Longtusk Stalker MTG Card

Longtusk Stalker - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Cat
Released	2021-08-26
Set symbol
Set name	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
Set code	J21
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	27
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Vincent Christiaens

Key Takeaways

Drawing cards and creating treasure tokens, Longtusk Stalker provides significant combat damage advantages.
Demands careful hand management due to the discard requirement and specific mana cost for optimal play.
Aligning with aggressive and midrange decks, its versatility and meta-relevance make it a valuable collection choice.

Text of card

Whenever Longtusk Stalker enters the battlefield or attacks, you get . Pay : Longtusk Stalker perpetually gets +1/+0. You may choose a creature card in your hand. If you do, that card perpetually gets +1/+0.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Dynamic in gameplay, Longtusk Stalker offers the benefit of drawing into your deck as it deals combat damage to a player. This encourages a more aggressive playstyle while bolstering your hand, keeping the momentum in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Longtusk Stalker’s potential to ramp up your mana resources can’t be underestimated. Each time it deals damage to a player, you have the chance to create a treasure token, thus accelerating your mana availability for upcoming turns and enabling larger plays sooner.

Instant Speed: While not inherently an instant itself, Longtusk Stalker pairs well with spells of instant speed. Its ability to quickly change the state of your mana resources allows you to keep open mana with greater confidence, ready to cast instants in response to opponents’ actions, effectively keeping you one step ahead.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For players aspiring to unleash Longtusk Stalker’s strengths, there’s a hurdle to consider. This creature often necessitates discarding another card which might hamstring your hand, particularly in the heat of gameplay when every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Longtusk Stalker comes with a less flexible mana demand. Its cost is carved in the colors of the wild, demanding a particular type of mana that may not seamlessly blend with every deck archetype or mana base, therefore reducing its versatility across various deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that may eclipse that of other cards with similar or superior abilities, Longtusk Stalker may not always be the most mana-efficient choice for your deck. In the fast-paced world of competitive play, the balance between cost and impact is crucial, and thus, this could sway some players towards alternative choices.

Reasons to Include Longtusk Stalker in Your Collection

Versatility: Longtusk Stalker offers flexibility for deck builders. Its adaptability in finding a home in both aggressive and midrange decks makes it a worthy addition to your repertoire. With an array of potential synergies, it can complement a wide spectrum of strategies that capitalize on creature-based tactics.

Combo Potential: This card’s prowess in generating value each time it attacks sets the stage for powerful combo plays. Pair it with cards that leverage counters or benefit from attack triggers, and watch your strategy come to life, turn by turn. It’s a keystone for intricate plays that can swing the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting landscape of competitive play, Longtusk Stalker maintains relevance. Its ability to consistently apply pressure and accumulate advantages can dismantle an unprepared opponent. It’s especially potent in environments where board presence and incremental gains are key to victory.

How to beat

The Longtusk Stalker steps into the Magic: The Gathering arena as a creature that can quickly become a threat if left unchecked. While its base stats may not seem intimidating, its potential for growth through its aggressive clause allows it to scale as the game progresses. Therefore, the best strategy to counter this card is to neutralize it before it accumulates too many counters and becomes too formidable to deal with economically.

Spot removal spells are your best ally against the Longtusk Stalker. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispose of the stalker promptly before it spirals out of control. Similarly, board wipes can reset its progress, so consider timing your Damnation or Wrath of God after the stalker has raked in a couple of counters to maximize resource inefficiency for your opponent. It’s also worth mentioning that prevention is better than cure, so employing early game blockers to deter attacks or utilizing control elements to manipulate the battlefield can ensure the stalker never takes root in the first place.

In summary, addressing the Longtusk Stalker early on, utilizing efficient removal options, and preventing its growth will ensure that it doesn’t evolve into an unstoppable force within your games. Keep your answers ready, and the stalker will be little more than a fleeting presence on the board.

Cards like Longtusk Stalker

Longtusk Stalker has carved its niche in the vast world of Magic: The Gathering creatures. It exhibits similarities to stealth-themed cards like Heir of the Wilds, which also thrives on the power of ferocious mechanics, activating additional abilities when you control a creature with power 4 or greater. Longtusk Stalker, much like its cousin, empowers its own strength, steadily becoming a larger threat as the game progresses.

The renowned Scavenging Ooze is another creature to consider in this comparison. It also has the capacity to grow in power and toughness, though its growth is contingent on exiling cards from graveyards, a strategy that’s conditionally beneficial and can lead to incremental advantages over time. Longtusk Stalker, in contrast, is more proactive, as every attack contributes to its growth without the dependency on graveyard interactions.

For players valuing evasion, the classic comparison with Vinelasher Kudzu is inevitable. While the Kudzu grows with every land drop, providing a consistent power increase, Longtusk Stalker offers the added advantage of stealth, potentially slipping through defenses unchallenged. These characteristics help Longtusk Stalker stake its claim on gameboards, a creature that rewards aggressive play and punishes opponents who leave it unchecked.

Cards similar to Longtusk Stalker by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Longtusk Stalker MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Longtusk Stalker and other MTG cards: