Thalia and The Gitrog Monster MTG Card


Thalia’s tax effects increase opponents’ noncreature spell costs, posing strategic hurdles. The Gitrog Monster’s land-based card draw offers powerful deck acceleration. Both cards demand specific mana but provide influential benefits worth building around.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Frog Horror
Abilities Deathtouch,First strike
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

First strike, deathtouch You may play an additional land on each of your turns. Creatures and nonbasic lands your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped. Whenever Thalia and The Gitrog Monster attacks, sacrifice a creature or land, then draw a card.


Cards like Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

Diving into the immense pool of MTG creatures, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben stands out with her noncreature spell taxation ability. Much like Glowrider, who also increases the cost of noncreature spells, Thalia affects the game tempo by making it more difficult for opponents to play their noncreature spells. However, Thalia has first strike and a lower casting cost, making her a preferred choice in many decks.

Comparatively, The Gitrog Monster is a unique powerhouse with an innate ability to draw cards through land sacrifice, reminiscent of the functionality of cards like Titania, Protector of Argoth, which also leverages land in the graveyard but for creature token creation. The Gitrog Monster takes this concept further by allowing for an extra land drop each turn and synergizing with decks that rely on graveyard strategies.

Examining these distinct abilities, Thalia offers strong early gameplay interference, while The Gitrog Monster provides substantial value in the mid to late game. Both cards carve their niches in MTG, serving as staples in their respective strategies and illustrating the rich diversity found within the game’s card pool.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - MTG Card versions
Glowrider - MTG Card versions
The Gitrog Monster - MTG Card versions
Titania, Protector of Argoth - MTG Card versions
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - MTG Card versions
Glowrider - MTG Card versions
The Gitrog Monster - MTG Card versions
Titania, Protector of Argoth - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Thalia and The Gitrog Monster by color, type and mana cost

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Narci, Fable Singer - MTG Card versions
Siege Rhino - MTG Card versions
Daghatar the Adamant - MTG Card versions
Tayam, Luminous Enigma - MTG Card versions
Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa - MTG Card versions
Narci, Fable Singer - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Thalia and The Gitrog Monster. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Five-color LandsFive-color Lands GladiatorSword and Sandals Showdown: AM Week 09 2024
Abzan PlaneswalkersAbzan Planeswalkers GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 08 2024
Abzan MidrangeAbzan Midrange StandardAbzan MidrangeBLACK - FRI - 11AM - Chicago 75K Standard Open
WUBRGWUBRG StandardTraditional Standard Ranked Decklists: February 26, 2024
Five-color RampFive-color Ramp GladiatorGladiator Games: We're Back
Abzan ComboAbzan Combo GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 06 2024
Five-Color LegendsFive-Color Legends StandardJodah HumansSupported by Rebound standard Supported by Rakuten Books
Omnath to LightOmnath to Light Pioneer5c Midrange#25 Last Chance Qualifier: Pioneer
Five-Color ZenithFive-Color Zenith LegacyBlue Zenith2023 NA Legacy Champs
Abzan LandsAbzan Lands GladiatorGladiator Team Unified League

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Thalia ensures that noncreature spells cost more to cast, which indirectly leads to card advantage as your opponents are likely to play fewer spells, allowing you to outpace them in terms of resources. Conversely, The Gitrog Monster encourages card advantage through its unique ability which lets you draw additional cards every time a land goes to your graveyard.

Resource Acceleration: The Gitrog Monster is a powerhouse when it comes to resource acceleration, turning each land card that hits your graveyard into a potential source of card draw, facilitating quicker access to more of your deck. Thalia, on the other side, can slow down opponents’ resources, making it harder for them to develop their board and utilize their mana efficiently.

Instant Speed: While neither Thalia nor The Gitrog Monster plays at instant speed, their abilities have substantial impacts on the game’s pacing. Thalia’s taxing effect is always active, altering the timing of your opponent’s play. The Gitrog Monster’s card draw trigger occurs whenever a land is sent to the graveyard, not just on your turn, catching opponents off-guard and ramping up your hand during any phase of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Thalia’s presence in a game often hinges on maintaining a strong board presence, which can be undermined by having a discard requirement. Similarly, The Gitrog Monster’s ability necessitates discarding a card to benefit from its land-sacrifice synergy, potentially depleting hand resources rapidly if not managed carefully.

Specific Mana Cost: Thalia’s mana cost demands white mana, aligning her with decks that are either mono-white or contain significant white mana sources. The Gitrog Monster requires both black and green mana, which can complicate its inclusion in more diverse mana builds and leans towards a dedicated two-color deck strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Thalia provides an early tax on noncreature spells, her three-mana cost might delay essential board development. The Gitrog Monster holds a heavier five-mana cost, which may affect tempo, particularly when faster lower-cost alternatives are suitable for a strategy centered around card advantage and land interaction.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, is a boon for decks that aim to disrupt opponents with taxing effects. Her ability increases the cost of all noncreature spells, fitting perfectly into white-based control or human tribal strategies. The Gitrog Monster offers a unique angle of play for land-centric and graveyard-utilizing decks, thriving in environments that capitalize on land recursion and sacrifice.

Combo Potential: Thalia’s ability to impede spellcasting synergizes well with strategies aiming to lock down the board, while The Gitrog Monster is notorious for enabling high-value loops with Dakmor Salvage and a discard outlet, drawing massive amounts of cards, and potentially leading to game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy on spell-based combos or control elements, Thalia acts as an effective measure to slow down opponents. Meanwhile, The Gitrog Monster can be a crucial tactical asset in metas where land destruction or graveyard strategies are prevalent, leveraging both offensive and defensive plays.


How to Beat

Confronting cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and The Gitrog Monster in Magic: The Gathering can be a real test of your strategy skills. Thalia is well-known for taxing noncreature spells, making it costlier for opponents to cast their Instants, Sorceries, and other noncreature spells. A solid strategy is to focus on cheap creature spells that can be cast without being affected by Thalia’s additional tax, allowing you to maintain board presence and manage resources effectively.

When facing the might of The Gitrog Monster, graveyard disruption is key. Since The Gitrog Monster thrives on land cards being put into the graveyard, running graveyard hate cards such as Scavenging Ooze or Bojuka Bog can counteract this strategy and impede your opponent’s game plan. Additionally, having removal spells ready to deal with these threats as they appear on the battlefield can prevent their powerful effects from tipping the game in your opponent’s favor. It’s all about timing and having the right counters at the right moment.

Ultimately, knowing your opponent’s deck and predicting when these cards might be played gives you the upper hand. With careful planning and tactical play, Thalia and The Gitrog Monster can be managed, maintaining a balance that could lead you to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the use of iconic cards like Thalia and The Gitrog Monster can be transformative in MTG. They define deck archetypes and nurture strategies that can shift the tides of battle. Thalia enforces a strategic game plan that throttles your opponents’ spell casts, while The Gitrog Monster plunges you into thrilling deck building around land dynamics for a powerful draw engine. If you’re looking to harness these cards’ full potential, refine your MTG knowledge, and elevate your game to new heights, immerse yourself in our depth of resources. Join our community to explore, learn, and conquer. Delve deeper into MTG with us.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Thalia and The Gitrog Monster MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine and March of the Machine Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Thalia and The Gitrog Monster and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Thalia and The Gitrog Monster Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2023-04-21 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 3162015NormalBlackSami Makkonen
22023-04-21March of the Machine PromosPMOM 255s2015NormalBlackHoward Lyon
32023-04-21March of the MachineMOM 2552015NormalBlackHoward Lyon
42023-04-21March of the Machine Art SeriesAMOM 652015Art seriesBorderless
52023-04-21March of the Machine PromosPMOM 255p2015NormalBlackHoward Lyon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Thalia and The Gitrog Monster has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Thalia and The Gitrog Monster card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2023-04-14 As the last ability resolves, sacrificing a creature or land isn’t optional. If you control a creature or land (and if you control Thalia and The Gitrog Monster, you probably do), you must sacrifice one.
2023-04-14 The effect of Thalia and The Gitrog Monster’s ability that allows you to play an additional land is cumulative with similar effects. For example, if you control Thalia and The Gitrog Monster and another permanent with that ability, you’ll be able to play three lands during each of your turns.