Dreamstealer MTG Card

Dreamstealer - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Hour of Devastation (HOU)
2017-07-14 - Number 63

Hour of Devastation (HOU)
2017-07-14 - Number 3

Dreamstealer - Hour of Devastation Promos (PHOU)

Hour of Devastation Promos (PHOU)
2017-07-15 - Number 63s

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Eternalize,Menace
Power	1
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Eternalize enables Dreamstealer to return as a threat, affording strategic late-game board impact.
Mana specificity may restrict Dreamstealer’s deck versatility, proving challenging for diverse mana bases.
Combining Dreamstealer with power-boosting effects maximizes its discard potential in gameplay.

Text of card

Menace Whenever Dreamstealer deals combat damage to a player, that player discards that many cards. Eternalize (, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie Human Wizard with no mana cost. Eternalize only as a sorcery.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dreamstealer is a strategic asset when it comes to depleting your opponent’s hand. Upon dealing combat damage to a player, that player discards that many cards, hence shifting the balance of card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Dreamstealer does not directly accelerate resources, forcing discards can slow down your opponent’s resource and strategy execution. This indirect resource manipulation is a form of pacing the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: Sporting the keyword mechanic Eternalize, Dreamstealer can be brought back from the graveyard with haste at instant speed. This ensures that even if disrupted during your turn, you have the power to surprise your opponent with a 4/4 token at a moment’s notice, often during their end step or after they’ve tapped out for a crucial play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dreamstealer’s ability compels your opponent to discard cards whenever it deals combat damage to them. This might not always align with your game strategy, especially if your opponent benefits from a graveyard-filled hand, turning the tide against you.

Specific Mana Cost: Dreamstealer demands a precise mana structure to cast—two black and one colorless. This limitation can complicate its inclusion in multi-colored decks, hindering its play outside of mono-black or heavily black-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana and an eternalize cost that is even higher, Dreamstealer may fall behind in terms of efficiency, especially considering other creatures with lower mana requirements that provide immediate board presence or impact.

Reasons to Include Dreamstealer in Your Collection

Versatility: Dreamstealer offers flexibility in gameplay, fitting seamlessly into various black decks that capitalize on hand disruption and creature control. Its ability to strip cards from opponents’ hands makes it a strategic addition to any collection.

Combo Potential: When combined with cards that enhance its power or recur it from the graveyard, Dreamstealer can repeatedly exploit its powerful effect, disrupting your opponent’s plans and paving the way for your victory.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment with decks overflowing with hand-crafted strategies, Dreamstealer’s tendency to empty your opponent’s hand can significantly tilt the scales in your favor, making it a savvy choice for those seeking to dominate the current meta-game.

How to beat

The Dreamstealer card brings a unique aspect to Magic: The Gathering gameplay with its ability to erode an opponent’s hand each time it deals combat damage. It carries the potential to significantly disrupt strategies, particularly when it hits the battlefield early. Moreover, its eternalize ability ensures that it can remain a persistent threat even from the graveyard, warranting a plan to effectively counter it.

One strategic approach to mitigate the impact of Dreamstealer is to maintain a robust defense. Creatures with high toughness can form a wall that Dreamstealer cannot easily penetrate. This impedes its ability to trigger its menacing hand depleting effect. Players can also utilize removal spells efficiently, targeting Dreamstealer before it becomes a bigger problem through eternalize. Spot removal such as Fatal Push or bounce effects like Unsummon can provide a temporary yet effective solution.

Ultimately, the key lies in prioritizing Dreamstealer as a threat and dealing with it before it disrupts your game plan too much. Whether it’s through solid defense or proactively using removal, keeping Dreamstealer in check can neutralize its potential to swing the game in your opponent’s favor.

Cards like Dreamstealer

Dreamstealer is a unique creature card in the world of MTG, creating dynamic interactions in games that revolve around hand disruption. When comparing Dreamstealer to other similar cards, it’s clear that it holds a very specific role. Hypnotic Specter, a classic example, also forces card discard upon dealing combat damage but with a random element, while Dreamstealer allows for targeted discard equivalent to its power.

Then there’s the notorious Thoughtseize, which, although not a creature, can disrupt an opponent’s hand from the first turn; however, it lacks the recurring effect of Dreamstealer’s discard capability. Liliana’s Specter arrives at a similar junction, offering a discard effect upon entering the battlefield, but without the potential growth in power or Eternalize mechanic that Dreamstealer possesses to apply pressure throughout the game.

In essence, while cards like Hypnotic Specter and Liliana’s Specter offer single or random discard opportunities, Dreamstealer’s scalability and resilience make it a standout in its category for players seeking consistent hand disruption strategies.

Cards similar to Dreamstealer by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dreamstealer MTG card by a specific set like Hour of Devastation and Hour of Devastation, 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 Dreamstealer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Dreamstealer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-07-14 and 2017-07-15. Illustrated by Yongjae Choi.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2017-07-14	Hour of Devastation	HOU	63	2015	Normal	Black	Yongjae Choi
2	2017-07-14	Hour of Devastation	HOU	3	2015	Token	Black	Yongjae Choi
3	2017-07-15	Hour of Devastation Promos	PHOU	63s	2015	Normal	Black	Yongjae Choi

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dreamstealer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2017-07-14	For each card with eternalize, a corresponding game play supplement token can be found in some Hour of Devastation booster packs. These supplements are not required to play with cards with eternalize; you can use the same items to represent an eternalized token as you would any other token.
2017-07-14	If a creature card with eternalize is put into your graveyard during your main phase, you’ll have priority immediately afterward. You can activate its eternalize ability before any player can try to exile it, such as with Crook of Condemnation, if it’s legal for you to do so.
2017-07-14	If the card copied by the token had any “when -his permanent] enters the battlefield” abilities, then the token also has those abilities and will trigger them when it’s created. Similarly, any “as -his permanent] enters the battlefield” or “ -his permanent] enters the battlefield with” abilities that the token has copied will also work.
2017-07-14	Once you’ve activated an eternalize ability, the card is immediately exiled. Opponents can’t try to stop the ability by exiling the card with an effect such as that of Crook of Condemnation.
2017-07-14	The token copies exactly what was printed on the original card and nothing else, except the characteristics specifically modified by eternalize. It doesn’t copy any information about the object the card was before it was put into your graveyard.
2017-07-14	The token is a Zombie in addition to its other types and is black instead of its other colors. Its base power and toughness are 4/4. It has no mana cost, and thus its converted mana cost is 0. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy.