Magic: The Gathering cards come in many forms ranging from devastating sorcery spells to helpful artifacts. By in large the most common and widely played cards in Magic are creatures. Capable of attacking and blocking, many creatures primarily act in combat and are often a deck's primary source of dealing damage.
Throughout Magic's history, over eleven thousand unique creature cards have seen print, and it is often difficult to gauge just how powerful a given card may be. However, today, we're going to simplify things by examining the ten creature cards from across Magic's history with the highest total power.
Updated by Chris Stomberg on May 22, 2023: As mentioned above, a creature's power is hardly a great measure of just how good the card may be. This goes doubly so in the modern day of Magic where creatures are often printed with enter the battlefield effects that end up being much more important than their power and toughness values. Even so, it's intriguing to see just how big Magic creatures can be. This article also provides somewhat of a litmus test for how much mana you ought to be spending relative to a creature's power. Without further ado, let's get into it.
This list ignores Silver-border and acorn cards, such as Infinity Elemental with its infinite power.
12 Jokulmorder
First printed in 2006 with the release of Coldsnap, this Leviathan had players turning heads thanks to its sheer size and strange rules text. While Jokulmorder's mana value is great compared to its size, the true cost of this creature comes alongside the fact that you have to sacrifice five lands once it enters the battlefield.
As if that weren't bad enough, it also enters the battlefield tapped and only untaps once you play an Island. While this design is super flavorful, it results in an extremely unreliable creature that's better off not being cast. Jokulmorder is a great measure of just how far creature cards have come in comparison to the earlier days of Magic.
11 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Speaking of how far creature cards have come, Ghalta is a perfect example. This giant Dinosaur is capable of being cast for a measly two green mana on many board states, which is an outright absurdly cheap cost for a creature of this size.
All that being said, Ghalta doesn't actually do anything the turn it enters the battlefield. Furthermore, the fact that its mana discount comes from already having high-power creatures can make this Dinosaur feel a little bit 'win-more'. After all, if you've already got a board of high-power creatures, you're probably doing just fine.
10 Ancient Stone Idol
Meanwhile, this Commander favorite comes with a cost discount that can feel a lot more impactful, even though it may be a bit harder of a requirement to fulfil. Additionally, the fact that Ancient Stone Idol leaves behind a 6/12 token with trample even if dies gives you a little bit of an insurance policy against opposing removal.
The need to attack with your creatures in order to receive a cost discount can be a bit awkward as it may force you to make some less-than-savory trades. However, chances are you're going to be far ahead as a whole once you drop a 12/12 trampler onto the battlefield.
9 Ludevic's Abomination
Ludevic's Abomination is a card with a cool design, as it gradually emerges from an egg once you pour enough mana into it. Alternatively, you can cheat this mana cost through the use of mechanics like proliferate in order to provide additional hatchling counters without actually paying for them.
A 13/13 Lizard Horror with trample is likely large enough of a creature to end most games in a couple of swings, even if you happen to be playing Commander. The Horror subtype this creature comes with is also becoming more and more relevant as we continue to see additional printings of Horror creatures with each new set. Sadly, the egg side of the creature doesn't share the Horror subtype.
8 Krosan Cloudscraper
While Krosan Cloudscraper doesn't see notable play in any formats and is hindered by its mana-intensive nature. A green 13/13 for ten mana, Krosan Cloudscraper has no combat abilities to speak of and is little more than a large body on the battlefield.
In addition to its cost of ten mana, the creature requires a payment of two green mana at the beginning of each upkeep or else it is sacrificed. This is another outdated creature that's completely overshadowed by modern-day Magic cards, but it's a sweet card nonetheless.
7 Death's Shadow
Death's Shadow is an iconic mono-black creature that has a powerful namesake deck within the Modern format. For a single black mana, Death's Shadow is an enormous 13/13. However, this creature has a drawback, receiving -X/-X where X is your life total.
Despite this drawback, black has access to a multitude of spells that damage your own life total for as part of their casting cost. Fetchlands and shocklands can also notably damage your life total to grow your Death's Shadow. Although a niche case, Death's Shadow can be paired with an enchantment, Phyrexian Unlife, to allow it to exist without its statistics being hindered.
6 Withengar Unbound
Withengar Unbound is a terrifying and massive 13/13 legendary Demon with flying, intimidate, and trample. Withengar even has an ability that lends it to be used in multiplayer formats like Commander, as when another player loses the game, thirteen +1/+1 counters are put on the Demon.
Withengar's drawback is that it is the transformed side of the equipment, Elbrus, the Binding Blade. A seven-mana Equipment that only provides an equipped creature with +1/+0, Elbrus's power lies in its ability to transform into Withengar Unbound if the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player.
5 Emrakul, The Promised End
Another 13/13, Emrakul, the Promised End is a colorless Legendary Eldrazi for thirteen mana who costs one mana less for each card type among cards in your graveyard. Complimenting its massive scale, Emrakul, the Promised End has flying, trample, and protection from instants, allowing it to both easily deal damage and protect itself from instant-based removal.
As if all of this weren't enough, when Emrakul is cast, it allows you to gain control of another player during that player’s next turn. Say goodbye to all of your well thought out plans, opponent.
4 Worldspine Wurm
Printed in Return to Ravnica, Worldspine Wurm is a staggering 15/15 with trample for eleven mana. Much unlike the previously mentioned Krosan Cloudscraper which offsets its own power through a drawback, all of Worldspine Wurm's abilities are strictly beneficial. Upon dying, Worldspine Worm splits its power into three creatures, creating three 5/5 Wurm tokens.
Furthermore, Worldspine Wurm can't be kept down for long as if it would be put in its owner's graveyard from anywhere, it is shuffled into its owner's library instead. This can make it a key card for decks that are interested in drawing their entire library.
3 Emrakul, The Aeon's Torn
Another iteration of the previously mentioned legendary Eldrazi, Emrakul, the Aeon's Torn is a creature as massive as it is mana intensive. Despite being printed quite some time ago, the Aeon's Torn still maintains its reputation as one of the most fiercesome creatures in all of Magic.
An uncounterable 15/15 with flying, protection from colored spells, and annihilator 6 for fifteen mana, Emrakul allows its controller to take an extra turn after being cast. Between the absurd offensive potential of Emrakul and the extra turn it provides, it is not uncommon for a game to be won shortly after (if not immediately after) Emrakul, the Aeon's Torn is cast. It is so powerful, that it is one of a small percentage of cards banned in Commander.
2 Impervious Greatwurm
Impervious Greatwurm is a mammoth 16/16 indestructible green Wurm for ten mana. The buy-a-box promo of Guilds of Ravnica, Impervious Greatworm possesses convoke, allowing creatures to be tapped in order to pay for one mana each when a player is casting the Greatwurm.
This allows this creature to be cast for often significantly reduced rate in decks containing large sums of creatures such as token decks. Despite its impressive size and defenses, the Greatwurm does suffer from being susceptible to chump blockers as it's missing the all-important trample keyword.
1 Marit Lage
Not a creature spell itself, Marit Lage is legendary black 20/20 Avatar creature token with flying and indestructible that can be created using the effects of the cards Dark Depths and Marit Lage's Slumber. Dark Depth's is a legendary snow land that enters the battlefield with ten snow counters on it, allowing you to pay three mana at any time to remove these counters.
Once there are no counters remaining, Marit Lage is created. Alternatively, Marit Lage's Slumber is a blue enchantment for two mana that can create Marit Lage at the beginning of your upkeep if you control ten or more snow permanents.
This land sees play in older formats such as Legacy as well as there are ways to cheat the token out in the first few turns of the game by removing the land's ice counters through alternative means.