Vithian Stinger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Shaman
Abilities Unearth
Power 0
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers repeatable damage for board control and can pivot the game in extended matches.
  2. Instant speed ability grants significant flexibility, influencing opponent predictions.
  3. Unearth gives it a unique edge, making Vithian Stinger a useful comeback tool.

Text of card

: Vithian Stinger deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Unearth (: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Vithian Stinger provides a repeatable source of damage that can wear down your opponent’s life total or strategically remove key creatures. During prolonged games, this can translate into considerable card advantage as it helps you control the board without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or other resources, Vithian Stinger synergizes well with cards that benefit from tapping and untapping creatures. In some decks, this might enable unexpected combos, effectively accelerating your game plan by unlocking new avenues for resource manipulation.

Instant Speed: As a creature with an activated ability that can be used at instant speed, Vithian Stinger offers flexibility in how you manage your resources. You can choose to deal damage during your opponent’s turn, keeping your options open and making it harder for them to predict and play around your actions, thus maintaining a subtle control over the pace and decisions within the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vithian Stinger’s unearth ability, while granting it a temporary return from the graveyard, necessitates a discard action upon the turn’s conclusion if it would otherwise remain on the battlefield. This can put players at a card disadvantage, especially if they have a smaller hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Vithian Stinger requires one red mana, which makes it exclusive to red-inclusive decks. Players running multicolored decks might find it challenging to meet the mana requirements when they need to summon the card urgently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its ability to consistently ping creatures or players for damage, the combined cost of three mana, including a red mana, can be deemed steep when considering other options in the same mana range. There are alternative cards that offer a more impactful presence or versatility for the same, or even lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include Vithian Stinger in Your Collection

Versatility: Vithian Stinger offers a flexible approach to gameplay, effortlessly slotting into red-based control decks or any build looking to benefit from repeatable direct damage. As a creature, it serves as both a board presence and a utility piece.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with ways to untap creatures or with proliferate mechanics to capitalize on its unearth ability. Utilizing Vithian Stinger can lead to devastating turns where damage is dealt multiple times.

Meta-Relevance: With its ability to ping creatures or players, Vithian Stinger holds its ground in metas where small utility creatures are prevalent. It’s a useful tool against decks that rely on x/1 creatures, disrupting opponents’ early game momentum.


How to beat Vithian Stinger

Vithian Stinger presents a challenging puzzle in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering, as it offers repeated damage with its tap ability. This card, much like a ticking time bomb, can whittle down life totals or eliminate key creatures turn after turn. Its potency is amplified once it gains the unearth ability, allowing it to come back for one last hurrah even after being dealt with.

To effectively neutralize the threat posed by Vithian Stinger, it’s essential to disrupt its presence on the battlefield swiftly. Utilizing instant removal spells such as Path to Exile can remove it permanently, avoiding the unearth trigger. Creature-based strategies can also include sacrificial elements, which serve the dual purpose of advancing your board state while negating the Stinger’s ability to deal damage. Countering the Stinger’s activations with cards that cancel activated abilities, also ensures that its impact is minimized.

Remember, the best strategy is to prevent the Stinger from establishing dominance on the field. Whether through removal, counters, or clever play, overcoming the obstacle of Vithian Stinger requires measured decisions and timely interventions, ensuring it doesn’t sting your chances of victory within the MTG realm.


Cards like Vithian Stinger

Vithian Stinger is a notable card within the panorama of pinger abilities in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to deal one damage to any target mirrors effects found on cards like Prodigal Pyromancer. However, Vithian Stinger’s distinction shines through with its unearth ability, allowing it to return from the graveyard to the battlefield for a final shot.

Comparatively, Goblin Fireslinger is a simpler relative, also offering the ability to deal one damage but lacking any form of recursion. Thermopod, while not directly a pinger, shares a red-aligned, aggressive playstyle and provides mana acceleration instead of direct damage. And then there’s Cunning Sparkmage, a creature that pings while having the advantage of haste, enabling it to act speedily upon its arrival.

Each of these cards has its niche, combining direct damage with other varied benefits. Vithian Stinger stands out because of its ability to come back from the graveyard for one last impactful play. This extra versatility makes it quite a dynamic card in matches that encourage strategic graveyard use.

Prodigal Pyromancer - MTG Card versions
Goblin Fireslinger - MTG Card versions
Thermopod - MTG Card versions
Cunning Sparkmage - MTG Card versions
Prodigal Pyromancer - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Goblin Fireslinger - Magic 2012 (M12)
Thermopod - Coldsnap (CSP)
Cunning Sparkmage - Worldwake (WWK)

Cards similar to Vithian Stinger by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
Wall of Lava - MTG Card versions
Brassclaw Orcs - MTG Card versions
Imperial Recruiter - MTG Card versions
Uthden Troll - MTG Card versions
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - MTG Card versions
Goblin Rabblemaster - MTG Card versions
Nosy Goblin - MTG Card versions
Goblin Sky Raider - MTG Card versions
Cosmic Larva - MTG Card versions
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - MTG Card versions
Ghost-Lit Raider - MTG Card versions
Goblin Chariot - MTG Card versions
Balduvian Barbarians - MTG Card versions
Basalt Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Orcish Artillery - MTG Card versions
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - MTG Card versions
Blind-Spot Giant - MTG Card versions
Mudbutton Torchrunner - MTG Card versions
Dwarven Warriors - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Raging Bull - Legends (LEG)
Wall of Lava - Ice Age (ICE)
Brassclaw Orcs - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Imperial Recruiter - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Uthden Troll - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Goblin Rabblemaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nosy Goblin - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Sky Raider - Onslaught (ONS)
Cosmic Larva - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ghost-Lit Raider - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Goblin Chariot - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Balduvian Barbarians - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Basalt Gargoyle - Time Spiral (TSP)
Orcish Artillery - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - Lorwyn (LRW)
Blind-Spot Giant - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mudbutton Torchrunner - Duel Decks: Elves vs. Goblins (DD1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vithian Stinger MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt, 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 Vithian Stinger and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Vithian Stinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2008-10-03 and 2017-03-17. Illustrated by Dave Kendall.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12008-10-03Shards of AlaraALA 1202003normalblackDave Kendall
22013-03-15Duel Decks: Sorin vs. TibaltDDK 472003normalblackDave Kendall
32017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 1152015normalblackDave Kendall

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vithian Stinger has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2008-10-01 Activating a creature card’s unearth ability isn’t the same as casting the creature card. The unearth ability is put on the stack, but the creature card is not. Spells and abilities that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle) will interact with unearth, but spells and abilities that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul) will not.
2008-10-01 At the beginning of the end step, a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth is exiled. This is a delayed triggered ability, and it can be countered by effects such as Stifle or Voidslime that counter triggered abilities. If the ability is countered, the creature will stay on the battlefield and the delayed trigger won’t trigger again. However, the replacement effect will still exile the creature when it eventually leaves the battlefield.
2008-10-01 If a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth would leave the battlefield for any reason, it’s exiled instead — unless the spell or ability that’s causing the creature to leave the battlefield is actually trying to exile it! In that case, it succeeds at exiling it. If it later returns the creature card to the battlefield (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to the battlefield as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.
2008-10-01 If you activate a card’s unearth ability but that card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that unearth ability will resolve and do nothing.
2008-10-01 Unearth grants haste to the creature that’s returned to the battlefield. However, neither of the “exile” abilities is granted to that creature. If that creature loses all its abilities, it will still be exiled at the beginning of the end step, and if it would leave the battlefield, it is still exiled instead.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks