Building Giant-Tribal Synergy with Benthic Giant

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Benthic Giant card art from Battlebond

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Blue Giants, Bigger Dreams: Building Giant-Tribal Synergy

If you’ve ever begged for a way to lean into the big, splashy creatures and still feel like you’re steering the ship, giant tribal is your happy place. In the blue corner, you don’t rush a stomping behemoth so much as outwit it into the battlefield with tempo, protection, and a bit of spellcraft 🧙‍♂️. Enter Benthic Giant, a Battlebond favorite that refuses to be ignored once it lands. With hexproof keeping it safe from targeted removal, this 4/5 leviathan for {5}{U} stands tall as a centerpiece for a blue-tinged Giant tribal shell. The flavor text—“Some fates you can see coming for you, plain as day, and there’s nothing you can do about them.”—feels like a nod to the inevitability of a well-timed counterspell or a well-timed bluff around your giant’s next swing ⚔️.

Card profile in one breath

  • Name: Benthic Giant
  • Mana cost: {5}{U} (six mana total)
  • Type: Creature — Giant
  • Power/Toughness: 4/5
  • Color: Blue
  • Rarity: Common
  • Keywords: Hexproof
  • Flavor text: "Some fates you can see coming for you, plain as day, and there’s nothing you can do about them." — Callaphe the mariner
  • Set: Battlebond (BBd) • 2018

Its hexproof ability is the quiet engine of a lot of blue Giant decks. In multiplayer formats, hexproof buys you precious time to assemble your board and begin pressuring opponents without telegraphing every move. The behemoth’s 4/5 body is big enough to threaten with advantage, yet affordable enough to recur with bounce or flicker effects. When you combine Benthic Giant with other blue staples—draw engines, counterspells, and protective shenanigans—the table quickly learns that a well-timed swing can be as dangerous as a well-placed counterspell 🔥.

Strategic angles: protecting giants while pressuring the board

Building around a giant in blue means you lean into protection, manipulation, and card advantage. Here are practical angles you can weave into a commander or casual multiplayer shell:

  • Protection that scales: Hexproof is a terrific anchor, but you’ll want to tilt the odds further with defensive cantrips and bounce spells that keep your giants safe while you draw into answers. A steady stream of counterspells and protection-kits lets you weather the early threats and drop Benthic Giant when the time is right 🧩.
  • Flicker and re-entry: Blink effects let you reuse enter-the-battlefield abilities and dodge removal on your critters. In a Giant tribal plan, flickering Benthic Giant can keep you on a constant clock of inevitability while opponents scramble to answer your threats 🎲.
  • Tempo and card advantage: Blue’s strength is information and tempo. Pressure with evasive or utility creatures, then back it up with draw cycles that ensure you don’t run out of gas. A well-timed draw step can reveal the exact counterspell you need to protect your plan 🧙‍♂️.
  • Supporting giants: While Benthic Giant is the star, a handful of other blue giants or blue-aligned creatures with synergistic triggers can turn a single big threat into a full-blown tribal strategy. The key is ensuring that every giant in the mix helps to accelerate or protect the core plan rather than dilute it with filler.

In other words, you’re building a tempo-driven giant chorus: protect the front-runner, draw into answers, and swing when your timing is unwelcome to your foes. The mentor of your deck is not just raw power; it’s the chorus of protection, counterplay, and strategic planning that makes every big blue swing feel earned 🧭.

Practical deck-building notes for a blue Giant tribal shell

  • Ramp into mana without flooding: Think mana rocks, bounce lands, and cheap accelerants that help you reach {5}{U} without stalling on early turns. You want to cast Benthic Giant on a reliable turn so the hexproof stays relevant in longer games.
  • Protection suite: Prioritize spells and effects that shield your giants from removal or disrupt an opponent’s tempo. Counterspells, faerie countermagic, and protective auras help you keep your centerpiece alive to swing for value.
  • Draw engines: A steady stream of card draw ensures you don’t run dry after the initial drop. Blue’s bread and butter—draw, filter, and card advantage—lets you find the answers and the giants you want to deploy.
  • Flavor and flavor text as motivation: Let the story guide your play. Benthic Giant’s oceanic, fateful flavor text is a reminder that some outcomes are destined; your job is to steer the voyage with precision and a touch of mystique 🎨.

Collectors and players alike appreciate the Battlebond printing for its era-defining cross-edges between casual and competitive play. While Benthic Giant sits at common rarity, its value isn’t solely measured in dollars. It’s the memory of drafting in a double-headed giant sandbox, where each hexproof shield felt like a small victory—an echo of the old tavern games where a clever blue mage could outthink two opponents at once 🔥.

For tabletop enthusiasts who love the tactile magic of the game, carrying your deck with flair is part of the ritual. This is where a neon take on a card-holding phone case comes into play. If you’re the sort who likes to showcase your love for MTG on-the-go, the Neon Card Holder Phone Case is a perfect companion to keep your cards safe and your phone accessible during long tournaments or casual nights with friends. It’s a small touch that celebrates the same spirit of craft and care you pour into your giant tribal builds ⚔️.

Neon Card Holder Phone Case MagSafe – Impact Resistant Polycarbonate

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