Stolen Vitality MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 161
2022-01-28 - Number 161
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
Key Takeaways
- Boosts creatures with +2/+2 or +3/+3 at instant speed for sudden gameplay shifts, favoring red creatures.
- Offers flexibility and efficiency in resource use with potential lower mana costs during crucial plays.
- Requires careful hand management, challenging players with discard decisions and specific mana needs.
Text of card
Target creature gets +3/+1 until end of turn. If it's your turn, that creature gains trample until end of turn. Otherwise, it gains first strike until end of turn.
"There's nothing like a good meal to really lift the spirit."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Stolen Vitality provides an unexpected boost by giving a creature +2/+2 until end of turn, or +3/+3 if it targets a red creature. This can lead to a more favorable board state and potentially help swing the game in your favor by outmatching your opponents’ creatures.
Resource Acceleration: Stolen Vitality offers a strategic advantage by potentially costing less mana. The spell itself offers a cost-effective way to enhance your creatures, making it an efficient use of resources in tight gameplay situations.
Instant Speed: As an instant, Stolen Vitality can be played at almost any time, offering tactical flexibility during the heat of battle. This can disrupt opponent’s strategies and turn the tides when least expected, especially during combat or in response to an opponent’s spells.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Stolen Vitality presents a challenge to players as it may necessitate discarding a valuable card. When your hand is dwindling, this can be a particularly tough pill to swallow, as it effectively reduces your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: Being a red spell, Stolen Vitality requires red mana. It’s an integral aspect of its casting cost, thus limiting its utility to decks that run on red mana or that can accommodate a red splash, potentially constraining your deck-building options.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the mana investment versus impact, Stolen Vitality has a higher than average casting cost for its effect. Savvy players might lean towards alternatives that offer similar benefits for a lower mana investment, optimizing their deck’s efficiency and speed in a match.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Stolen Vitality offers flexibility to players, seamlessly integrating into various deck archetypes. Its ability to grant either first strike or haste can be pivotal during combat phases, making it a valuable addition for aggressive strategies or decks that aim to surprise opponents with sudden, powerful strikes.
Combo Potential: With Stolen Vitality’s instant-speed capability, it opens up dynamic interactions on the battlefield. It can enhance combat tricks or work in conjunction with cards that benefit from damage boosts or altered combat states, giving deck builders a tool for creative and potentially game-winning combinations.
Meta-Relevance: As the MTG environment continuously evolves, maintaining cards that can adapt to various meta scenarios is crucial. Stolen Vitality’s efficiency and the immediate impact provides a tactical edge against a range of decks, ensuring its relevance in different competitive settings.
How to Beat
Stolen Vitality is an intriguing spell in Magic: The Gathering, capable of tipping combat in your favor with its sudden boost. In essence, it is designed to augment a creature’s power, giving it the potential to overpower opposing creatures or deal a devastating blow to an opponent. This card is distinguished by its versatility, allowing you to choose between granting a creature first strike or prowess—each with its own tactical advantages during battle phases.
To successfully counteract the effects of Stolen Vitality, savvy players often rely on instant-speed removal spells that can be cast before the combat trick is fully realized. Strategies typically involve holding back removal like Shock, Fatal Push, or Path to Exile until your opponent commits to using the card, effectively mitigating its impact and securing an advantageous trade for you. Another tactic is to play creatures with hexproof or indestructible traits, ensuring that the benefits of Stolen Vitality are nullified by your creature’s inherent protections.
Ultimately, knowing your opponent has Stolen Vitality in their arsenal means staying vigilant and ready to respond. By carefully managing your resources and recognizing the optimal moment to disrupt your opponent’s plan, you can minimize the card’s potential and maintain control of the battlefield.
Cards like Stolen Vitality
Stolen Vitality finds its niche within the aggressive spells category in Magic: The Gathering. At first glance, it might remind seasoned players of Brute Force, a card that also provides a creature with a temporary power boost. Stolen Vitality, however, offers more versatility, allowing a choice between granting +3/+1 until end of turn or +1/+3, fitting different combat scenarios. Brute Force, with its fixed +3/+3 bonus, doesn’t offer this tactical flexibility.
Other parallels can be drawn to Titan’s Strength, which offers a similar power increase with an added scry to filter upcoming draws. While Titan’s Strength leans toward shaping future plays, Stolen Vitality is focused purely on immediate battlefield impact. Lastly, comparing it to Rush of Adrenaline reveals that while both spells are combat tricks, Stolen Vitality’s dual mode choice can be crucial in outmaneuvering opponents, even though both spells share the same mana cost.
Evaluating the card against its counterparts highlights Stolen Vitality’s potential in enhancing creature performance. Its flexibility can be a pivotal factor in the heat of battle, making it a noteworthy spell in aggressive MTG decks that aim to overpower their adversaries swiftly.
Cards similar to Stolen Vitality by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Stolen Vitality MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, 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 Stolen Vitality and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Stolen Vitality Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Mike Bierek.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 161 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mike Bierek | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 161 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Mike Bierek |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Stolen Vitality has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
