Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human
Abilities Transform
Power 1
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Sudden transformation into Malicious Invader provides versatility and unexpected plays, disrupting opponent strategies.
  2. Requires strategic hand management due to its discard requirement for transformation, adding a layer of decision-making.
  3. An investment in mana and strategy could reward players with a powerful asset pivotal for game dominance.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, any opponent may sacrifice a creature. If no one does, transform Innocent Traveler.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader presents a unique opportunity to maximize card utility. As it transforms from an unassuming traveler into a formidable invader, it grants you the capacity to overcome your opponent with surprise and added value from a single card.

Resource Acceleration: The transformation of this card can act as a catalyst for resource acceleration. By flipping into Malicious Invader, you exert pressure and advance your board state, potentially disrupting your opponent’s rhythm and tipping the scales in your favor.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of activating its transform ability at instant speed offers strategic depth. You can adapt to the changing battlefield on the fly, bait your opponent into unfavorable exchanges, or just upgrade your creature at the most opportune moment to seize control of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader demands players to discard a card to unleash its transformed potential. This can be especially tricky in game stages where hand size is already diminished, forcing tough decisions on which resources to forfeit.

Specific Mana Cost: A precise mana cost configuration is present, demanding a mix of generic and coloured mana which can be challenging to assemble, especially in multicoloured decks. This makes playing the card on curve less consistent.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment is sizeable when weighed against other options in its category. The initial form may not seem as impactful when considering the tempo of the current game environment, leading players to evaluate if the payoff of its transformed state is worth the setup.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader brings flexibility to the table as a double-faced card with distinct functionalities. This feature allows it to adapt to various game scenarios, providing potential utility in different deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: With its transformation ability, it can seamlessly integrate into strategies that manipulate or exploit enter-the-battlefield triggers, offering unique interactions and synergies in combination-centered decks.

Meta-Relevance: Depending on the shifting trends of gameplay, Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader’s adaptability makes it a contender in diverse meta landscapes, holding its own in both aggressive and responsive roles within the game.


How to beat Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader

Innocent Traveler is a nuanced card that transforms into Malicious Invader in Magic: The Gathering, offering a unique gameplay challenge. Like cards that evolve based on game conditions, understanding the triggers for its transformation is pivotal. To undermine this card, time your removal spells to disrupt the transformation. Since Innocent Traveler becomes Malicious Invader at the end of your turn if it’s neither blocked nor dealt damage, employ tactics like instant-speed removal to eliminate it before it changes.

Using cards that can either deal damage during your turn or offering creatures that can block and survive will ensure that you contain the threat of this evolving creature. Additionally, cards with flash can be strategically played to trump your opponent just as they feel secure in their ramp towards Malicious Invader. By prioritizing Innocent Traveler’s removal while it’s still vulnerable, or by preparing blockers that can handle an attack from Malicious Invader, players can maintain control and prevent the card from reaching its full, destructive potential.


Cards like Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader

Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader is a unique transformative card in Magic: The Gathering, presenting fascinating gameplay dynamics, similar to other double-faced cards. When compared to Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration, Innocent Traveler begins as a seemingly benign creature, but upon triggering its condition, it flips to reveal its more formidable side, Malicious Invader. Like Delver of Secrets, this card’s transformative ability can turn the tides of the game.

Another card that echoes this transformative feature is Legion’s Landing // Adanto, the First Fort. While Legion’s Landing transforms from an enchantment into a land, it shares the trait of metamorphosing into a more powerful asset under certain conditions. However, Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader offers a direct creature to creature transformation, unlike Legion’s Landing’s enchantment to land transition.

The gameplay strategy involving these types of cards often revolves around meeting specific criteria to take advantage of their dual nature. Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader, with its ability to erupt on the battlefield as a more dominant force, positions itself as a key part in decks built around surprise and adaptability.

Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration - MTG Card versions
Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort - MTG Card versions
Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration - Innistrad (ISD)
Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort - Ixalan (XLN)

Cards similar to Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader by color, type and mana cost

Hell's Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Rag Man - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Debaser - MTG Card versions
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions
Slinking Skirge - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Scandalmonger - MTG Card versions
Urborg Shambler - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Filth - MTG Card versions
Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions
Bold Plagiarist - MTG Card versions
Toxin Sliver - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Spirit - MTG Card versions
Nim Shambler - MTG Card versions
Scourge of Numai - MTG Card versions
Dirty Wererat - MTG Card versions
Faceless Butcher - MTG Card versions
Crowd of Cinders - MTG Card versions
Nimana Sell-Sword - MTG Card versions
Hell's Caretaker - Chronicles (CHR)
Rag Man - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Phyrexian Debaser - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Slinking Skirge - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Gravedigger - The List (PLST)
Scandalmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Urborg Shambler - Invasion (INV)
Whispering Shade - Odyssey (ODY)
Filth - Judgment (JUD)
Demon of Catastrophes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Bold Plagiarist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Toxin Sliver - Legions (LGN)
Vampiric Spirit - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nim Shambler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scourge of Numai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Dirty Wererat - Hachette UK (PHUK)
Faceless Butcher - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Crowd of Cinders - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Nimana Sell-Sword - Zendikar (ZEN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Crimson Vow 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 Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 2942015transformblackSami Makkonen
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 1212015transformblackCristi Balanescu
32021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3362015transformborderlessIgor Kieryluk
42022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 3882015transformblackCristi Balanescu

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Innocent Traveler // Malicious Invader 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 When Innocent Traveler's ability resolves, the next opponent in turn order chooses whether they want to sacrifice a creature at all and which creature to sacrifice if so, then each other opponent in turn order does the same, knowing the choices made before them. Then all the chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time. If no creatures are sacrificed this way, Innocent Traveler is transformed.

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