Deadly Wanderings MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment
Released	2015-03-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dragons of Tarkir
Set code	DTK
Number	94
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	David Palumbo

Key Takeaways

This card excels in strategies with minimal creatures, increasing a lone creature’s battle efficiency.
Deadly Wanderings’ strict conditions can be a drawback in dynamic, multi-creature games.
It’s a strategic inclusion for decks designed with singleton or delirium themes.

Text of card

As long as you control exactly one creature, that creature gets +2/+0 and has deathtouch and lifelink.

"Seclusion is only an option for the strong." —Sorin Markov

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Deadly Wanderings offers unique strategic depth by providing continual benefit as long as you control a single creature, which can translate into a sustained card quality advantage throughout a match. It allows a player to minimize the number of creatures needed on the battlefield to maximize their potential.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of resource acceleration, Deadly Wanderings adds value to each creature you control. This can lead to fewer necessary resources spent on developing a powerful board presence, indirectly speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: Although Deadly Wanderings is not itself an instant, the durability it grants can allow you to more freely hold back creatures for instant-speed interactions. Knowing that your lone creature can end up being a large threat enables you to keep mana available for other spells without sacrificing offensive capabilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Deadly Wanderings demands a particular board state to be effective, specifically that you control only one creature. This restriction can be challenging to maintain, especially in formats that can rapidly change the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: With its mana cost requiring three generic and one black mana, Deadly Wanderings may not easily slot into multicolored decks. Decks that aren’t heavily skewed towards black mana may struggle to cast it on time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The five-mana investment for Deadly Wanderings is significant, and the card only shines in the right circumstances. There are alternative enchantments or strategies that could utilize this mana more efficiently, offering immediate impact or requiring less strict conditions.

Reasons to Include Deadly Wanderings in Your Collection

Versatility: Deadly Wanderings offers a powerful boost for singleton or delirium strategies, enhancing any deck where creature count is kept intentionally low.

Combo Potential: This enchantment synergizes well with cards that benefit from individual creatures becoming significantly stronger, or with mechanics that rely on life total changes.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control decks and one-creature strategies are prevalent, Deadly Wanderings can be a game-changer, providing durability and a path to victory with its formidable buff.

How to beat

Deadly Wanderings stands strong as a noteworthy enchantment in the world of MTG. Its ability to provide a solitary creature with a formidable boost in power, toughness, and evasion makes it a card that players carefully consider when facing off against it in duels. The condition of controlling only one creature adds an interesting strategic angle to the gameplay, as it urges opponents to lean toward strategies that manage the battlefield to keep that from happening.

To effectively navigate against Deadly Wanderings, it’s essential to have removal spells at the ready or strategies that encourage multiple creature states on the board. Board wipes or cards that discourage the opponent from maintaining a single creature can subtly undermine the power of Deadly Wanderings. Employing instant-speed interaction to remove the creature before the bonuses of Deadly Wanderings apply during the combat phase is a smart move. Ensuring a balanced board state and keeping pressure with creatures can also force your opponent to play more defensively, diluting the impact of their enchantment.

Understanding the nuances of how Deadly Wanderings influences gameplay dynamics is key. Opponents can capitalize on its restrictions and turn the tide of battle if they manage resources wisely and maintain a tactical edge.

Cards like Deadly Wanderings

Deadly Wanderings stands out in the realm of MTG for its unique effect of boosting a solitary creature. It’s akin to cards like Aspect of Lamprey which also provides a singular creature with a substantial enhancement; however, the latter bestows an aura of lifelink and discard to disrupt opponents. Deadly Wanderings, in contrast, not only bolsters a lone creature’s power and toughness but grants it deathtouch, ensuring a threatening presence on the battlefield.

Lonely Sandbar is another card that oddly synchronizes with Deadly Wanderings by emphasizing a single, powerful creature. While Lonely Sandbar is a land, its cycling ability can lead to situations where Deadly Wanderings’ conditions are fulfilled, offering a creature the ability to dominate in combat scenarios. On the other hand, we have Aether Revolt’s Gifted Aetherborn, which inherently carries deathtouch and lifelink, presupposing no requirements but lacking the adaptive power of Deadly Wanderings.

Assessing Deadly Wanderings among its peers, it’s evident that its conditional enhancements carve a niche for it amongst cards fostering individual creature dominance. Its capacity to transform any creature into a formidable adversary under the right circumstances allows it to shine within MTG’s vast array of strategic options.

Cards similar to Deadly Wanderings by color, type and mana cost

Screams of the Damned - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deadly Wanderings MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir, 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 Deadly Wanderings and other MTG cards: