Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Werewolf
Abilities Daybound,Menace
Power 2
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Transforms into a stronger creature, influencing card advantage by pressuring opponent’s hand resources.
  2. Can flip at instant speed, allowing strategic, unpredictable power and toughness enhancements.
  3. Requires specific conditions to transform, potentially limiting its effectiveness if not managed well.

Text of card

Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.) Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.)

The stranger spoke to no one, and the townspeople gladly returned the favor.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Shady Traveler transforms into Stalking Predator, it not only becomes a more powerful creature, but it indirectly leads to card advantage by creating a more significant threat that the opponent must answer, which can cost them cards from their hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of adding more lands to play or generating mana, by applying pressure on the opponent, it forces them to allocate resources to deal with it—potentially setting their board development back.

Instant Speed: Shady Traveler’s ability to transform into Stalking Predator at instant speed — under specific conditions like it being night — allows for a dynamic playstyle. It can surprise an unprepared opponent by upgrading its power and toughness when least expected, during either player’s turns, making it multifaceted in terms of timing and strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator flips into a more powerful form via the daybound/nightbound mechanic, but cannot do so without the right board conditions. This can be a downside if you’re unable to manipulate the day-night cycle effectively, leading to a stranded card in its less potent state.

Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a black mana in its casting cost, Shady Traveler requires a commitment to black mana sources in your deck. This condition narrows deck building options and can be restrictive for players wanting to splash multiple colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not excessively expensive, the three mana cost for a 2/3 creature might not be mana-efficient when compared to other creatures available in MTG, which can offer more impact for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator offers flexibility by adapting to the game’s flow. With its daybound and nightbound mechanic, it serves well in decks that manipulate these conditions to gain an edge on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card transforms into Stalking Predator under specific circumstances, which can be a key play in decks that maximize the value of creature type changes and power boosts.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where games can swing between day and night frequently, Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator remains relevant, fitting into strategies that either sustain long games or capitalize on quick shifts in game state.


How to beat Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator

Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator is a distinctive double-faced card that poses a particular challenge on the battlefield. As a 2/3 creature with menace, it forces opponents to block with two or more creatures, and this can be quite a hurdle. However, the key to overcoming Shady Traveler lies in keeping a tight control on the daytime and nighttime switching mechanic that transforms it into Stalking Predator. As a stronger 4/4 creature with still pervasive menace, your strategy should adapt quickly.

Combat tricks and removal spells are your best tools. By holding onto instant-speed removal for the precise moment before your opponent enters combat or when they attempt to flip Shady Traveler to its more formidable side, you can effectively manage the threat. Cards that can reset the day-night cycle, like Sunset Revelry or disrupting their transformation with spells such as Moonrager’s Slash will buy you time and control. Be vigilant about the board state and the changing times, and Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator can be contained, ensuring your play remains unshaken by its dual-faceted menace.


Cards like Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator

The Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator card introduces unique dynamics in the transformative creature space of Magic: The Gathering. It aligns with cards like Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration, featuring a transforming ability that can turn the tide by evolving the creature into a more formidable being. Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator begins as a modest threat, but when night falls—or certain conditions are met—it metamorphoses into a more powerful entity, much like how Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration transforms from a meek scientist into a flying monstrosity.

Village Messenger // Moonrise Intruder offers a similar transformational ability found in Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator, raising its power upon flipping. However, it initiates the game with haste as opposed to Shady Traveler, which relies on later game conditions to unleash its full potential. Another akin card is Breakneck Rider // Neck Breaker, which not only becomes stronger upon transformation but also empowers other attacking creatures—heightening the impact on the game state beyond that of the stand-alone power increase seen in Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator.

While Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator may not have the immediate impact of some other transforming creatures, it remains a strategic consideration in decks that capitalize on nightfall and power escalation, carving a niche in the transformative creatures’ archetype in Magic: The Gathering.

Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration - MTG Card versions
Village Messenger // Moonrise Intruder - MTG Card versions
Breakneck Rider // Neck Breaker - MTG Card versions
Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration - Innistrad (ISD)
Village Messenger // Moonrise Intruder - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)
Breakneck Rider // Neck Breaker - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

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Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Bone - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, 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 Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 1202015transformblackLie Setiawan
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 2912015transformblackJoshua Alvarado
32022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 1202015transformblackLie Setiawan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-09-24 Before a player untaps their permanents during the untap step, the game checks to see if the day/night designation should change.
2021-09-24 Day and night are designations that the game itself can have. The game starts as neither. Once the game becomes day (or less commonly, night), the game will be exactly one of them—day or night—going back and forth for the rest of the game.
2021-09-24 Double-faced permanents with daybound transform to their nightbound faces as it becomes night. Similarly, double-faced permanents with nightbound transform to their daybound faces as it becomes day. This happens immediately and is not a state-based action. It happens any time it becomes day or night, not just during the untap step.
2021-09-24 For more information about Day and Night and the Daybound and Nightbound abilities, please see the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Mechanics atricle (https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/innistrad-midnight-hunt-mechanics-2021-09-02).
2021-09-24 If it is day, and the active player of the previous turn cast no spells during their turn, it becomes night.
2021-09-24 If it is night, and the active player of the previous turn cast two or more spells during their turn, it becomes day.
2021-09-24 If it is night, permanents with daybound that enter the battlefield without being cast will enter with their nightbound faces up.
2021-09-24 If it's neither day nor night, and a creature with daybound and a creature with nightbound somehow appear on the battlefield at the same time, it becomes day. The creature with nightbound will transform.
2021-09-24 If you cast a spell with daybound during night, that spell will be front face up (that is, daybound face up) on the stack. However, it will enter the battlefield with its back face up (that is, with its nightbound face up). It won't enter with its daybound face up and then transform.
2021-09-24 Permanents with daybound and nightbound can't transform via any means other than their daybound and nightbound abilities. Notably, older cards such as Moonmist that instruct a player to transform permanents don't affect permanents with daybound or nightbound.

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