Kavu Monarch (Original Sketch)

Kavu Monarch is a four-mana red 3/3 Kavu creature from Invasion (2000), that gives all Kavu trample – and whenever another Kavu enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on Kavu Monarch. It’s one of the earliest Kavu tribal payoff cards, printed at a time when the Kavu creature type was heavily featured in Invasion block. It serves two important roles: giving all your Kavu trample, making your entire board more threatening – and it functions as a scaling threat, since it grows with each additional Kavu you play. In a deck with multiple cheap Kavu, this card can quickly become massive. It’s simple, flavorful, and plays cleanly in aggressive creature decks. During Limited – Invasion Draft / Sealed Kavu Monarch was at its absolute best. Invasion draft supported R/G “Midrange Kavu” quite heavily. Cards like Kavu Scout, Kavu Aggressor, Kavu Climber, Pouncing Kavu and Kavu Runnner made Monarch a premium uncommon finisher that could dominate games if unanswered. Outside of Limited, this card sees most of its use in casual Kavu tribal decks. It functions like a “tribal lord”, gets big quickly, and it pushes aggressive board states. It’s a staple of any Kavu theme deck built for kitchen-table or casual play. Kavu Monarch is not on the Reserved List. It’s eligible for reprints, though because Kavu aren’t a common tribe today, it has only been printed once.