Charmed Stray MTG Card
2019-05-03 - Number 8
2020-08-13 - Number 5
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Cat |
| Abilities | Lifelink |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
Lifelink When Charmed Stray enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control named Charmed Stray.
"There's something peculiar about the cats today." —Janoc, Tin Street tinker
Cards like Charmed Stray
Charmed Stray stands out within the collection of one-mana creatures in Magic: The Gathering as it has a unique lifelink ability that can become more potent as you play additional copies. Unlike many other one-drops, Charmed Stray has the potential to scale throughout the game, gaining a +1/+1 counter each time another Charmed Stray enters the battlefield under your control. This mechanics is reminiscent of cards like Squadron Hawk, which also rewards you for playing multiple copies, albeit through card advantage rather than power on the battlefield.
Looking at other one-mana creatures with lifelink, such as Healer’s Hawk, reveals that while they may share this trait, they lack the cumulative strengthening. On the other hand, Ajani’s Pridemate directly benefits from lifelink synergy by gaining counters whenever you gain life, potentially leading to a higher power gain over time but requiring additional cards or actions to trigger. Sacred Cat is another comparable card that brings the added value of embalm, offering a second life after death.
Charmed Stray’s ability to grow not just as a solitary creature but as a collective force makes it a distinctive card in MTG, particularly in decks oriented around lifegain strategies or a go-wide approach with creatures.
Cards similar to Charmed Stray by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Charmed Stray shines by stacking up its power and toughness whenever another Charmed Stray enters the battlefield under your control. This creates a compounding effect, constantly elevating your board presence without expending extra resources from your hand.
Resource Acceleration: While Charmed Stray doesn’t directly produce mana or tokens, it can accelerate your game plan in decks that revolve around life gain strategies. Each Stray can elevate your life total, which is a crucial resource in such archetypes, amplifying cards that thrive on high life totals or frequent life gains.
Instant Speed: Having the flexibility to deploy Charmed Stray at instant speed can be a significant advantage due to flash mechanics or during end-of-turn plays. It allows you to maintain a versatile stance, only adding to the board when it’s most beneficial while keeping mana available for other crucial interactions on your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Charmed Stray doesn’t directly have a discard requirement, but to fully utilize its strength, it often necessitates a build-around strategy. Stocking your deck with multiple copies to capitalize on its lifelink ability can potentially lead to a crowded hand, forcing unwanted discards of useful cards.
Specific Mana Cost: While only a single white mana is needed to cast Charmed Stray, this restricts it to specific decks, primarily mono-white or two-color decks that can reliably provide white mana early in the game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial one mana investment for a 1/1 creature may seem low, but to make Charmed Stray viable, you need multiple copies for it to benefit from its ability. The incremental cost of including many copies of a single card with marginal impact could be better invested in cards with immediate and more significant effects on the game state.
Reasons to Include Charmed Stray in Your Collection
Versatility: Charmed Stray shines in decks that utilize creatures, making it a solid addition to aggro and lifegain strategies. Its ability to scale with each copy played offers both tactical buffs and a growing life buffer, fitting seamlessly into various deck builds.
Combo Potential: This feline friend excels in synergy-driven decks, working well with mechanics like proliferate or anything that boosts the prowess of your creatures. Each additional Charmed Stray not only strengthens others but also contributes incrementally to your life total, offering combo avenues for savvy players.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where aggressive strategies can dominate, Charmed Stray provides early board presence and lifegain to counteract damage from quick opponents. Its relevance ebbs and flows with the meta, yet consistently offers tangible benefits in creature-centric decks that need to outpace their adversaries.
How to Beat Charmed Stray
Charmed Stray is a unique creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering that shines in decks focused on life gain and creature synergies. This one-mana cost feline can quickly become a nuisance if left unchecked, as each additional Charmed Stray entering the battlefield not only stacks life gain but also boosts the power and toughness of the others.
To effectively handle Charmed Stray, consider strategies that remove creatures without targeting or that handle multiple creatures at once. Board wipes like Wrath of God or targeted removal spells that don’t target a specific creature, like Doom Blade or Fatal Push, are beneficial. Alternatively, employing enchantment-based removal like Pacifism can neutralize Charmed Stray without triggering any potential life gain.
Avoid single-target removals that would trade inefficiently with this low-cost creature. Instead, patience until you can address multiple threats at once or controlling their draw and hand with hand-disruption tools, can prevent the numerical advantage these strays aim to build. Always remember, in Magic: The Gathering, understanding and countering your opponent’s strategy is as important as executing your own.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Charmed Stray MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark and Arena Beginner Set, 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 Charmed Stray and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Charmed Stray Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-05-03 | War of the Spark | WAR | 8 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn | |
| 2 | 2020-08-13 | Arena Beginner Set | ANB | 5 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Chris Rahn |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Charmed Stray has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |