Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Werewolf
Abilities Daybound
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Controls boards by damaging multiple targets, offering card advantage upon transforming into Howlpack Avenger.
  2. Instant-speed transformation allows for strategic flexibility and unexpected combat prowess in games.
  3. Despite mana and trigger limitations, it’s a robust pick for damage-focused strategies and adaptive play.

Text of card

Whenever Ill-Tempered Loner is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any target. : Ill-Tempered Loner gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its ability to deal damage to multiple creatures, Ill-Tempered Loner can help control the board, reducing the number of opposing threats and potential blockers. Additionally, its transform ability, once triggered, offers the potential for significant card advantage through subsequent combat damage to a player.

Resource Acceleration: Though Ill-Tempered Loner does not directly generate mana or Treasure tokens, its potential for damage escalation puts pressure on opponents. This acceleration of threat severity can indirectly impact resource management by forcing opponents to divert resources to answer its presence on the board.

Instant Speed: While the card itself is not an instant, the fact that it transforms at instant speed under the right conditions means players can wait for the best moment during gameplay to unleash a more formidable threat, the Howlpack Avenger. This reactive characteristic allows for flexible strategy and surprise combat advantages.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Ill-Tempered Loner demands a certain trigger to transform into its nighttime form, which might not always align with your gameplay strategy, thus limiting its effectiveness in certain situations.

Specific Mana Cost: With its mana requirements rooted in red, Ill-Tempered Loner may not seamlessly fit into multi-colored decks, potentially restricting its integration into diverse mana bases.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a casting cost that’s on the higher side, this card competes with others at the same cost that potentially offer immediate impact or larger creatures, making it a less preferred choice in some decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ill-Tempered Loner can adapt to a range of strategies, excelling in decks that capitalize on damage prevention or redirection. Its ability to transform into a more powerful werewolf ensures it remains a threat in various game states.

Combo Potential: This card works effectively with mechanics that add to its damage output or that use damage triggers, amplifying its impact and creating potential for powerful play combinations.

Meta-Relevance: Given its resilience and the capability of dealing increased damage to multiple targets, Ill-Tempered Loner holds its ground in environments heavy with creature-based decks or ones that seek to control the board through damage.


How to beat

Ill-Tempered Loner is a formidable creature in MTG that deftly combines damage dealing and resistance to removal, making it a challenge in the battlefield. With its ability to deal extra damage when it becomes the target of a spell, earning your stripes against it requires careful play. Tactics that circumvent targeting it directly, such as global board wipes or using ‘fight’ mechanics indirectly, can prove to be effective.

Alternatively, taking advantage of passive effects of cards that don’t target, like those found in enchantments that diminish the power of creatures across the board, can avoid triggering its harmful ability. Efficient creature removal is also key in managing Ill-Tempered Loner without backlash. Cards like Doom Blade or board clears like Supreme Verdict can dispatch it without incident. Additionally, employing cards that force your opponent to sacrifice creatures can sidestep the Loner’s triggered ability and remove it from play without any of the explosive repercussions.

Mastering the subtleties of indirect control and removal is paramount when contending with this card. Having a strategic game plan and the right suite of cards in your deck increases your odds dramatically in overcoming the challenge posed by Ill-Tempered Loner.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you deepen your MTG journey, the goal is to not only relish individual victories but also to refine your gameplay into an art. Ill-Tempered Loner stands as a noteworthy card, capable of reshaping the battlefield and defining game tempo. Its reactive transformation offers a tactical edge, whether it’s forcing resource reallocation or gaining control of the board. Engage with MTG at a higher level by understanding the dynamics of damage and transformation. Let’s unravel more strategies together and propel your MTG prowess into new realms. Dive in with us to learn how to effectively incorporate cards like Ill-Tempered Loner into your deck and outmaneuver your opponents at every turn.


Cards like Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger

Ill-Tempered Loner offers a unique dynamic in the realm of damage-dealing creatures in Magic the Gathering. It stands shoulder to shoulder with cards like Brimstone Trebuchet, which also deals damage to an opponent. Yet, Ill-Tempered Loner advances further with its ability to take on two different roles through daybound and nightbound mechanics, while Brimstone Trebuchet doesn’t have this transformational capacity.

Another card worth comparing is Scab-Clan Berserker. Much like our Loner, the Berserker retaliates with damage whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, and both demand an immediate answer from opponents. The Berserker, however, lacks the ability to boost its own power and impact the board as significantly as Ill-Tempered Loner when night falls. Furyblade Vampire is also in this mix, tempting players with the prospect of increased damage output but without the same reactive capabilities or the robust flexibility offered by the werewolf’s day/night dual nature.

By examining the nuanced advantages of Ill-Tempered Loner alongside its counterparts, it’s clear that the card carves out a noteworthy niche. It provides a versatile and potent threat that adapts to the shifting sands of game tempo, making it a commendable pick for those looking to keep their opponents on their toes.

Brimstone Trebuchet - MTG Card versions
Scab-Clan Berserker - MTG Card versions
Furyblade Vampire - MTG Card versions
Brimstone Trebuchet - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Scab-Clan Berserker - Magic Origins (ORI)
Furyblade Vampire - Eldritch Moon (EMN)

Cards similar to Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger by color, type and mana cost

Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Ogre Gatecrasher - MTG Card versions
Reckless One - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ogre Gatecrasher - Dissension (DIS)
Reckless One - Duel Decks: Elves vs. Goblins (DD1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Grzegorz Rutkowski.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 953892015transformblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 1622015transformblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
32021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3782015transformblackGrzegorz Rutkowski
42022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 4292015transformblackGrzegorz Rutkowski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2021-11-19 If the damage causes this creature to die before the triggered ability resolves, use last known information to determine whether or not this creature had abilities such as deathtouch and lifelink. If it did, those abilities will apply to the damage
2021-11-19 The triggered ability on each face still works even if that damage causes this creature to die.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks