Slinking Serpent MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Serpent
Abilities	Forestwalk
Released	2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Invasion
Set code	INV
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	274
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Wayne England

Key Takeaways

Its ability to force resource expenditure from opponents indirectly leads to gaining card advantage.
The low casting cost supports rapid play, enabling swift strategies to pressure adversaries.
Unblockable traits, like islandwalk, turn it into a formidable force against island-based decks.

Text of card

Forestwalk (This creature is unblockable as long as defending player controls a forest.)

It winds its way through undergrowth as easily as it swims through shallows.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Slinking Serpent itself doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, its unblockable nature often forces opponents to expend more resources to deal with it. This can indirectly lead to card advantage as your adversary uses up valuable spells or abilities to remove it from the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although Slinking Serpent doesn’t provide direct mana generation or acceleration, its low casting cost can contribute to a quicker deployment of other spells in your arsenal. This can result in a faster-paced game where you can overwhelm your opponents before they have time to set up their own strategies.

Instant Speed: While the Slinking Serpent is a creature card and not an instant, the elements of surprise and evasion are still key. The ability to slip past defenders can be as crucial as an instant-speed interaction in certain matchups, allowing for strategic attacks when the opponent least expects it.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging the abilities of Slinking Serpent may compel a player to discard a card, which isn’t always an optimal move. In situations when your hand is already sparse, this cost can be prohibitively high, potentially setting back your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a mana cost that demands both blue and black mana, Slinking Serpent necessitates a deck built around at least two colors. This requirement can constrain deck building, particularly for those looking to run a mono-colored strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s on the higher side, this serpent may not always provide the most cost-effective presence on the board. Adept MTG players might seek out other creatures or spells that offer greater impact for the same, or even lower, investment of mana resources.

Reasons to Include Slinking Serpent in Your Collection

Versatility: Slinking Serpent offers a unique flexibility to blue and black decks, empowering strategies that require a stealth approach. As a creature that can easily slide under the radar, it’s a fitting choice for control decks looking to maintain board presence without drawing too much attention.

Combo Potential: With its islandwalk ability, the serpent can be a crucial component in combos involving unblockable creatures. This trait could be exploited in conjunction with cards that change land types or capitalize on your opponents controlling islands.

Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to consistently deal damage in metas with a prevalence of island-based decks, including those prevalent in blue control and combo archetypes, the Slinking Serpent can become an unexpectedly effective player on the battlefield, bypassing typical defensive setups.

How to Beat Slinking Serpent

Slinking Serpent is a creature card that brings a unique dynamic to the battlefield. With its ability to be unblockable as long as the opponent controls a Swamp, it can swiftly become a consistent source of damage in the right deck. Players who face this serpent often find it slipping through defenses unless they have the right strategies up their sleeves.

To counter Slinking Serpent, consider incorporating cards that remove or neutralize threats without needing to block. Removal spells are your go-to method for handling this elusive creature. Spot removal cards that can target and destroy a creature, regardless of its unblockable status, are particularly effective. Additionally, cards that change land types can be highly beneficial, altering the opponent’s Swamp into another basic land type to disable the serpent’s unblockability. Board wipes also offer a solution, clearing all creatures off the board regardless of their abilities. Lastly, leveraging control elements to dictate the pace of the game and prevent the serpent from ever hitting the board is a sound tactic.

In essence, neutralizing Slinking Serpent is about staying one step ahead. It’s about having a deck that can adapt to threats that traditional defenses can’t handle and leveraging versatile removal options that mitigate such elusive creatures.

Cards like Slinking Serpent

Slinking Serpent offers a unique presence in the world of MTG with its blend of abilities. When evaluating it alongside other cards, it’s worth comparing it to creatures such as River Sneak. Both creatures share the unblockable feature, allowing them to bypass creatures without fear of being blocked, but the Serpent’s inclusion of islandwalk provides it an additional edge in games with heavy blue mana playfields. Furthermore, River Sneak has the advantage of being cheaper to cast and the potential to grow through its synergy with Merfolk and other River Sneaks.

Another similar card to consider is Thieving Magpie, which has a different approach to utility. While not unblockable, the Magpie offers card draw on dealing combat damage, providing a different kind of strategic value to the player. Unlike Thieving Magpie, Slinking Serpent requires specific board conditions to optimize its unblockable trait. Daring Saboteur is another creature that shares a color with Slinking Serpent, encouraging a more aggressive style of play through its card draw ability when it deals combat damage, although it requires mana investment to become unblockable.

Assessing Slinking Serpent within the context of similar cards, it stands out in metagames that favor unblockable traits, providing palpable advantages based on its innate characteristics and situational dominance on the battlefield.

Cards similar to Slinking Serpent by color, type and mana cost

Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - MTG Card versions

Wydwen, the Biting Gale - MTG Card versions

Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - MTG Card versions

Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist - MTG Card versions

Drunau Corpse Trawler - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Slinking Serpent MTG card by a specific set like Invasion, 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 Slinking Serpent and other MTG cards: