Jeremy casts spells in between his careers as a chemical analyst and campus manager.

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths

Magic's Ikoria set emphasizes colossal titans who can be cast normally or with their mutate ability, granting their powers to other creatures. With this mechanic in mind, Magic teamed with Godzilla creators Toho to release several Godzilla alternate-arts of some of the set's most iconic creatures.

This is Magic's biggest partnering yet (they've previously done Transformers and My Little Pony), but which kaiju reign supreme? Here are the ten best Godzilla monsters in Magic: The Gathering!

10. Babygodzilla, Ruin Reborn

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Pollywog Symbiote

Babygodzilla is the easiest Godzilla monster to cast, only needing two mana, and he has workable 1/3 stats. More than that, he greatly supports the set's new mutate mechanic (letting you combine monster abilities), making your creature spells with mutate cost one less.

Additionally, when you cast a creature with mutate, you can draw and discard a card, manipulating your hand and ensuring you meet your early land drops.

9. Bio-Quartz Space Godzilla

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Brokkos, Apex of Forever

Not to be confused with the infamous "Spacegodzilla, Death Corona", whose name was changed to "Spacegodzilla, Void Invader" in light of the virus outbreak, Bio-Quartz requires several mana but rewards you with a powerful 6/6 with trample.

More than that, you can cast him from your graveyard using his mutate ability, which lets you combine him with a non-human creature and share their abilities. This also means he can revive as much as he likes so long as your graveyard remains intact.

8. Gigan, Cyberclaw Terror

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Gyruda, Doom of Depths

Gigan also enjoys 6/6 stats plus demon and kraken subtypes, but his most interesting feature is his companion mechanic: you can cast him once from outside the game if you build your deck to only include even-cost cards, giving you a reliable late-game ace.

But whether you utilize companion or just draw Gigan regularly, when he enters the field, all players mill the top four cards of their deck, and you get to play any one even-cost creature among them to your field!

7. Dorat, the Perfect Pet

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Sprite Dragon

Dorat's an excellent addition to classic instant/sorcery-focused Izzet decks. He's cheap to cast, has faerie and dragon synergy, and wields both flying and haste. While his stats begins at a weak 1/1, Dorat gains a +1/+1 counter whenever you cast a non-creature, quickly skyrocketing in power.

Other Izzet beatsticks like "Enigma Drake" are nice, but Dorat arguably exceeds them considering his lower cost, better subtype, and independence from your graveyard.

6. Anguirus, Armored Killer

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Gemrazer

Cast regularly, Anguirus is a splashable 4/4 with both reach and trample. But play him for three using mutate, and not only do you get to add his stats with a non-human, you also destroy an opposing artifact or enchantment.

It's nice that Anguirus can shift into artifact/enchantment removal only when needed (some decks don't run them), ensuring you always have a use for him. And unlike many of today's bigger creatures, he's not legendary, so you can control multiple.

5. Mechagodzilla, the Weapon

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Crystalline Giant

Here's one of three Japanese-exclusives (the Godzilla version; Crystalline Giant is available in English), and the only colorless Godzilla monster. Mechagodzilla begins as a 3/3, but at the start of combat on your turn, he permanently gains one of the following counters that he doesn't already possess: flying, first strike, deathtouch, hexproof, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, vigilance, or +1/+1.

So the longer he's around, the stronger he'll get, eventually gaining the lethal first strike + deathtouch combo. My only complaint is that reach is pretty redundant alongside flying, but the fact that Mecha gains these traits at your combat (rather than upkeep) means he can start self-upgrading the turn you cast him.

4. King Caesar, Awoken Titan

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt

Caesar's colors offer potential for his dinosaur and cat bloodlines, but even without tribal support, he's a 3/5 with the awesome double strike ability, hitting twice with each attack (the initial occurring at first strike speed).

For one more mana than his base cost, you can also mutate Caesar, which will hit an opposing creature or planeswalker for four damage and give you four life, a great removal that eliminates all but the strongest foes in standard.

3. Biollante, Plant Beast Form

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Nethroi, Apex of Death

Cast Biollante for five to net a brutal 5/5 with deathtouch and lifelink. But mutate him for seven, and (in addition to regular mutate benefits), you get to resurrect any number of creatures with total power 10 or less from your graveyard!

That's an amazing revival even if you don't specifically build around it, but if you do, you can score legions of "free" (zero power) support units.

2. Ghidorah, King of the Cosmos

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Illuna, Apex of Wishes

First off, Ghidora's colors offer the perfect tribal supports for his elemental subtype (and some for dinosaur). Cast him regularly for five to score a fearsome 6/6 with flying and trample, but if you mutate him for 6, you get to exile cards from the top of your deck until you find a non-land permanent, then field it for free!

You can also choose to put the found card into your hand, ensuring you don't accidentally trigger something you're not ready to use. Scrying will help you get the biggest bang for your buck.

1. Mothra, Supersonic Queen

Non-Godzilla Counterpart: Luminous Broodmoth

Mothra only needs one color and she's not legendary, making her more accessible than most Godzilla cards. She's a respectable 3/4 with flying, who offers an amazing shield, automatically reviving your non-flying creatures with a flying counter when they die!

Sure, the new counter prevents them from reviving again, but it also gives them flying, and it's hard to complain when you're getting free recoveries. To fully utilize Mothra, look for cards that make creatures lose flying (like "Colossus Hammer") to let her revive herself. Shroud and hexproof will also help defend her from removals, keeping her amazing effect active.

How to Get Godzilla Monster Cards

Today we examined the best Godzilla aces, but here's a quick list of the other kaiju you can nab:

• King Caesar, Ancient Guardian
• Spacegodzilla, Death Corona/Spacegodzilla, Void Invader
• Destoroyah, Perfect Lifeform
• Godzilla, Doom Inevitable
• Godzilla, Primeval Champion
• Rodan, Titan of Winged Fury
• Mothra's Giant Cocoon (Japanese exclusive)
• Battra, the Dark Destruction Beast (Japanese exclusive)
• Godzilla, King of Monsters (Buy-a-Box exclusive)

The easiest way to find them are in collector's boosters, which are more expensive than regular but guaranteed to contain at least one Godzilla card (plus other foils and rares). But for now, vote for your favorite kaiju and I'll see you at our next MTG countdown!

© 2020 Jeremy Gill