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Welcome back!
Let's be honest: dinosaurs are cool. So what better way to celebrate them than to make a list documenting some of the best Dinosaurs in Magic!
The funny thing about Dinosaurs is how relatively new they are to Magic. The first Dinosaur was Pygmy Allosaurus released in Ice Age back in 1995. But it was just the one... then silence. It would be another twenty-two years before we'd see another Dinosaur in Ixalan, the Dinosaur set. At this point, however, a ton of creatures that were previously Lizards were errata'd to be Dinosaurs, like Magmasaur and Shivan Raptor. There were also a good number of other creatures that had the Dinosaur creature type added to their existing creature type. Frenetic Raptor, for example, went from a Beast to a Dinosaur Beast.
While Dinosaurs seem to have had a rocky start in Magic, Dinosaur is now a common and popular creature type. There are now 213 Dinosaurs in Magic, with the most recent appearing in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander and six as recently as Aetherdrift.
With all the interesting Dinosaur facts out of the way, let's begin!
Amped Raptor
Amped Raptor is a fairly new Raptor, but he was so strong he was banned in the one format he was printed to be played in! Turns out a two-mana 2/1 that basically cascades when it comes into play, but lets you cast things for its mana value - or sometimes more - is pretty good... There's really not much more to say about Amped Raptor since his time was cut so short. RIP to a real one.
Apex Altisaur
The Altisaur is a cool one and can sometimes be found in sideboards of Legacy decks. It's basically a 10/10 that can kill every opposing creature or die trying, and it really epitomizes the "die trying" part. Enrage is a cool mechanic that shows up on 21 cards in the game, and only two of those are not dinosaurs. I'll admit, it's a really cool dinosaur-centric mechanic, and it has a real "dinosaurs love fighting" feel to it.
Carnage Tyrant
Carnage Tyrant was exceptionally iconic when it was first printed. It followed the long line of "big, Green creatures that are difficult to deal with," like Gaea's Revenge or Thrun, the Last Troll. Its stats were formidable, it couldn't be countered, it had trample, and you couldn't target it with anything. Carnage Tyrant was a force to be reckoned with and it had a price tag at the time that matched that formidability.
Colossal Dreadmaw
This is kind of a joke, but also kind of not a joke. When this guy was first printed, he managed to show up over and over and over again, so much that it became a meme. In fact he was in both Ixalan and Rivals of Ixalan, back to back sets in the same block. I don't know if that's ever even been done before or since! So, it only felt fitting that he should show up again here. You know, for the meme.
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Etali loves letting you cast random cards from libraries for free, and the Primal Conqueror does this so well, it's been a Cube staple since it was released. That's where I've cast it the most, and I've loved it almost every time. The funniest part about Etali is that the transformed side is so strong but rarely ever utilized because the front side is usually more than strong enough to get the job done. Which is sad, because attacking with what basically amounts to a Dinosaur Blightsteel Colossus seems like a blast.
Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Ghalta, Primal Hunger has seen a significant amount of play, initially in Standard, but even some more recently in Pioneer as well. While she doesn't command the same amount of respect she used to, she was once a ferocious beast that could be cast for a mere 2 mana at times thanks to cards like Steel Leaf Champion, Llanowar Elves, and Jadelight Ranger. Often in multiples. While she doesn't have any form of protection, like hexproof or shroud, and she doesn't have any fancy abilities like enrage, sometimes all you need is a cheap 12/12 and a good Blossoming Defense.
Gishath, Sun's Avatar
Thanks to a reprint on Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Gishath is legal in literally every format other than Pauper right now. Unfortunately, he doesn't see much play in either Commander or non-Commander Constructed formats. You can sometimes find him in a few Pantlaza, Sun-Favored Commander decks, and every so often a Dino-based Standard deck will pop up, but outside of that, Gishath doesn't seem to have a huge presence, likely due to the sizable concentration of Dinosaurs one needs to really utilize him effectively. Which is sad, because I've always been a huge fan of the Dinosaur Avatar. The idea of attacking for seven, then hitting a couple of Dinosaurs off the top of your library that you get to play for free is a shockingly alluring one.
Grimlock, Dinobot Leader // Grimlock, Ferocious King
Ah, Grimlock. This is a promo card that was released at HasCon in 2017 and technically isn't legal in any format, so don't expect to see the Dinobot Leader in many decks, but it's such a cool card! It's a double-faced card that transforms from Autobot to Dinosaur! Grimlock is mostly here for fun, but with a price tag around $200, he might be the most expensive Dinosaur in Magic that isn't even playable!
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
