-2019-10-31|Planeswalker's Guide to Eldraine|[[Chris Mooney]]|October 31, 2019}}</ref> The giants of Eldraine come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Smaller giants stand around 10 feet tall. These giants often have skin made of bronze and use their immense strength to bully small folk. Larger giants can stand 15 feet tall. These giants have a skin of stone, often covered with naturally growing moss. These giants tend to be kinder to small folk, using their strength to help those in need.


===Shadowmoor giants===
Storm Giants, a significantly larger variety of giants, live in the Kingdom of Storms, an independent realm in Eldraine's clouds ruled by Queen [[Beluna Grandsquall]] from the castle of Stormkeld. More magical than the stone giants of Eldraine's surface, these giants have bluish-gray skin and have hair that trails into misty clouds.<ref name="World of Art">{{YouTubeRef|DB26Ah3mm4E|The World of Art: The Wilds of Eldraine|channel=[[Magic: The Gathering]]|date=September 29, 2023}}</ref> They wear clothing woven out of beanstalk fibers and carry bottled lightning. Some storm giants are known to hunt heaven tillers, cloud eaters and beanstalk wurms, while others farm golden geese like bees.
In the [[Shadowmoor (plane)|Shadowmoor]] aspect of the plane however, giants are more brutish and associated with red and green mana. During their long sleep periods [[plants]] and moss grow over them, and they never bother to remove them.
 
===Kaladesh===
The giants of [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] are nomadic, following the currents of [[Aether]] in extensive peregrinations. Twice a year, this brings them close to the city of [[Ghirapur]]. The arrival of the giants is celebrated in the migration festival, where teams try to decorate the wandering giants. Giants eat whatever they happen across in the course of their migrations, which includes many other creatures drawn to the aether flow. They are beings of pure aggressive instinct but without a hint of malice. In all likelihood, giants aren't intelligent enough to wish harm on anyone or anything. Still, the combination of their regular migrations and their sheer destructive power makes these creatures a menace.<ref>[[Plane Shift]] - Kaladesh</ref>
 
===Kaldheim===
The frost and fire giants of [[Surtland]] are locked in constant conflict. The frost giants would prefer to be left alone, but they also claim the best, safest territories in the realm—and hoard [[treasure]]s and arcane secrets for themselves in their [[mountain]] palaces. The angry, impulsive fire giants gather in bands to attack the largely solitary frost giants. Frost giants retaliate with blasts of [[rune|runic]] ice magic that can scatter or incapacitate a whole fire giant clan. On very rare occasions, if [[Surtland]] is threatened by invaders or a rampaging [[Cosmos]] Monster, frost, and fire giants are able to put aside their differences and join together to defend their realm.<ref name=":0">{{DailyRef|feature/planeswalkers-guide-kaldheim-part-2-2021-01-14|Planeswalker's Guide to Kaldheim, Part 2|[[Ari Zirulnik]] and [[Jenna Helland]]|January 14, 2021}}</ref>
 
A possible third, extinct civilization of giants is believed to have once inhabited the realm of [[Gnottvold]], leaving crumbling monolithic structures dotting the realm's otherwise pristine wilderness. Their precise relation to the realm's [[Troll|trolls]], if any, is unremarked upon.
 
====Frost Giants====
Frost giants are intelligent and secretive, using [[rune|runic]] magic to divine the secrets of the [[Cosmos]] and jealously guarding them against the curiosity of outsiders. The frost giants claim the high mountain peaks and glacier fields of Surtland where they build ice palaces and spend eons in solitude. Their impregnable mountaintop fortresses afford them clear views of the lights of the Cosmos and their mystical secrets. They rarely leave Surtland and have no interest in raiding, but they have a special relationship with the similar-minded Omenseekers of [[Bretagard]], who sail to Surtland occasionally to trade information with friendly frost giants. Frost giant [[wizard]]s called '''Vela Mages''' dwell primarily in the well-protected Vela Heights. In addition to manipulating cold and ice with their magic, Vela Mages are seers who work constantly to divine the secrets of the realms. They can use [[illusion]] magic to trick unwelcome intruders into their private sanctums, but most of them consider this a lesser form of magic that is not worthy of serious practice unless absolutely necessary.<ref name=":0" />
 
====Fire Giants====
Fire giants, by contrast, are brutal and impulsive, sharing their kin's physical strength and resilience but lacking any of the frost giants' knowledge and resources. Fire giants dwell in the lower elevations of Surtland where snowfields are divided by deep lava fissures. They live together in families and clans, building crude wooden structures from the realm's massive trees. Some also make their lairs in extensive cavern networks and lava tubes that run beneath the lowlands. Fire giants are reckless, jealous, and competitive—like colossal children who are jealous of their kindred's secret knowledge but unable to grasp it for themselves. They're smaller than frost giants, but they're still giants and are incredibly tough, strong, and resilient. Countless sagas speak at length about how hard it is to kill a fire giant, and those heroes who succeed at this monumental task are enshrined in legend. Whenever a [[Doomskar]] brings Surtland into contact with another realm, fire giants are eager to launch raids. They love hand-to-hand combat, but they're not above throwing boulders at their enemies, and their [[wizards]] have power over fire and lava.<ref name=":0" />
 
===Lorwyn-Shadowmoor===
====Lorwyn====
Giants on [[Lorwyn–Shadowmoor|Lorwyn]] are associated with white and red mana. Red giants are short-tempered, territorial, and passionate, while their white counterparts are zealous and stubborn. They are reclusive and lonely, largely due to their need for vast amounts of food, water, and land. <ref name="LorwynGuide">(2007). ''[https://archive.org/details/mtg-lorwyn-players-guide-2007 Lorwyn Player's Guide].'' [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref>Giants will often come to blows when sharing territory, always to the death and often leaving a trail of destruction in their wake {{-}} even levelling entire villages during a brawl.<ref name="Tall"/>
 
Giants are known to take rich and long sleeps, but they can also enter a trance-like hibernation called the Name Sleep during which they have epic dreams.<ref>{{DailyRef|lorwyn-lore-2007-09-10|Lorwyn Lore|[[Rei Nakazawa]]|September 10, 2007}}</ref> A giant's first Name Sleep usually occurs at the end of adolescence, but they can also be triggered by a life-changing event or trauma, or by the onset of old age. Young giants derive their surnames from these sleeps, and they may give the dreamer a new purpose in life. A giant's first name is generally two to three syllables and serves as a familiar form of address for friends. All others refer to giants only by their surname, and two giants that share a surname invariably fight for it.<ref name="Tall">{{DailyRef|feature/tall-tales-2008-03-12|Tall Tales|[[Doug Beyer]]|March 12, 2008}}</ref>
 
Giants are a race of hermits, arbiters, explorers, and oracles (some are prone to have prophetic visions of the future).<ref name="LorwynGuide"/> Their long life spans give them a particular perception of time, and wisdom that other races respect.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/lorwyn-survival-guide-2007-10-31|Lorwyn Survival Guide|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 31, 2007}}</ref>
 
Some Lorwyn giants huddle in mountain caves, often above the cloudline; you can spot a giant's lair by the enormous, rugged dolmen stones built up around the entrance.<ref>{{DailyRef|dolmens-2007-11-15|Dolmens|[[Magic Arcana]]|November 15, 2007}}</ref> Others range over Lorwyn with long, loping steps. You can tell a giant's travel route by the man-sized, earth-compressed footprints and lack of vegetation. The death of a giant can be a major event for a region because their lairs are often storehouses of interesting and rare things. Great caravans of treasure seekers and merchants, particularly elves who seek hidden beauty, seek to explore and loot their treasures.<ref name="Tall"/>
 
====Shadowmoor====
In the [[Shadowmoor (plane)|Shadowmoor]] aspect of the plane, however, giants are more brutish and associated with red and green mana.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/allies-conflict-2008-06-11|Allies in Conflict|[[Doug Beyer]]|June 11, 2008}}</ref> During their long sleep periods [[plant]]s and moss grow over them, and they never bother to remove them.


Giants are viewed by other races as a problem, because they seldom stop in their path, even if a village is on their way.
Giants are viewed by other races as a problem, because they seldom stop in their path, even if a village is on their way.


==Ravnican Giants==
===Mirrodin===
In the plane of [[Ravnica (plane)|Ravnican]], giants are usually members of the [[Boros Legion]] [[guild]], although the [[Cult of Rakdos]] and [[Golgari Swarm]] are known to [[zombie|zombify]] their remains.  
The rarely-seen [[Mirran]] giants, distinguishable by their dramatic, [[minotaur]]like horns have a greater lung capacity relative to their weight than all other Mirran humanoids.<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/public-displays-aggression-2011-02-09|Public Displays of Aggression|[[Doug Beyer]]|February 09, 2011}}</ref>
 
===Ravnica===
{{See also|Titans of Ravnica}}
The giants of [[Ravnica]] are aligned to four [[guild]]s.<ref name="D&D">[[James Wyatt]] and Jeremy Crawford (November 2018). "''[[D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica]]''", [[Wizards of the Coast]]</ref> The [[Golgari]] are known to reanimate their corpses as servants for their own.
 
Those giants employed by the [[Boros Legion|Boros legion]] originate in the Skorskal clan, which has an ancient feud with the Gruul. The Boros mainly use the giants sworn to them for guard duty of their most important strongholds, including [[Sunhome]]. They can go for eight hours without blinking.
 
The giants in service to the [[Rakdos]] often act as bouncers and enforcers, although some become part of their performances, holding mobile platforms and acting as pillars.
 
Giants among the [[Orzhov]] usually patrol marketplaces, reminding the debtors of the Church to pay their bills in a timely manner.
 
The giants among the [[Gruul Clans]] are known as ''sunder shamans'' and channel their rage to enhance their own attacks. Like the rest of the Gruul, they hate the urban development that encroaches on the wilds where they once lived - not least because they have so much difficulty fitting inside the small structures. They delight in destroying such edifices, and in the heat of their rage, they walk through buildings, trample people underfoot, and generally cause as much chaos as possible.
 
===Theros===
[[Theros (plane)|Theran]] giants come in all five colors of mana. They are emanations of the land itself and rarely concern themselves with the affairs of humans.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/planeswalkers-guide-theros-part-3-2013-09-04|Planeswalker's Guide to Theros, Part 3|[[The Magic Creative Team]]|September 04, 2013}}</ref>
 
During the Age of Trax, giants on Theros had kingdoms of their own. They had an apparently rocky relationship with the plane's [[archon]]s: [[Agnomakhos]] used the war against the giants as a pretense for his evil actions, while the {{card plural|Hundred-Handed One}} were the results of archons using magic to twist giants into forms that would make them more monuments.<ref>Wizards RPG Team (2020), D&D Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Wizards of the Coast</ref>
 
====Titans====
In Theros' ancient past extremely powerful [[elder]] giants known as titans ruled the plane. The [[god]]s of Theros battled them and sealed them away in the Underworld, where they remained until they broke free.
 
===Zendikar===
[[Zendikar (plane)|Zendikar]] has two branches of giantkind: the more traditional giant and the bestial pack-animal race of hurdas.<ref name="Rise">{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/rise-inbox-2010-04-21|Rise of the Inbox|[[Doug Beyer]]|April 21, 2010}}</ref>
 
The giants of Zendikar live seclusive lives away from the other civilized races. They are organized into three great tribes: The ''Boulderfoot Tribe'' lives in [[Akoum]], taking barely notice of smaller humanoids. The ''Shatterskull'' tribe dwells in the Skyfang mountains of [[Murasa]], exhorting travelers through the mountains by living as brigands. The ''Turntimber'' Tribe lives on the continent of [[Ondu]], practicing [[druid]]ism and hunting [[baloth]] and similar large game. They have lived in the forest for centuries, either giants turned to druidism to repay the forest for its protection or druids turned to giantism due to the power of the forest's magic.<ref name="Rise"/> Outcasts of the Turntimbers flee to the Makindi Trenches, stalking travelers for food.<ref>[[Plane Shift]]: Zendikar</ref>
 
On [[Zendikar (plane)|Zendikar]], a docile species of Giants called Hurda are used as pack animals. Hurdas walk on their strongly developed forearms, while their tiny, vestigial legs dangle beneath them. Thick tails keep them balanced.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/lowly-hurda-2010-02-01|The Lowly Hurda|[[Magic Arcana]]|February 01, 2010}}</ref>
 
==Notable giants==
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
'''Arcavios'''
*[[Osgir]]
 
'''Dominaria'''
*[[Axelrod Gunnarson]]
*[[Bartel Runeaxe]]
*[[List of secondary characters/Dominaria|Liko]]
*[[Jareth]]
*[[Naru]]
*The [[Lady of Otaria|Lady of the Mountain]]
 
'''Echoir'''
*[[List of secondary characters#Echoir|The Titan Collector]]
 
'''Eldraine'''
*[[Beluna Grandsquall]]
*King [[Yorvo]]


===Notable giants===
'''Ir'''
*[[Ruhan]]
 
'''Kaldheim'''
*[[Aegar]]
 
'''Kylem'''
*[[Gorm]]
 
'''Lorwyn'''
*[[Brion Stoutarm]]
*[[Brion Stoutarm]]
*[[Jareth, Leonine Titan]]
*[[List of secondary characters#Lorwyn-Shadowmoor|Galanda Feudkiller]]
*[[Kiel]]
*[[Kiel]]
*[[The Lady of the Mountain]]
*[[Rosheen Meanderer]]
*[[Rosheen Meanderer]]
* [[Bartel Runeaxe]]
 
* [[Axelrod Gunnarson]]
'''Ravnica'''
*[[Bilagru]]
*[[List of secondary characters/Ravnica|Narbulg Nine Fingers]]
 
'''Theros'''
*[[Kalemne]]
*<c>Thryx, the Sudden Storm</c>
 
The Titans:
*[[Kroxa]]
*[[Phlage]]
*[[List of secondary characters/Theros|Skotha]]
*[[Uro]]
 
'''Unknown'''
*[[Bonny Pall]]
*[[Dargo]]
*[[Oloro]]
*<c>Vogar, Necropolis Tyrant</c>
 
'''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'''
*[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Oyaminartok Oyaminartok] (<c title="Card">Oyaminartok, Polar Werebear</c>)
*[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Storvald Storvald] (<c title="Card">Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl</c>)
*[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Zalto Zalto] (<c title="Card">Zalto, Fire Giant Duke</c>)
}}
 
==Tribal type==
[[Lorwyn block]] featured four [[tribal]] Giant cards, which could be [[fetch]]ed by <c>Giant Harbinger</c>:
*<c>Crush Underfoot</c>
*<c>Favor of the Mighty</c> <ref>{{DailyRef|favor-mighty-2007-10-23|Favor of the Mighty|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 23, 2007}}</ref>
*<c>Feudkiller's Verdict</c>
*<c>Giant's Ire</c>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:EldraineGiantConcepts.png|Eldraine Stone Giant concepts.
File:GiantConcepts.png|Eldraine Storm Giant concepts.
</gallery>
 
==Tokens==
Tokens marked with {{A}} are created by [[Acorn]] cards.
{{Giant tokens|header=y}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
* In the [[Grand Creature Type Update]] the subtype '''Titan''' (<c>Mountain Titan</c>) ware incorporated into the Giant class.
*In the [[Grand Creature Type Update]] the subtype '''Titan''' (<c>Mountain Titan</c>) was incorporated into the Giant type.
* The subtype '''Cyclops''' was [[obsolete]]d in ''[[Sixth Edition]]'' and repaced with Giant. This was reversed in the Grand Creature Type Update.
**''[[M11]]'' introduced a [[cycle]] of [[Mythic]] Titans: Each of these [[mythic rare]] Giants are 6/6, cost {{4}}MM, have a color themed ability (Vigilance, firebreathing etc.) and have a powerful ability that is triggered by them entering the battlefield or attacking {{-}} <c>Sun Titan</c>, <c>Frost Titan</c>, <c>Grave Titan</c>, <c>Inferno Titan</c> and <c>Primeval Titan</c>.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/titans-m11-2010-06-30|The Titans of M11|[[Monty Ashley]]|June 30, 2010}}</ref>
* ''[[M11]]'' introduced a [[cycle]] of Mythic Titans: Each of these [[mythic rare]] Giants are 6/6, cost 4CC, have a color themed ability (Vigilance, firebreathing etc.) and have a powerful ability that is triggered by them entering the battlefield or attacking {{-}} <c>Sun Titan</c>, <c>Frost Titan</c>, <c>Grave Titan</c>, <c>Inferno Titan</c> and <c>Primeval Titan</c>.
**On [[Theros (plane)|Theros]], the [[god]]s once waged war against the titans, their predecessors. Victorious, the gods sealed the titans in [[the Underworld]]. If they would ever be freed, they would inflict unspeakable [[horror]]s on Theros (<c>The Binding of the Titans</c>). The printed titans have the creature types [[Elder]] Giant and the "titan trigger" from M11.<ref name="Excited">{{TwitterRef|EthanFleischer|1214666654430330880|author=[[Ethan Fleischer]]|title=I got really excited about the titans from Greek mythology.|date=January 7, 2020}}</ref>
[[Category:Storylines]]{{Template:Races}}[[Category:Creature types]]
**The [[Titans of Ravnica]] are gigantic stone statues that can be animated by the [[Boros Legion]] to defend the city.
*The subtype '''[[Cyclops]]''' was [[obsolete]]d in ''[[Sixth Edition]]'' and replaced with Giant. However, this was reversed in the Grand Creature Type Update.
*<c>Sunrise Sovereign</c> is a Giant [[Lord]].
*Giant Creatures that are non-Giants, like <c>Giant Spider</c>, are another staple of the game.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/they-might-be-giants-2008-03-10|They Might Be Giants|[[Mark Rosewater]]|March 10, 2008}}</ref>
**When Giant is used as an adjective, cards don't have the Giant type. The creature type Giant means you are of the race Giant, not that you are large. <ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/640434477308542976/giant-ox-is-an-ox-but-not-a-giant-what-gives|title=Giant Ox, is an Ox, but not a Giant. What gives?|January 15, 2021}}</ref>
***This rule is somewhat muddled by <c>Minsc, Beloved Ranger</c> which pumps creatures while adding the Giant type.
*The size and strength of Giants are provided by <c>Giant Growth</c>, <c>Giant Strength</c>, and <c>Belt of Giant Strength</c>.
*<c>Opal Titan</c> can become a 4/4 white Giant creature with [[protection]] from certain colors.
*<c>Foriysian Totem</c> can become a 4/4 red Giant artifact creature with [[trample]].
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
{{Creature types|Races|Giants}}

Latest revision as of 02:57, 25 June 2024

Giant
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Beeble Scale 1[1]
Statistics
220 cards
{W} 18.6% {U} 7.7% {B} 9.1% {R} 39.1% {G} 12.7% {B/R} 1.4% {R/G} 3.6% {W/B} 0.5% {U/R} 0.9% {R/W} 2.7% {G/U} 0.5% {M} 2.7% {artifact symbol} 0.5%
9 Giant creation cards
{W} 11.1% {U} 11.1% {B} 11.1% {R} 33.3% {G} 11.1% {R/G} 11.1% {artifact symbol} 11.1%
as of Murders at Karlov Manor
Scryfall Search
type:"Giant"

Giants are massive creatures resembling gigantic Humans. Most are known for being dimwitted and violent. Giants are associated with all colors of mana but are most strongly aligned with red. They are not to be confused with creatures from other races that by magical or artificial circumstances have grown to giant sizes. Cards with the creature type Giant first appeared in Alpha: Hill Giant, Stone Giant and Two-Headed Giant of Foriys.

Storyline

Dominaria

During the Ice Age, some Giants of the Jötun tribe aided the Kjeldorans in the fight against the Order of Stromgald.

Eldraine

On Eldraine, giants usually reside in the wilds and keep their distance from the humans of the Realm. These giants have always been hostile to the rulers of the Realm, even during the rule of the elves.[2] However, some giants choose to align themselves with the court of Garenbrig, even achieving knighthood, and Garenbrig's king, Yorvo, is himself a giant.[3][4] The giants of Eldraine come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Smaller giants stand around 10 feet tall. These giants often have skin made of bronze and use their immense strength to bully small folk. Larger giants can stand 15 feet tall. These giants have a skin of stone, often covered with naturally growing moss. These giants tend to be kinder to small folk, using their strength to help those in need.

Storm Giants, a significantly larger variety of giants, live in the Kingdom of Storms, an independent realm in Eldraine's clouds ruled by Queen Beluna Grandsquall from the castle of Stormkeld. More magical than the stone giants of Eldraine's surface, these giants have bluish-gray skin and have hair that trails into misty clouds.[5] They wear clothing woven out of beanstalk fibers and carry bottled lightning. Some storm giants are known to hunt heaven tillers, cloud eaters and beanstalk wurms, while others farm golden geese like bees.

Kaladesh

The giants of Kaladesh are nomadic, following the currents of Aether in extensive peregrinations. Twice a year, this brings them close to the city of Ghirapur. The arrival of the giants is celebrated in the migration festival, where teams try to decorate the wandering giants. Giants eat whatever they happen across in the course of their migrations, which includes many other creatures drawn to the aether flow. They are beings of pure aggressive instinct but without a hint of malice. In all likelihood, giants aren't intelligent enough to wish harm on anyone or anything. Still, the combination of their regular migrations and their sheer destructive power makes these creatures a menace.[6]

Kaldheim

The frost and fire giants of Surtland are locked in constant conflict. The frost giants would prefer to be left alone, but they also claim the best, safest territories in the realm—and hoard treasures and arcane secrets for themselves in their mountain palaces. The angry, impulsive fire giants gather in bands to attack the largely solitary frost giants. Frost giants retaliate with blasts of runic ice magic that can scatter or incapacitate a whole fire giant clan. On very rare occasions, if Surtland is threatened by invaders or a rampaging Cosmos Monster, frost, and fire giants are able to put aside their differences and join together to defend their realm.[7]

A possible third, extinct civilization of giants is believed to have once inhabited the realm of Gnottvold, leaving crumbling monolithic structures dotting the realm's otherwise pristine wilderness. Their precise relation to the realm's trolls, if any, is unremarked upon.

Frost Giants

Frost giants are intelligent and secretive, using runic magic to divine the secrets of the Cosmos and jealously guarding them against the curiosity of outsiders. The frost giants claim the high mountain peaks and glacier fields of Surtland where they build ice palaces and spend eons in solitude. Their impregnable mountaintop fortresses afford them clear views of the lights of the Cosmos and their mystical secrets. They rarely leave Surtland and have no interest in raiding, but they have a special relationship with the similar-minded Omenseekers of Bretagard, who sail to Surtland occasionally to trade information with friendly frost giants. Frost giant wizards called Vela Mages dwell primarily in the well-protected Vela Heights. In addition to manipulating cold and ice with their magic, Vela Mages are seers who work constantly to divine the secrets of the realms. They can use illusion magic to trick unwelcome intruders into their private sanctums, but most of them consider this a lesser form of magic that is not worthy of serious practice unless absolutely necessary.[7]

Fire Giants

Fire giants, by contrast, are brutal and impulsive, sharing their kin's physical strength and resilience but lacking any of the frost giants' knowledge and resources. Fire giants dwell in the lower elevations of Surtland where snowfields are divided by deep lava fissures. They live together in families and clans, building crude wooden structures from the realm's massive trees. Some also make their lairs in extensive cavern networks and lava tubes that run beneath the lowlands. Fire giants are reckless, jealous, and competitive—like colossal children who are jealous of their kindred's secret knowledge but unable to grasp it for themselves. They're smaller than frost giants, but they're still giants and are incredibly tough, strong, and resilient. Countless sagas speak at length about how hard it is to kill a fire giant, and those heroes who succeed at this monumental task are enshrined in legend. Whenever a Doomskar brings Surtland into contact with another realm, fire giants are eager to launch raids. They love hand-to-hand combat, but they're not above throwing boulders at their enemies, and their wizards have power over fire and lava.[7]

Lorwyn-Shadowmoor

Lorwyn

Giants on Lorwyn are associated with white and red mana. Red giants are short-tempered, territorial, and passionate, while their white counterparts are zealous and stubborn. They are reclusive and lonely, largely due to their need for vast amounts of food, water, and land. [8]Giants will often come to blows when sharing territory, always to the death and often leaving a trail of destruction in their wake — even levelling entire villages during a brawl.[9]

Giants are known to take rich and long sleeps, but they can also enter a trance-like hibernation called the Name Sleep during which they have epic dreams.[10] A giant's first Name Sleep usually occurs at the end of adolescence, but they can also be triggered by a life-changing event or trauma, or by the onset of old age. Young giants derive their surnames from these sleeps, and they may give the dreamer a new purpose in life. A giant's first name is generally two to three syllables and serves as a familiar form of address for friends. All others refer to giants only by their surname, and two giants that share a surname invariably fight for it.[9]

Giants are a race of hermits, arbiters, explorers, and oracles (some are prone to have prophetic visions of the future).[8] Their long life spans give them a particular perception of time, and wisdom that other races respect.[11]

Some Lorwyn giants huddle in mountain caves, often above the cloudline; you can spot a giant's lair by the enormous, rugged dolmen stones built up around the entrance.[12] Others range over Lorwyn with long, loping steps. You can tell a giant's travel route by the man-sized, earth-compressed footprints and lack of vegetation. The death of a giant can be a major event for a region because their lairs are often storehouses of interesting and rare things. Great caravans of treasure seekers and merchants, particularly elves who seek hidden beauty, seek to explore and loot their treasures.[9]

Shadowmoor

In the Shadowmoor aspect of the plane, however, giants are more brutish and associated with red and green mana.[13] During their long sleep periods plants and moss grow over them, and they never bother to remove them.

Giants are viewed by other races as a problem, because they seldom stop in their path, even if a village is on their way.

Mirrodin

The rarely-seen Mirran giants, distinguishable by their dramatic, minotaurlike horns have a greater lung capacity relative to their weight than all other Mirran humanoids.[14]

Ravnica

See also: Titans of Ravnica.

The giants of Ravnica are aligned to four guilds.[15] The Golgari are known to reanimate their corpses as servants for their own.

Those giants employed by the Boros legion originate in the Skorskal clan, which has an ancient feud with the Gruul. The Boros mainly use the giants sworn to them for guard duty of their most important strongholds, including Sunhome. They can go for eight hours without blinking.

The giants in service to the Rakdos often act as bouncers and enforcers, although some become part of their performances, holding mobile platforms and acting as pillars.

Giants among the Orzhov usually patrol marketplaces, reminding the debtors of the Church to pay their bills in a timely manner.

The giants among the Gruul Clans are known as sunder shamans and channel their rage to enhance their own attacks. Like the rest of the Gruul, they hate the urban development that encroaches on the wilds where they once lived - not least because they have so much difficulty fitting inside the small structures. They delight in destroying such edifices, and in the heat of their rage, they walk through buildings, trample people underfoot, and generally cause as much chaos as possible.

Theros

Theran giants come in all five colors of mana. They are emanations of the land itself and rarely concern themselves with the affairs of humans.[16]

During the Age of Trax, giants on Theros had kingdoms of their own. They had an apparently rocky relationship with the plane's archons: Agnomakhos used the war against the giants as a pretense for his evil actions, while the Hundred-Handed Ones were the results of archons using magic to twist giants into forms that would make them more monuments.[17]

Titans

In Theros' ancient past extremely powerful elder giants known as titans ruled the plane. The gods of Theros battled them and sealed them away in the Underworld, where they remained until they broke free.

Zendikar

Zendikar has two branches of giantkind: the more traditional giant and the bestial pack-animal race of hurdas.[18]

The giants of Zendikar live seclusive lives away from the other civilized races. They are organized into three great tribes: The Boulderfoot Tribe lives in Akoum, taking barely notice of smaller humanoids. The Shatterskull tribe dwells in the Skyfang mountains of Murasa, exhorting travelers through the mountains by living as brigands. The Turntimber Tribe lives on the continent of Ondu, practicing druidism and hunting baloth and similar large game. They have lived in the forest for centuries, either giants turned to druidism to repay the forest for its protection or druids turned to giantism due to the power of the forest's magic.[18] Outcasts of the Turntimbers flee to the Makindi Trenches, stalking travelers for food.[19]

On Zendikar, a docile species of Giants called Hurda are used as pack animals. Hurdas walk on their strongly developed forearms, while their tiny, vestigial legs dangle beneath them. Thick tails keep them balanced.[20]

Notable giants

Arcavios

Dominaria

Echoir

Eldraine

Ir

Kaldheim

Kylem

Lorwyn

Ravnica

Theros

The Titans:

Unknown

Dungeons & Dragons

Tribal type

Lorwyn block featured four tribal Giant cards, which could be fetched by Giant Harbinger:

Gallery

  • Eldraine Stone Giant concepts.

    Eldraine Stone Giant concepts.

  • Eldraine Storm Giant concepts.

    Eldraine Storm Giant concepts.

Tokens

Tokens marked with {A} are created by Acorn cards.

Token Name Color Type Line P/T Text Box Source Printings
Giant Red Creature — Giant 4/4
Green Creature — Giant 7/7
Giant Warrior White Creature — Giant Warrior 5/5
Red/​Green Creature — Giant Warrior 4/4 Haste
Giant Wizard Blue Creature — Giant Wizard 4/4
Giant Bird Red Creature — Giant Bird 4/4
Zombie Giant Black Creature — Zombie Giant 5/5
Warchief Giant Red Creature — Giant Warrior 5/3
Giant Teddy Bear Pink Creature — Giant Teddy Bear 5/5

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 16, 2024). "I was wondering where in the Beeble Scale would Ogres, Trolls, Cyclopses and Giants be?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ James Wyatt et al. (2023). "D&D Monstrous Compendium: Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures". Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Kate Elliott (2019), Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest, Penguin Random House
  4. ↑ Chris Mooney (October 31, 2019). "Planeswalker's Guide to Eldraine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ The World of Art: The Wilds of Eldraine (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 29, 2023).
  6. ↑ Plane Shift - Kaladesh
  7. ↑ a b c Ari Zirulnik and Jenna Helland (January 14, 2021). "Planeswalker's Guide to Kaldheim, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ a b (2007). Lorwyn Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ a b c Doug Beyer (March 12, 2008). "Tall Tales". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Rei Nakazawa (September 10, 2007). "Lorwyn Lore". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 31, 2007). "Lorwyn Survival Guide". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Magic Arcana (November 15, 2007). "Dolmens". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Doug Beyer (June 11, 2008). "Allies in Conflict". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Doug Beyer (February 09, 2011). "Public Displays of Aggression". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ James Wyatt and Jeremy Crawford (November 2018). "D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica", Wizards of the Coast
  16. ↑ The Magic Creative Team (September 04, 2013). "Planeswalker's Guide to Theros, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Wizards RPG Team (2020), D&D Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Wizards of the Coast
  18. ↑ a b Doug Beyer (April 21, 2010). "Rise of the Inbox". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Plane Shift: Zendikar
  20. ↑ Magic Arcana (February 01, 2010). "The Lowly Hurda". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 23, 2007). "Favor of the Mighty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Monty Ashley (June 30, 2010). "The Titans of M11". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ Ethan Fleischer (January 7, 2020). "I got really excited about the titans from Greek mythology.". Twitter.
  24. ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 10, 2008). "They Might Be Giants". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 15, 2021). "Giant Ox, is an Ox, but not a Giant. What gives?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
 
Multicolored {M}
Majority {W}
Majority {U}
Majority {B}
Majority {R}
Majority {G}
Majority {C}
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Notable Races
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