Stocking Tiger MTG Card

Happy Holidays (HHO)
2006-12-31 - Number 13

Happy Holidays (HHO)
2006-12-31 - Number 13†

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact Creature — Cat Construct
Power	3
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Stocking Tiger brings card advantage and can unexpectedly disrupt opponent strategies with its combat damage mechanic.
The card’s gifting ability synergizes well with instant-speed spells, enabling strategic flexibility and surprise.
Despite potential downsides, its festive nature and card interaction make it a fun inclusion in any collection.

Text of card

Stocking Tiger enters the battlefield with a sealed Magic booster pack under it. When Stocking Tiger deals combat damage to a player, unwrap the booster pack and put it into your hand.

Just hope yours isn't full of coal golems.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stocking Tiger offers a festive twist to card advantage. When it deals combat damage to a player, you have the opportunity to unwrap a gift card from the top five cards of their library, placing it under Stocking Tiger and then adding it to your hand when Stocking Tiger leaves the battlefield. This mechanism can surprise your opponents with an unexpected bonus and potentially disrupt their strategic plans.

Resource Acceleration: While Stocking Tiger itself doesn’t directly generate mana or treasure, the card advantage it provides could lead to drawing into more resource acceleration spells or lands. This indirect benefit could be vital in pacing the game in your favor as the added cards provide more options and fluidity to your mana curve.

Instant Speed: While Stocking Tiger itself is not an instant, its disruptive ability to “open presents” can indirectly work well with your instant-speed spells. By engaging the opponent’s defenses with your Tiger, you can gauge whether to use your instant tricks or hold back resources for the most opportune moment.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Stocking Tiger brings holiday cheer to the battlefield, it comes with a catch. Players must discard a card when they unwrap this present from their deck, which sometimes feels more like receiving coal than a gift, especially when your hand is already stretched thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Festive it may be, but this creature demands a structured mana base. The need for both generic and white mana means it might not slip seamlessly into every deck, limiting its versatility across various strategies and potentially leaving it out in the cold.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The tiger’s cost is on the heftier side, especially when compared to other creatures that prowls the lands of Magic. For five mana, deckbuilders often expect more roar for their buck, leaving Stocking Tiger to sometimes linger in the sideboard during deck construction.

Reasons to Include Stocking Tiger in Your Collection

Versatility: Stocking Tiger is an adaptable card that fits well in artifact-centric or holiday-themed decks. Its ability to fetch cards from a special silver-bordered set during holiday events makes it a unique addition that can surprise opponents and offer a fun twist on traditional gameplay.

Combo Potential: When paired with mechanics that manipulate the top of your library or cards that benefit from artifact creatures entering the battlefield, Stocking Tiger can become an integral part of a rewarding combo chain, leading to significant in-game advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In a casual or social meta where creativity and uniqueness are valued, Stocking Tiger shines by bringing a seasonal flair and as a conversation piece that can introduce unexpected dynamics into play sessions, especially around festive gatherings and MTG holiday events.

How to beat

Stocking Tiger is a unique artifact creature card that takes deck interaction to an entertaining level during holiday games. The card, designed with a gift-giving theme, brings a novel kind of suspense whenever it deals combat damage to a player, allowing that player to unwrap a present — in the form of an extra card from the top of your library. Aside from its festive function, it’s essential to strategize effectively against this mechanical feline.

Handling Stocking Tiger efficiently involves preemptive measures, like any other artifact creature. Removal spells that specifically target artifacts, such as Abrade or Disenchant, work wonders in disrupting the holiday cheer the tiger might bring to your opponent. Board control spells like Wrath of God can also ensure the tiger and friends never have a chance to distribute their goodies. Additionally, countering it outright with spells like Counterspell when it’s cast can prevent the trigger from becoming a worry. Given its reliance on combat to activate its ability, creature blockers with enough toughness or those sporting deathtouch can discourage or end the Tiger’s gifting spree without further complications.

Ultimately, when faced with Stocking Tiger’s potentially game-altering reveals, a direct and proactive approach will help keep your opponent’s advantages to a minimum while you continue to press your own game plan forward.

Cards like Stocking Tiger

The Stocking Tiger card adds a twist to the roster of unique artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often compared to other holiday-themed cards like Mishra’s Toy Workshop or even the more combat-oriented Goblin Snowman. Stocking Tiger stands out particularly for its gift-giving mechanic, which allows players to snatch a card from under an opponent’s deck, wrapped in secrecy until it’s unveiled.

When looking at mechanics, the Stocking Tiger can be paralleled with the likes of Gonti, Lord of Luxury or Thief of Sanity. Gonti allows you to look at the top four cards of an opponent’s library and exile one of them face down, while Thief of Sanity grants you a card every time it deals combat damage to a player. However, Stocking Tiger’s ability to store an exiled card as a present for later provides a unique strategic advantage in the long game. It’s a once-a-year festive card with a playful mechanic quite distinctive in the world of Magic.

In assessing its standing among similar cards, Stocking Tiger possesses that blend of joyful theme and suspenseful gameplay that offers a unique experience on the battlefield. Its seasonal exclusivity and the unpredictability it brings to the table make it a memorable card among MTG artifact creatures.

Mishra's Toy Workshop - MTG Card versions

Gonti, Lord of Luxury - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stocking Tiger MTG card by a specific set like Happy Holidays and Happy Holidays, 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 Stocking Tiger and other MTG cards: