Giant Ambush Beetle
Creature — Insect
Haste
When this creature enters, you may have target creature block it this turn if able.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BGR
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Alara Reborn
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #29423
Giant Ambush Beetle enters swinging — flash plus haste means it attacks the turn it arrives, and its forced-combat trigger can walk an opponent's best blocker into a bad trade before they can react. Five mana for a 4/3 is the cost, and it's a real one, but the tempo play it enables at instant speed is the whole reason to run it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Giant Ambush Beetle earns its slot — flash at instant speed lets you ambush a blocker during combat or threaten a planeswalker out of nowhere, and the forced-combat trigger can neutralize a key defensive creature without spending a removal spell. In Legacy and Vintage, five mana is simply too slow for formats that win or lock the game by turns three and four; it won't see play there. Modern has the same problem compounded by a deep pool of cheaper interaction, so Giant Ambush Beetle is irrelevant in that context. Commander's slower pace and higher average toughness on blockers is exactly the environment where forcing a creature to fight on your terms has real value.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Giant Ambush Beetle is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard and postage, not the card. Bulk rares rarely climb without a spike in competitive demand, and nothing about this card's current trajectory suggests that's coming, so buy it for the effect and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.