Desperate Stand MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Strive
Released	2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Journey into Nyx
Set code	JOU
Number	147
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Raymond Swanland

Key Takeaways

Offers immediate board presence with vigilant Knight tokens, tilting combat in your favor.
Stride mechanic enables a rapid deployment of threats, amplifying your tactical plays.
Instant speed casting allows surprise plays, keeping opponents on their toes defensively.

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Strive — Desperate Stand costs more to cast for each target beyond the first. Any number of target creatures each get +2/+0 and gain first strike and vigilance until end of turn.

At the Akroan gates, hoplites revived the tactics of Kytheon Iora's infamous irregulars.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Playing Desperate Stand can swing the momentum in your favor by offering immediate reinforcements. This spell releases two vigilant Knight tokens onto the battlefield, giving you an extra presence and potentially outnumbering your opponent’s forces.

Resource Acceleration: A pivotal aspect of Desperate Stand is its stride mechanic, enabling you to quickly deploy a horde of Knights if your hand allows it. This strategic move can overwhelm adversaries by accelerating the rate at which you deploy threats, effectively tipping the scales of battle.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Desperate Stand at instant speed affords you the tactical advantage to adapt to the ever-shifting landscape of a duel. Should the need arise, you can summon your vigilant Knights at a moment’s notice, be it in response to an attack or during your opponent’s turn, catching them unawares and disrupting their plans.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Desperate Stand presents a challenge when it asks players to discard a card upon casting. This requirement could potentially diminish your hand, leaving you with fewer options for future turns. For players who are already behind or managing scarce resources, this cost could escalate the difficulty of an uphill battle.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the hurdles with Desperate Stand is its white and red mana necessity. This specificity demands a deck tailored around these colors or a well-constructed mana base, which might not always align with a player’s strategy or card pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Desperate Stand has the potential to influence the game significantly, its higher mana cost is a factor to consider. In competitive play, where efficiency is key, there are alternate cards that can offer similar or greater impact for less mana investment. Players need to weigh if the card’s effect is worth the mana commitment, especially in formats where speed and economy can dictate the course of the game.

Reasons to Include Desperate Stand in Your Collection

Versatility: Desperate Stand is a card that can adapt to a wide array of situations, fitting well into decks that are looking to swing the game with sudden buffs or surprise combat tricks.

Combo Potential: This card can become a linchpin in strategies that focus on increasing creature power or utilizing heroic abilities, setting the stage for powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to turn the tides in creature-heavy matchups, Desperate Stand holds value in metas where aggressive decks reign supreme, giving you a competitive edge when facing down swarms of opponents.

How to beat

Desperate Stand is a unique spell known for swinging the tides of battle in Magic: The Gathering. Players often count on it to provide a sudden boost in power and toughness for their creatures during combat. To counteract the strategy that Desperate Stand encourages, one must think preemptively. Removal spells that can clear the board before the opponent amasses a large force, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, can prevent any advantage Desperate Stand might offer.

Alternatively, holding up mana for instant-speed interaction allows players to react to Desperate Stand’s casting directly. Cards like Counterspell or Dovin’s Veto can shut down this threat before it even begins to affect the game state. Timing is crucial; it’s important to anticipate when an opponent might rely on Desperate Stand to make a desperate push. Understanding your opponent’s deck and playing style can offer insights into when this card may come into play.

Utilizing combat tricks or spells that negate the benefits granted by Desperate Stand can also diminish its impact. Instant spells such as Unsummon or Path to Exile can exile key creatures buffed by the enchantment, rendering the Stand less effective. By staying vigilant and ready to act, countering Desperate Stand becomes part of a robust defensive strategy in competitive play.

Cards like Desperate Stand

Desperate Stand brings a unique twist to combat-focused cards in the realm of MTG. It can be likened to other cards that bolster your creatures’ abilities in the heat of battle, such as “Marshal’s Anthem”. While both cards can potentially turn the tide during combat, Desperate Stand is particularly versatile due to its strive mechanic, which allows you to pump multiple creatures albeit at an increasing cost. “Marshal’s Anthem”, in contrast, offers a static effect that also aids in returning creatures from the graveyard.

Delving deeper into the comparison, “Launch the Fleet” is another card that shares similarities with Desperate Stand. It also allows a multitude of creatures to be affected due to its strive mechanic. However, it focuses on creating tokens rather than providing a stat boost and can be a more cost-effective way to expand your army. “Aurelia’s Fury”, on the other hand, is a more control-oriented option that can lock down opposing forces while dealing damage, offering a different tactical approach compared to the aggressive slant of Desperate Stand.

Ultimately, MTG players evaluating the strategic advantages of Desperate Stand will recognize its potential to instantly amplify their offensive capabilities, making it a potent choice in the right deck build.

Cards similar to Desperate Stand by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Desperate Stand MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx, 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 Desperate Stand and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Desperate Stand has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-04-26	If a spell or ability allows you to cast a strive spell without paying its mana cost, you must pay the additional costs for any targets beyond the first.
2014-04-26	If all of the spell's targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. If one or more of its targets are legal when it tries to resolve, the spell will resolve and affect only those legal targets. It will have no effect on any illegal targets.
2014-04-26	If such a spell is copied, and the effect that copies the spell allows a player to choose new targets for the copy, the number of targets can't be changed. The player may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, the player can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
2014-04-26	The mana cost and mana value of strive spells don't change no matter how many targets they have. Strive abilities affect only what you pay.
2014-04-26	You choose how many targets each spell with a strive ability has and what those targets are as you cast it. It's legal to cast such a spell with no targets, although this is rarely a good idea. You can't choose the same target more than once for a single strive spell.