Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Vampire Wizard
Abilities Transform
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage and graveyard setup with its transformation, dodging removal while preparing future plays.
  2. Instant speed transformation into Insidious Mist allows for adaptive, responsive plays against opponents.
  3. Though powerful, the card’s discard requirement and specific mana cost can limit its versatility in decks.

Text of card

, Discard a card: Transform Elusive Tormentor.

Older vampires are usually more cautious than the newly-sired, calling upon ancient magic for which neonates lack patience.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Elusive Tormentor can create significant card advantage by protecting itself from removal. As you discard a card, you not only potentially set up your graveyard for future strategies but also transform it into Insidious Mist, a nearly untouchable threat.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly impacting your mana pool, the Elusive Tormentor’s ability to flip into Insidious Mist can be a form of resource acceleration. It allows you to sidestep the need for protective spells, thereby saving mana and resources for more proactive plays.

Instant Speed: The transformation of Elusive Tormentor into Insidious Mist can be activated at instant speed, offering a responsive play to opponents’ actions. This adaptability ensures that your threat remains on the board, poised for your next move.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The transformation ability of Elusive Tormentor to Insidious Mist necessitates the discard of a card, which can be tricky when your hand is dwindling and each card becomes a valuable asset to your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: Elusive Tormentor’s casting cost requires both black and generic mana, which commits you to a color that must be consistently available. This can be restrictive for multicolored decks that struggle with mana fixing or for players who prefer a broader color strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial investment of four mana to get Elusive Tormentor on the board, players may find the cost a bit steep, particularly when evaluating other creatures and spells of similar or even lower mana value that could provide immediate effects or present a faster path to victory.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist can seamlessly adapt to various gameplay styles. Its ability to transform into an almost untouchable creature makes it a strong inclusion in decks that emphasize resilience and evasion.

Combo Potential: Key interactions play a large role with this card. Its transformation mechanic allows for interesting combos, potentially protecting vital combo pieces or enabling surprise block and attack tactics that can catch opponents off guard.

Meta-Relevance: With its capability to dodge common removal spells, Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist holds relevance in metagames where targeted removal is prevalent. Its transformative nature can outmaneuver some of the popular removal strategies, ensuring its viability in certain matchups.


How to beat

The Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist card in MTG presents a unique challenge with its ability to transform and become hexproof and indestructible. However, there are strategies effective against it. Ensuring you have control elements like sacrifice effects can bypass its defenses, as they don’t target the creature directly. Cards like Crackling Doom force a player to sacrifice without choosing a specific target, offering a way to deal with the otherwise elusive threat.

Board wipes also serve as a reliable countermeasure, clearing the field of all creatures, including those that are indestructible. The key is to play these spells when the Tormentor is on its vulnerable human side before it turns into the shrouded Mist. Always be mindful of the mana your opponent has available, as the transformation ability can be activated at instant speed, potentially in response to your actions. Playing around this card requires careful timing and an understanding of your opponent’s potential to react.

Ultimately, while the Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist can be a formidable adversary, a well-constructed deck with the right answers can navigate and neutralize this shapeshifting menace, maintaining the upper hand in your duels.


Cards like Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist

Elusive Tormentor, a unique card in the world of Magic: The Gathering, continues to intrigue players with its dual-faced nature and transformative ability. It holds a certain similarity to werewolf cards like Huntmaster of the Fells, which also have the capability to flip and change form. Yet, Elusive Tormentor stands out by enabling the transformation at the player’s discretion, without the dependency on the spells cast the previous turn, which is a condition for werewolves.

Another comparator in this space is Bloodline Keeper, a card that also evolves to a more powerful version, Lord of Lineage. While transformation is a mutual theme, Bloodline Keeper focuses on creating vampire tokens rather than protective evasion. The Tormentor’s ability to become hexproof and indestructible as Insidious Mist gives players a distinct tactical advantage by ensuring their creature’s survivability during critical moments of gameplay without relying on other cards or specific conditions.

Assessing both the versatility and control offered by Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist, it’s clear why it has garnered attention among players who value flexibility and the power to dictate the pace of their creature’s evolution within the game’s dynamic landscape.

Cards similar to Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Fiend - MTG Card versions
Benthic Djinn - MTG Card versions
Doomsday Specter - MTG Card versions
Marsh Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Possessed Aven - MTG Card versions
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Ingenious Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths - MTG Card versions
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Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - MTG Card versions
Blizzard Specter - MTG Card versions
Wydwen, the Biting Gale - MTG Card versions
Merrow Grimeblotter - MTG Card versions
Evil Twin - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Liege - MTG Card versions
Kathari Remnant - MTG Card versions
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - MTG Card versions
Duskmantle Seer - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions
Ulamog's Nullifier - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Fiend - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Benthic Djinn - Mirage (MIR)
Doomsday Specter - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Marsh Crocodile - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Possessed Aven - Torment (TOR)
Balshan Collaborator - Torment (TOR)
Ingenious Infiltrator - Modern Horizons 1 Timeshifts (H1R)
Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Moroii - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Blizzard Specter - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Wydwen, the Biting Gale - Commander 2020 (C20)
Merrow Grimeblotter - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Evil Twin - Battlebond (BBD)
Glen Elendra Liege - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Kathari Remnant - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - GRN Guild Kit (GK1)
Duskmantle Seer - Commander 2018 (C18)
Notion Thief - Tales of Middle-earth Commander (LTC)
Ulamog's Nullifier - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2016-04-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 604722015transformblackAnna Steinbauer
22016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 108s2015transformblackIzzy
32016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 1082015transformblackIzzy
42016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 1082015transformblackAnna Steinbauer

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Elusive Tormentor // Insidious Mist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-04-08 Once blockers have been chosen, transforming Elusive Tormentor into Insidious Mist won’t cause it to become unblocked.
2016-04-08 You can activate Elusive Tormentor’s ability multiple times to discard multiple cards. Only the first instance of the ability to resolve will cause it to transform.
2016-04-08 You can, all within one turn, attack with Elusive Tormentor, transform it into Insidious Mist before blockers are chosen, transform it back as its triggered ability resolves, and have it deal 4 combat damage.
2016-07-13 For more information on double-faced cards, see the Shadows over Innistrad mechanics article (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/shadows-over-innistrad-mechanics).

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