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Keyword Comparisons in Green Beast Strategies: Trample, Reach, and More
Baloth Gorger is a classic example of how a simple green creature can carry a door-opening mechanic into the midgame and beyond. Released in Dominaria, this common-sized behemoth asks you to weigh tempo against value: you can drop a solid 4/4 body for four mana, or you can pour an extra four mana into kicking it and watch it arrive as a 7/7 with bite. The kicker ability is a modular concept—an optional investment that scales your threat level, mirroring how other keywords like trample and reach scale with support. Let’s unpack how this card’s design and capabilities fit into broader strategies, and how it stacks up against other well-known keywords in the same color family. 🧙🔥💎⚔️
Baloth Gorger at a glance
From Dominaria’s evergreen green color identity, Baloth Gorger is a creature — Beast that costs {2}{G}{G} and sits at a sturdy 4/4. Its standout trait is the kicker: Kicker {4}. If you pay that extra cost as you cast the spell, the Gorger enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it, effectively turning it into a 7/7 on the spot. It’s a flavorful design that rewards mana acceleration and punishes stalled boards with a big, hard-hitting body. The flavor text—“A baloth only cares about the many things it eats and the few things that eat it.”—threads in nicely with a large, hungry creature that grows scarier the longer you let it stick around. 🎨
What the kicker really unlocks
- Mana timing matters: If you’re running this in a ramp deck, Baloth Gorger can become a surprise threat within a couple of turns of hitting your land drops. The extra four mana to kick is a heavy commitment, but the payoff is a mid-range beater that can swing for lethal if the game has stretched out a bit. 🧙♂️
- Survivor value: The three +1/+1 counters aren’t permanent buffs; they’re a one-shot entry condition that permanently alters the creature’s power and toughness for the rest of the game. That makes it less about tempo and more about raw inevitability—when you kick it, the Gorger doesn’t just hit harder, it sticks around longer. 💪
- Strategic alignment: Kicker-based cards like this often pair with ramp, mana rocks, or card advantage engines so you can reliably pay the extra cost. In Commander or other multiplayer formats, that extra investment can swing board presence for several turns, especially if you anticipate blockers. 🎲
Trample, reach, and other evergreen keywords: where does Baloth Gorger fit?
Trample is the marquee green combat mechanic, allowing excess damage to carry over to the opponent or to planeswalkers. Baloth Gorger doesn’t grant trample on its own, but its post-kick stature makes every attack a meaningful threat that can pressure opposing blockers and open lines to deal chip damage. In decks where you’re already enabling fattier stompy threats, Baloth Gorger acts as a bridge between early game pressure and late-game answers. Reach, by contrast, is a defensive angle—extending a green creature’s lines to help defend against flying threats. A green deck running Baloth Gorger can still adopt reach via other creatures or pump effects, but the Gorger itself exemplifies how a single, well-timed kicker can redefine a creature’s impact without needing extra keywords. In short: this card demonstrates that green’s strength isn’t just “banging faces,” it’s about scalable bodies that reward mana investment with a tangible, lasting payoff. ⚔️
Strategic builds and play patterns
In ramp-forward strategies, Baloth Gorger shines as a midrange finisher after you’ve established mana acceleration. Consider pairing it with cards that smooth the path to eight mana, like mana dorks or land fetchers, so you can reliably kick on a critical turn. In multiplayer formats, the Gorger’s size helps you convert card advantage into board presence—your opponents may be forced to answer a 7/7 threat rather than a smaller body. And because it’s a common with a foil printing, it remains accessible for budgets and new players who want to test slap-happy green beatdown without breaking the bank. The current market data on Scryfall pegs its USD price around a few cents, with foil values creeping higher—enough to justify sleeve wear and a little extra love for any green stompy theme. 💎
“A baloth only cares about the many things it eats and the few things that eat it.”
The flavor and design feel of Baloth Gorger echo a broader Iberian-touched sensibility of Dominaria’s beasts: raw, primal power that scales up when you invest resources. The art by Zezhou Chen captures that wild, jungle-forward energy, a reminder that these creatures aren’t just numbers on a card; they’re part of a living ecosystem in the MTG Multiverse. The overall design—strong stats, a conditional but rewarding kicker, and a clear path to power with mana—exemplifies why green remains a playground for big, brute constraints that still reward clever timing. 🎨
Collector value and usage in decks
Though Baloth Gorger is a common card, its usability remains robust in modern commander circles and casual green metas. Its baseline 4/4 body for four mana is a classic tempo fit, and the kicker option invites players to lean into a more explosive midgame. It’s also foil-friendly, a nice perk for collectors who like the tactile shimmer of foil greens in their deck boxes. In terms of consistency, the card’s rarity and print history make it a practical addition for players wanting dependable green power without vaulting into mythic territory. The Dominaria set carries a sense of nostalgia for long-time MTG players, a factor that makes Gorger feel right at home among other stompy favorites from classic blocks. 🧙🔥
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