Stir the Pride MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant
Abilities Entwine

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed casting of Stir the Pride offers strategic flexibility and surprise tactics during combat.
  2. Works optimally in wide-board states, turning creatures into significant threats and applying pressure.
  3. Specific mana requirements and high cost make Stir the Pride situational but potent in white decks.

Text of card

Choose one Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn; or until end of turn, creatures you control gain "Whenever this creature deals damage, you gain that much life." Entwine (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stir the Pride offers strategic value by potentially increasing the size of your creature forces. If you have a wide board presence, this card can turn each of your creatures into a more formidable threat, effectively enhancing your overall card impact on the game.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, Stir the Pride can significantly increase the power and toughness of your creatures, resulting in accelerated damage potential and possibly shortening the length of the match in your favor.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Stir the Pride at instant speed ensures flexibility in your gameplay. You can adapt to your opponent’s moves, cast it during the combat phase to surprise your opponent, or use it defensively to protect your life total. This versatility is a key tactical advantage in any match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Stir the Pride doesn’t require a discard to play, it demands a specific board state to shine. If you don’t have creatures to target, its impact is significantly reduced, making it situational compared to other buffs.

Specific Mana Cost: Stir the Pride has a mana cost that includes white mana, which means it can only be effortlessly slotted into decks heavily utilizing white. If you’re running a multi-color deck with a limited white mana base, playing Stir the Pride could be challenging.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Stir the Pride can be a notable investment, especially when you consider other spells in the same range that may have immediate impact on the game state. This high mana cost requires players to potentially delay other plays, which could put them at a strategic disadvantage.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stir the Pride offers a versatile approach for deck builders, catering to strategies focusing on creature boosts and life gain. Its two modes provide flexibility, whether you need an immediate board impact or a longer-term advantage.

Combo Potential: This card excels in combinations with creatures that have lifelink or those that benefit from being targeted, such as heroic triggers. Moreover, its ability to boost the whole team can be a game-changer during a critical turn.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to buff an entire army, Stir the Pride can be a crucial card in metas where creature-heavy decks are dominant. In addition to raising the power and toughness of creatures, the life gain can be a pivotal swing in your favor during tight match-ups.


How to beat

Stir the Pride is an impactful card that allows players to boost their creatures in two distinct ways in Magic: The Gathering. It can either grant a significant toughness increase and lifelink, which could be the deciding factor in surviving combat, or it can permanently bolster the power of white creatures, ensuring a more threatening board presence for future turns.

Dealing with Stir the Pride requires a strategic approach. Players should prioritize removal of key white creatures before Stir the Pride is cast. This limits the card’s impact by reducing the number of potential targets. Additionally, using counter spells effectively can stop Stir the Pride in its tracks, ensuring that your opponent doesn’t gain the advantage. Another tactic is to maintain board control with sweepers or damage spells that can handle a large number of creatures at once, regardless of their increased toughness or lifelink ability.

Overall, playing against Stir the Pride demands foresight and control of the game’s pace. By managing your removal and counters wisely and keeping the board clear, you can limit the effectiveness of this versatile enchantment and maintain the upper hand in the match.


Cards like Stir the Pride

Stir the Pride stands out in Magic the Gathering for its dual functionality, granting creatures you control a significant boost. Comparable to cards like Glorious Anthem, which also offers a static power and toughness increase, Stir the Pride provides the flexibility of being able to choose between an immediate anthemic effect or a mass lifelink ability until end of turn. This can turn the tide of a game and make it an attractive option for white token strategies or in situations where life gain is pivotal.

When looking at Marshal’s Anthem, we see another ability to amplify creature performance. Although it provides a similar buff to your creatures and can potentially revive them from the graveyard, it lacks the instant lifelink grant that can be critical in certain matchups. Cards like Inspired Charge also parallel the concept of boosting a squad of creatures but focus solely on granting a temporary bonus to power and toughness without the long-term benefits or versatility that Stir the Pride offers.

Highly situational but strong in the right deck, Stir the Pride can easily be a game-changer in white-focused decks, particularly when you’re on the defensive or when you have a substantial number of creatures. It’s a unique tool in MTG that brings versatility and a potential comeback mechanic to the table.

Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Marshal's Anthem - MTG Card versions
Inspired Charge - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - Urza's Saga (USG)
Marshal's Anthem - Worldwake (WWK)
Inspired Charge - Magic 2011 (M11)

Cards similar to Stir the Pride by color, type and mana cost

Fire and Brimstone - MTG Card versions
Scars of the Veteran - MTG Card versions
Jabari's Influence - MTG Card versions
Miraculous Recovery - MTG Card versions
Double Dip - MTG Card versions
Second Thoughts - MTG Card versions
Soul Nova - MTG Card versions
Turn the Tables - MTG Card versions
Charge Across the Araba - MTG Card versions
Brace for Impact - MTG Card versions
Swell of Courage - MTG Card versions
Endure - MTG Card versions
Gleam of Resistance - MTG Card versions
Arrow Volley Trap - MTG Card versions
Banishment Decree - MTG Card versions
Meditation Puzzle - MTG Card versions
Sanctified Charge - MTG Card versions
Take Up Arms - MTG Card versions
Enduring Victory - MTG Card versions
Roil's Retribution - MTG Card versions
Fire and Brimstone - The Dark (DRK)
Scars of the Veteran - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Jabari's Influence - Mirage (MIR)
Miraculous Recovery - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Double Dip - Unglued (UGL)
Second Thoughts - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Soul Nova - Mirrodin (MRD)
Turn the Tables - Darksteel (DST)
Charge Across the Araba - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Brace for Impact - Dissension (DIS)
Swell of Courage - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Endure - Eventide (EVE)
Gleam of Resistance - The List (PLST)
Arrow Volley Trap - Duel Decks: Speed vs. Cunning (DDN)
Banishment Decree - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Meditation Puzzle - The List (PLST)
Sanctified Charge - Magic 2015 (M15)
Take Up Arms - Battlebond (BBD)
Enduring Victory - The List (PLST)
Roil's Retribution - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stir the Pride MTG card by a specific set like Darksteel and Salvat 2005, 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 Stir the Pride and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stir the Pride Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2004-02-06 and 2013-06-07. Illustrated by Matt Cavotta.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12004-02-06DarksteelDST 162003normalblackMatt Cavotta
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL C522003normalwhiteMatt Cavotta
32013-06-07Modern MastersMMA 302003normalblackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stir the Pride has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-06-07 Notably, the ability granted by the second mode isn’t lifelink. It’s a triggered ability that triggers whenever the creature with that ability deals damage. If that creature also has lifelink, you’ll gain life as a result of that damage and also when the triggered ability resolves. Multiple instances of this ability trigger separately.
2013-06-07 Only creatures you control when Stir the Pride resolves will get the bonuses.

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