All 9 Garruk Planeswalker Cards in Magic Ranked

Garruk, Unleashed | Illustration by Lie Setiawan

Hello Planeswalkers! Do you have an affinity for nature and animals? Do you find “civilized settings” to be uncomfortable? Are you 8 feet 2 inches tall? Even if you aren’t that tall, if these questions describe you, or more aptly, the fantasy you, then Garruk is your kind of planeswalker!

MTG has developed some truly wonderful heroes and villains that we call planeswalkers. With their spark, these legends can travel between planes and be included in many storylines and MTG sets. We all have our favorite planeswalkers (mine is Ashiok) for myriad reasons, but let me take the time to show you why Garruk is a worthy candidate for your next favorite planeswalker.

What Are Garruk Planeswalkers in MTG?

Garruk, Apex Predator | Illustration by Tyler Jacobson

Garruk Planeswalkers can be defined in two ways. First, in the lore, it means the character Garruk when he has his spark. Secondly, for the card game, it means any of the versions of Garruk that have the type planeswalker and the subtype Garruk.

For these rankings, I will examine all the planeswalker versions of Garruk, assessing their loyalty abilities, particularly the final loyalty abilities, as well as their overall power and playability. We won’t be ranking cards that have Garruk in the card name like Garruk's Horde.

#9. Garruk, Wrath of the Wilds

We’ll start the ranks with the Alchemy version of Garruk, Garruk, Wrath of the Wilds. One of the best parts of Alchemy cards are perpetual effects and the spellbook mechanics. This Garruk planeswalker can pump a creature and reduce its casting cost before your opponents can see it or remove it. Follow this up with drafting cards from this card’s spellbook, like Territorial Scythecat or Ferocious Pup, depending on what you need. Finish off a game with the final loyalty ability to mass pump your creatures. This isn’t a bad version of Garruk, just limited to only a few formats.

#8. Garruk, Savage Herald

The least usable of the many-format legal Garruk planeswalkers is Garruk, Savage Herald. This card is an expensive Garruk that provides sluggish top decking and removal, but admittedly, a solid wincon with the final loyalty ability. This planeswalker gets better as you go down the loyalty abilities, with an unfortunately uninspiring +1. Having your creatures deal damage as if they weren’t blocked can be a game-winner, but apart from that upside, this Garruk planeswalker doesn’t compare to the other versions.

#7. Garruk, Unleashed

Garruk, Unleashed functions as the general Garruk archetype, with a bomb final loyalty ability. The first two loyalty abilities look like Garruk through and through: pumping a creature +3/+3 and trample, or creating a 3/3 beast creature token. These are tried and true, and provide a ton of value from a 4-drop planeswalker. The finale is an awesome emblem that cheats creatures from your library onto the battlefield each turn. This planeswalker may need help to get to 7 loyalty counters reliably, but you still have some decent loyalty abilities to use in the meantime.

#6. Garruk Relentless / Garruk, the Veil-Cursed

We get a two-for-one Garruk with this planeswalker! The double-sided card of Garruk Relentless and Garruk, the Veil-Cursed is a tricky planeswalker with some fun upsides.

Firstly, here are some points to clarify: You can’t use two loyalty abilities, one on each side, in a single turn, and Garruk, the Veil-Cursed’s loyalty counters remain the same once transformed.

Now to the fun stuff! Garruk Relentless provides some small creature removal as well as tokens, if the removal isn’t viable (you don’t want to kill your planeswalker). Once the frontside Garruk’s loyalty points go below 3, it automatically transforms. Garruk, the Veil-Cursed provides even better tokens, a massive creature card fetch, and potentially the best pump of any of the Garruks. The downside is the trickiness of loyalty points, and the upside is incredible creature-fetch or mass pump.

#5. Garruk, Primal Hunter

Garruk, Primal Hunter provides a stellar board presence that culminates in a spectacular creature token creation ability. The main focus of this green planeswalker is to get to the final loyalty ability and create an army of large wurm creatures. You can build a smaller army of beast tokens as you increase this planeswalker's loyalty points, or find ways to ramp it up with cards like Innkeeper's Talent. If you feel you won’t be able to get to the final ability, the minus ability is a solid backup plan with the potential for a large burst of card draw.

#4. Garruk, Cursed Huntsman

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman is one of the best versions of Garruk that doesn’t necessarily always need to get to the final loyalty ability. This Golgari () Garruk has a nice synergy between its first two loyalty abilities. You can create creature tokens that work quite well with cards like Nightpack Ambusher, and give you loyalty points when they die. You can then turn these extra loyalty points into the middle ability and have removal as well as card draw. +3/+3 and trample for all your creatures is Garruk’s calling card, but not the only thing that makes this huntsman a solid planeswalker.

#3. Garruk, Caller of Beasts

Garruk, Caller of Beasts begs to cheat creature cards onto the battlefield for devastating effects. This planeswalker is all about getting bomb creatures into your hand and onto the battlefield without the burden of high mana values. You can combo the first loyalty ability with a card like Smuggler's Surprise, cheat a creature card onto the battlefield with the middle loyalty ability, or save up for the final loyalty ability to create a fetch and cascade effect with your creatures. Call your beasts with Garruk!

#2. Garruk, Apex Predator

The most cost-intensive Garruk planeswalkers also packs a mean punch. Garruk, Apex Predator is Garruk at his finest. You can build loyalty counters by removing planeswalkers or creating great creature tokens. Once you’re ready, the final loyalty ability generates a massive boost for your army of creatures. This planeswalker can be extremely deadly when paired with effects that increase the rate of gaining loyalty abilities like proliferation and counter-doubling. Become the apex predator in your friend group!

#1. Garruk Wildspeaker

Sometimes the first iteration of a character is just the banger. Garruk Wildspeaker was the first printed version of Garruk in Lorwyn. This mono-green version of Garruk provides wonderful ramp for green decks. Its +1 loyalty ability untaps two lands, allowing you to play a ton of creatures, or ramp up to a bigger one ahead of the curve. Once your beasties are in line, you can easily activate the final loyalty ability and, in classic Garruk form, pump your creatures and give them trample.

Garruk Payoffs

What a wide-open concept, payoffs for Garruk planeswalkers. I’ll break it down into three key payoffs and benefits. Cards that are directly connected to Garruk planeswalkers, creature-heavy decks, and cards with Garruk’s name that fit well with the planeswalkers.

Let’s start with three cards that can directly benefit or support Garruk planeswalkers. Garruk's Harbinger lets you place a Garruk planeswalker from the top of your deck into your hand. Garruk's Warsteed tutors Garruk, Savage Herald. Predatory Wurm can be a solid 6/6 creature when you also control a Garruk planeswalker.

Garruk is all about creatures and predation, so you’ll need great creatures like Badgermole Cub as ramp, Evolution Sage to gain more loyalty counters, and Wirewood Savage to benefit from beast creature token creation. If you want to splash a few more colors, I’d also consider creatures like Quartzwood Crasher or Kaheera, the Orphanguard.

Unsurprisingly, cards with Garruk in the card name can work quite well with these planeswalkers. The banger card is always Garruk's Uprising, but cards like In Garruk's Wake, Garruk's Packleader, and Garruk's Horde also have a ton of value when paired with these planeswalkers.

For additional benefits, Carth the Lion and Slinza, the Spiked Stampede are some commanders that can incorporate Garruk planeswalkers in their decks. An instant like Return of the Wildspeaker, a sorcery like Overwhelming Stampede, and an enchantment like Rhythm of the Wild can also take these Garruk planeswalkers to another level.

Who Is Garruk?

Garruk is one of the original planeswalkers introduced in the Lorwyn set (2007), a part of the Lorwyn five group of planeswalkers. He has warrior and druid abilities and a great love for nature. He follows the predator and cycle of nature mindset, becoming a fantastic tracker, and has even hunted planeswalkers. Garruk has had a troubled time since he got his spark. He has been under several curses, has gone into murderous rages, and has been forced into “civilized” planes he despises.

Garruk is a large man with a rusty helm that covers the top half of his face. This large man seems to keep growing through vigor magic and by gaining strength from the apex predatory creatures he hunts. Garruk is a primarily green planeswalker that splashes black in a few Golgari versions.

Does Garruk Still Have His Spark?

It’s uncertain if Garruk still has his spark. Garruk has remained out of MTG lore for many of the large conflicts, such as the War of the Spark and the Phyrexian Invasion of the multiverse. There is no direct mention yet if Garruk has his spark or has lost it recently, though people have theorized that Garruk is hidden in the art of March of the World Ooze from Aetherdrift, which might suggest he planeswalked to Muraganda.

The main theory of why he doesn’t have his spark has to do with the Desparkening event during the Phyrexian Invasion. So many planeswalkers lost their sparks and therefore their ability to travel between planes. This can point to a reason we haven’t seen Garruk in a pretty long time. The Lorwyn Eclipsed set includes the iconic Garruk's Uprising and references to the original Lorwyn Five planeswalkers, but no new version of Garruk as a planeswalker or creature.

The opposition to this theory is simply that we haven’t seen Garruk or heard about his spark, so he might still have it. There is no mention of Garruk losing his spark yet, so he could be lying in wait somewhere, ready to be a part of a pivotal storyline in some future set.

At the time of writing, there's leaked art for Secrets of Strixhaven or Reality Fracture that suggests he might show up in one of those sets.

Wrap Up

In Garruk's Wake | Illustration by Brad Rigney

Grab your trusty ax and commune with nature and your inner predator. Garruk has a very visceral vibe that makes you feel strong playing him. Since the introduction of planeswalkers, they have always been powerful story drivers and cards. Garruk is no exception, and I hope you have a better understanding of how great these Garruk planeswalker versions can be.

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Stay safe, and work on that guttural victory war cry!