Giant Oyster
Creature — Oyster
You may choose not to untap this creature during your untap step.
: For as long as this creature remains tapped, target tapped creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step, and at the beginning of each of your draw steps, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature. When this creature leaves the battlefield or becomes untapped, remove all -1/-1 counters from the creature.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Homelands
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #22773
Giant Oyster locks down one creature per upkeep — no attacks, no blocks, no activated abilities — for as long as you keep feeding it counters from your own creatures. The cost is real: you need a steady stream of willing tap targets to keep the pearl growing, which means Giant Oyster rewards dedicated tap-synergy builds and punishes anything that disrupts your board.
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 |
Giant Oyster is a Commander card through and through — the slow accumulation of pearl counters is a liability in Legacy, Vintage, or any format where games end before the lock becomes relevant. In those formats, three mana for a soft tap-lock that requires ongoing investment doesn't compete. In Commander, where games go long and a single neutralized threat can matter across dozens of turns, Giant Oyster finds its niche in tap-heavy builds — Merfolk tribal, untap engines, or any deck that already wants creatures tapping for value.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Giant Oyster is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. Demand is too narrow for the price to move meaningfully in either direction, so treat it as a free slot to experiment with rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.