Stensia Innkeeper MTG Card

The card’s landfall ability ensures a consistent card supply, crucial for late-game strategies. With its entry and tap effect, it can disrupt opponent tempo, aiding your own resource management. Its flexibility in-game can force opponents to alter strategies, offering a reactionary edge.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Vampire
Released	2016-07-22
Set symbol
Set name	Eldritch Moon
Set code	EMN
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	145
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Winona Nelson

Text of card

When Stensia Innkeeper enters the battlefield, tap target land an opponent controls. That land doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.

"The perils of the road, you say? Don't worry. You won't have to face those again."

Cards like Stensia Innkeeper

Stensia Innkeeper is a creature card that offers a unique blend of utility and pressure in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards like Keldon Halberdier, which also enters the battlefield with a tap effect on the opponent’s land. However, Stensia Innkeeper’s edge lies in its ability to tap any land without a color restriction, unlike Keldon Halberdier that specifically targets nonbasic lands.

Another card to consider alongside Stensia Innkeeper is Frost Lynx. Frost Lynx may freeze an opposing creature upon entry, which can be particularly useful in stalling an opponent’s offensive plans. On the other hand, Stensia Innkeeper targets lands, serving a role in resource denial, a strategy that can handicap an opponent’s ability to cast spells. Encroaching Wights is another creature with a comparable ability, targeting the land base to slow down the adversary. However, its higher mana cost compared to Stensia Innkeeper makes it a later game option, unlike the Innkeeper that allows for earlier control on the game’s tempo.

When evaluating the strategic applications within the world of Magic: The Gathering, Stensia Innkeeper carves out its niche through its affordable cost and the tactical advantage of land disruption, augmenting decks with a tempo-swinging ability.

Cards similar to Stensia Innkeeper by color, type and mana cost

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Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When scouting the depths of your library for answers, Stensia Innkeeper provides a foothold by offering a card draw attached to its landfall ability. This feature becomes pivotal as you edge towards the late game, ensuring your hand remains replenished and ready for what lies ahead.

Resource Acceleration: Stensia Innkeeper may not directly produce additional mana like other ramp staples, but its affordable casting cost combined with its landfall-triggered tap ability can effectively hamper an opponent’s tempo, potentially giving you the upper hand. By slowing down your opponent, you can more efficiently marshal your resources while lining up your strategy.

Instant Speed: While the Innkeeper itself may not operate at instant speed, its ability to immediately impact the board upon entering alongside a land drop offers a degree of flexibility akin to instant-speed interactions. This can drastically affect your opponent’s planning and attack phases, providing you with an agile response to the evolving game state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stensia Innkeeper requires players to have another Vampire on the field to trigger its discard effect. This dependency can be a setback in non-vampire-centric decks or situations where your board presence is lacking.

Specific Mana Cost: As a card that demands a precise combination of mana colors to cast—one red and three generic—it may not easily fit into multi-colored decks where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting requirement of four mana for its ability to tap an opponent’s land, players might find other disruption options that are less taxing on their mana pool, providing similar or better control for the same or lower investment.

Reasons to Include Stensia Innkeeper in Your Collection

Versatility: Stensia Innkeeper fits well within a variety of red-based decks. The card’s ability to tap an opponent’s land can be a temporary but impactful form of mana disruption, potentially hindering their strategy long enough for an advantage to be secured.

Combo Potential: In decks focused on enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects, Stensia Innkeeper can be a functional piece. It can combine well with effects that untap your creatures, allowing it to be used multiple times for greater impact and setting up turns where the opponent is significantly hindered.

Meta-Relevance: This card can shine in metas where players rely on specific lands for crucial plays. The ability to control the pace of the game, even if just slightly, gives decks running Stensia Innkeeper an edge by limiting opponents’ resources and disrupting their curve.

How to beat

Overcoming the Stensia Innkeeper in your games requires a strategy that recognizes its potential to disrupt your tempo. This creature brings a unique ability to the battlefield that can tap down an opponent’s land, and ensuring it doesn’t slow you down is key. Planning ahead is vital, so consider keeping mana open for instant-speed removal spells. Cards like Shock or Fatal Push can efficiently take care of the Innkeeper before its ability becomes a nuisance.

Alternatively, you could bypass the Innkeeper’s ability altogether by playing land untap effects or mana acceleration. Cards such as Arbor Elf or Voyaging Satyr can negate the Innkeeper’s land-tapping impact, providing you with the resources you need. Bearing in mind the possible disruption the Innkeeper poses, maintaining a pace that keeps your land available is essential. The agility of your response ensures that the Innkeeper’s effect becomes a minor hiccup rather than a game-altering event.

Being prepared for what this card can bring to the table affords you the best chance to outmaneuver it. By employing timely removal, or by ensuring your mana base remains unaffected, you’ll keep the Stensia Innkeeper from becoming more than just a minor roadblock in your path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stensia Innkeeper MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon, 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 Stensia Innkeeper and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stensia Innkeeper has restrictions

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