Stensia Masquerade MTG Card


Grants attacking creatures first strike, turning them into significant threats and altering the game’s pace. Employs madness for strategic, instant-speed play, enabling unexpected combat advantages. While powerful, requires careful deck construction to optimize its unique abilities and manage its constraints.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment
Abilities Madness

Text of card

Attacking creatures you control have first strike. Whenever a Vampire you control deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Madness (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)


Cards like Stensia Masquerade

Stensia Masquerade is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that adds a vampiric twist to red’s aggressive strategies. In its essence, the card bears some resemblance to cards like Madcap Skills, which grants additional power and a form of evasion. What makes Stensia Masquerade distinct, though, is its dual functionality—empowering your creatures with a +1/+0 bonus and first strike during your turn and also enabling the madness mechanic, which can significantly alter the timing and cost efficiency of casting it from your hand.

Another comparable enchantment is Rush of Adrenaline, offering a short-term burst with +2/+1 and trample but lacking the permanence and repeated benefits of Stensia Masquerade. Furor of the Bitten also grants a constant power boost and encourages a more offensive playstyle, yet it doesn’t provide first strike, a key advantage in combat that Stensia Masquerade offers.

In the context of red’s aggressive decks, Stensia Masquerade shines by strengthening your attacks over multiple turns and leveraging the madness ability for dynamic play. Therefore, while there are options for boosting creature strength, the Masquerade’s recurring combat advantages solidify its place among red’s arsenal of creature upgrades.

Madcap Skills - MTG Card versions
Rush of Adrenaline - MTG Card versions
Furor of the Bitten - MTG Card versions
Madcap Skills - MTG Card versions
Rush of Adrenaline - MTG Card versions
Furor of the Bitten - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Stensia Masquerade by color, type and mana cost

Mana Flare - MTG Card versions
Gravity Sphere - MTG Card versions
Goblin War Drums - MTG Card versions
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Curse of Hospitality - MTG Card versions
Anax, Hardened in the Forge - MTG Card versions
Mana Flare - MTG Card versions
Gravity Sphere - MTG Card versions
Goblin War Drums - MTG Card versions
Aggression - MTG Card versions
Goblin Warrens - MTG Card versions
Heat Stroke - MTG Card versions
Seismic Assault - MTG Card versions
Torch Song - MTG Card versions
Ghitu War Cry - MTG Card versions
Fervor - MTG Card versions
Spellshock - MTG Card versions
Mana Cache - MTG Card versions
Citadel of Pain - MTG Card versions
Insolence - MTG Card versions
Granite Grip - MTG Card versions
Steam Vines - MTG Card versions
Magma Vein - MTG Card versions
Pyromania - MTG Card versions
Curse of Hospitality - MTG Card versions
Anax, Hardened in the Forge - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stensia Masquerade offers a form of card advantage unique to aggressive strategies. Instead of drawing, it turns each of your attacking creatures into a more formidable threat, thereby squeezing more value out of the cards already in play.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana, the card subtly speeds up the game for its controller. By empowering individual attackers, it creates a significant shift in the board state that can lead to faster victories, effectively acting as a form of resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although the card does not operate at instant speed itself, the madness ability it features can be a strategic advantage when discarded at instant speed. This allows reactive plays that can surprise an opponent by bolstering your creatures during combat on their turn, should you discard and then cast it using its madness cost.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Players looking to include Stensia Masquerade in their deck might find the discard condition to activate its madness ability a bit troublesome. If a player doesn’t have an extra card they’re willing to part with, or if their hand is already stretched thin, leveraging the madness cost becomes less feasible.

Specific Mana Cost: Stensia Masquerade’s casting cost includes red mana, which may not seamlessly fit into all deck archetypes. Decks that don’t run on red mana or multicolor decks with a tight mana base might struggle to find room for this vampire-themed enchantment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana might seem reasonable at first glance, but when you compare Stensia Masquerade to other options in this slot, it’s possible to find alternatives that provide more immediate impact or versatility without the setup of attacking creatures to reap the benefits.


Reasons to Include Stensia Masquerade in Your Collection

Versatility: Stensia Masquerade is adaptable, fitting well into red-based aggressive decks. Its ability to grant attacking creatures first strike can be a turning point for games, especially in limited formats where combat tricks reign supreme.

Combo Potential: This enchantment not only empowers your creatures but also synergizes with vampire-themed decks and strategies that capitalize on +1/+1 counters. When used alongside cards that care about counters or damage being dealt, its impact multiplies, opening the door to potent combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature combat is key, Stensia Masquerade has its place. Its relevance grows in a meta filled with small creature battles, allowing your creatures to trade up and survive, potentially swinging the tide to your favor in creature-heavy matchups.


How to beat Stensia Masquerade

Stensia Masquerade is a unique aura that gives a powerful boost to your attacking vampires in Magic: The Gathering. Featuring both a traditional and a madness cost, this enchantment ensures that your vampires not only hit harder with a +1/+1 buff but also gain first strike, allowing them to deal damage before non-first strike creatures can ever retaliate.

One way to counteract the advantages of Stensia Masquerade is through effective use of instant-speed removals, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, prior to the attack phase. This preemptive strike can dispose of the enchanted creature before it can benefit from the increased power and first strike ability on the attack. Board control spells, like Supreme Verdict, can also clear the board regardless of the enchantments on the creatures. Another strategy involves utilizing enchantment removal, such as Naturalize, which directly targets and destroys enchantments like Stensia Masquerade, mitigating their impact immediately.

In essence, understanding the mechanics of Stensia Masquerade aids players in finding its vulnerabilities and ensuring that they maintain control of the game. Managing the battlefield with timely removals and enchantment destruction, or even including hexproof-inducing spells to safeguard your key creatures, can all be crucial in overcoming the boost that Stensia Masquerade provides to opposing vampires.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG reveals gems like Stensia Masquerade, an enchantment that sharpens red-based aggression and fuels vampire-centric onslaughts. If you value combat mastery and want your creatures to reign supreme in the fray, this card’s potential shouldn’t be overlooked. We urge you to further delve into strategies that optimize the power of your deck, using cards like Stensia Masquerade to turn the tide in creature-heavy metas. For those poised to sculpt victorious and cunning gameplay, join us and uncover ways to integrate this potent enchantment into your collection, ensuring your creatures not only survive but also thrive in battle.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stensia Masquerade MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Crimson Vow Commander, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Stensia Masquerade and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stensia Masquerade Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Willian Murai.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 1842015NormalBlackWillian Murai
22021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1502015NormalBlackWillian Murai
32023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 1782015NormalBlackWillian Murai

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stensia Masquerade has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Stensia Masquerade card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2016-04-08 A spell cast for its madness cost is put onto the stack like any other spell. It can be countered, copied, and so on. As it resolves, it's put onto the battlefield if it's a permanent card or into its owner's graveyard if it's an instant or sorcery card.
2016-04-08 Cards are discarded in a Magic game only from a player's hand. Effects that put cards from a player's library into that player's graveyard do not cause those cards to be discarded.
2016-04-08 Casting a spell for its madness cost doesn't change its mana cost or its mana value. You just pay the madness cost instead.
2016-04-08 Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its madness cost, too.
2016-04-08 If you choose not to cast a card with madness when the madness triggered ability resolves, it's put into your graveyard. You don't get another chance to cast it later.
2016-04-08 If you discard a card with madness to pay the cost of a spell or activated ability, that card's madness trigger (and the spell that card becomes, if you choose to cast it) will resolve before the spell or ability the discard paid for.
2016-04-08 If you discard a card with madness while resolving a spell or ability, it moves immediately to exile. Continue resolving that spell or ability—the card is not in your graveyard at this time. Its madness trigger will be placed onto the stack once that spell or ability has completely resolved.
2016-04-08 Losing or gaining first strike after first-strike damage has been dealt won't cause a creature to deal combat damage twice or to not deal combat damage.
2016-04-08 Madness works independently of why you're discarding the card. You could discard it to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or even because you have too many cards in your hand at the end of your turn. You can't discard a card with madness just because you want to, though.
2016-04-08 When you cast a card with madness, it was still discarded. If it was discarded to pay a cost, that cost is still paid. Abilities that trigger when a card is discarded will still trigger.