"Garruk , Apex Predator: The Arrival of the Alpha"

"Garruk , Apex Predator: The Arrival of the Alpha"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

Seldomly does one piece of cardboard make a fan boy go crazy bananas. This particular card has done so and will continue to be hyped in the minds of every player until the time he or she will have one in her hands and use all 4 of those Planeswalker abilities. I am talking about Garruk , Apex Predator. The reaction of most who saw the card was was almost palpable through every computer screen on the planet. It was one of raw excitement and anticipation. You have new comers salivating at the thought and you have people who have long been dormant from the game wanting to come back in the chance to play with these newly minted power house. Not since Jace the Mind Sculptor have we seen such a powerful presence in Standard( well aside from Karn Liberated of course).

At 7 mana some players have again dismissed the probability of this being played in Standard. However with the amount of mana ramp and mana producing creatures in standard there really is a great chance of playing with this new planeswalker. 7 mana is nothing for green. And with Khans of Tarkir still down the road , the combined Lands from Return to Ravnica , Theros and M15 blocks give Black/Green all the color fixing it needs. Though some might have been disappointed in not seeing Fetch lands being reprinted  , the Painlands are still a welcome addition in this much needed mana fixing.

I guess when it comes right to it , the promise of destruction and dominance from Garruk are his main draws. His first ability alone allows him to Destroy another Planeswalker. A +1 ability that will set an imbalance once he lands on the battlefield. All of those wonderful Planeswalkers gone with one swing of his mighty Axe. Jace , Chandra , Ajani , Nissa Revane and Liliana Vess possibly the first ones he will be destroying in all the Pre-Release battlefields all over the world. Once he gets into the EDH or Modern Decks then Garruk could also come around and destroy the other Planeswalkers and I believe it when they said that this guy will sure be running around. Many people are now considering reforming their Black/Green decks or Shoring up their existing decks with him , all for the probability of knocking another Planeswalker out of existence.

If in case Garruk , Apex Predator comes in and is lacking a Planeswalker target  , he could just go ahead and use another +1 ability. He could create a 3/3 Black Beast Creature token with Deathtouch. Now talk about Defense , any creature without First strike that gets into contact with this beastie is sure to die while this nasty thing could be used to attack in the latter turns.

Since Garruk , Apex Predator is assumed to come in later in the game , it is normal for some players to lose a considerable amount of life to a superior attacking force. Let us say they have been pummeling you with a 5/5 creature. How would you like to turn the tables on them? Garruk , Apex Predator is your answer. He can shift the tides in your favor by using his -3 ability , destroying that 5/5 attacking creature and gain you life. Enough leeway to possibly steal the game from your opponents clutches. I believe that frustration now sets in on your opponents mind with such a mighty ally on your side of the board.

If an opponent has not found an answer to Garruk , Apex Predator and the Beasts that he has created(at this point 3 assuming that he did not destroy any other planeswalkers) then it is safe to say that he could finish them off by using his Ultimate ability of -8. Target opponent gets an Emblem that says "whenever a creature attacks them , that creature gets +5/+5 and Trample Until End of Turn." Partially translated 3 3/3 Black Beasts +5/+5 each is 24 points of damage and this is just in standard. In EDH Multiplayer games the player who gets targeted by this Emblem also has to contend with all the other opponents that are out to get him or her. The Emblem does not go away even if Garruk , Apex Predators controller is eliminated from the game leaving him or her in a thick pile of doodoo indeed.

At this point , Garruk , Apex Predator is on everybody's wish list. I expect that $29.99 price tag in Starcity games to increase the moment he comes out. There isn't any other Planeswalker with the same power level as this guy. Nicol Bolas is way too hard to cast and Karn Liberated , well he just has to wait his turn in Modern or EDH to beat Garruk , Apex Predator. In the meantime we all know who sets the power bar for Planeswalkers in Standard for the next couple of years.