Stinging Cave Crawler MTG Card

Stinging Cave Crawler offers card advantage, accelerating your game while potentially removing threats. Flashing in the Crawler provides instant-speed interaction, surprising opponents and disrupting their strategies. Carefully weigh its high mana cost and specific color requirements against the strategic benefits it provides.

Stinging Cave Crawler - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Insect Horror
Abilities	Deathtouch,Descend
Released	2023-11-17
Set symbol
Set name	The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Set code	LCI
Power	1
Toughness	3
Number	124
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dan Scott

Text of card

Deathtouch Descend 4 — Whenever Stinging Cave Crawler attacks, if there are four or more permanent cards in your graveyard, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.

Caverns uninhabited by mycoids are often infested with worse.

Cards like Stinging Cave Crawler

Stinging Cave Crawler introduces an intriguing dynamic to the creature lineup in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to other creatures with evasion abilities, such as Thornweald Archer which also offers a form of protection with reach. However, Stinging Cave Crawler brings its own unique flair to the battlefield with its combination of deathtouch and the possibility to grow in strength through its specific synergies, enhancing its threat level on the board.

Akin to this, Vampire Nighthawk presents a compelling comparison, as it not only has deathtouch but also flying and lifelink. Despite the Nighthawk’s additional abilities making it a formidable force, Stinging Cave Crawler’s potential to become more powerful with additional +1/+1 counters can ultimately exceed the Nighthawk’s static abilities, under the right conditions within a deck that supports such growth.

Ultimately, while Stinging Cave Crawler may share some traits with other deathtouch creatures, it stands out with its unique capability to adapt and strengthen over the course of a game. It exemplifies how MTG constantly evolves, where even classic abilities like deathtouch find new synergies and strategic depth.

Cards similar to Stinging Cave Crawler by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Stinging Cave Crawler enables players to maintain board presence while potentially drawing into more options. By dealing damage and possibly eliminating a threat, you create opportunities to swing the game in your favor by drawing into your deck’s answers or threats.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly impacting your mana pool, by efficiently utilizing mana to control the board and pave the way for larger threats, the Stinging Cave Crawler indirectly accelerates your game plan. This streamlining of resources allows for a smoother transition into the mid to late game where you can deploy more impactful spells.

Instant Speed: Being able to flash in the Stinging Cave Crawler can catch opponents off guard, disrupt their combat calculations or end-step plays. This tactical advantage can lead to favorable trades or preserving life points, key for staying ahead in the game. It also affords the element of surprise and adaptability, essential for navigating complex board states.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stinging Cave Crawler’s abilities might compel you to discard cards, which reduces your hand size. This can be particularly detrimental when you’re trying to maintain a robust card advantage over your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: This crawler requires not just any mana, but a precise combination. Its dependency on black mana means your deck must be tailored to accommodate such costs or risk being unable to play it when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the mana investment needed to summon Stinging Cave Crawler, you might find it pricey compared to other creatures in its category. For decks aiming for speed and efficiency, this mana requirement could slow you down, making it a less favorable choice.

Reasons to Include Stinging Cave Crawler in Your Collection

Versatility: Stinging Cave Crawler boasts flexibility as it can adapt to various playing styles. Its blend of decent power, affordable casting cost, and evasion abilities makes it suitable for a wide array of deck builds looking to apply early pressure.

Combo Potential: The creature’s inherent synergy with cards that benefit from dealing combat damage to a player maximizes its combo potential. It can work in tandem with cards that draw upon damage triggers, energizing numerous strategies and enhancing your board position.

Meta-Relevance: In a gaming environment where opponents rely on creatures without reach or flying, Stinging Cave Crawler can become a consistent source of damage. It’s particularly effective in a meta filled with ground-bound threats, allowing it to slip through defenses and tip the scales in your favor.

How to beat

The Stinging Cave Crawler proves to be a real nuisance in matches, with its capacity to evade most blockers thanks to its menace ability. This unassuming creature can quietly chip away at an opponent’s life total, compelling you to reconsider your defense strategy. However, overcoming this card isn’t as daunting as it might seem.

To effectively counter the Stinging Cave Crawler, consider spells that force a sacrifice or direct removal, which nullifies the menace ability by not needing to assign a blocker. Additionally, spells that can deal damage regardless of blocking status, such as burn spells, will handle this threat without a hiccup. Board wipes remain a timeless solution, efficiently clearing the Stinging Cave Crawler along with any other menacing creatures on the battlefield. Enhancing your creatures’ toughness can also serve you well, allowing them to survive an encounter with the crawler and thwart repeated attacks.

Remember that a keen understanding of your deck’s toolbox and a well-timed reaction can neutralize the crawler’s stinging assault, enabling you to maintain control of the game’s tempo and, eventually, your path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stinging Cave Crawler MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Stinging Cave Crawler and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stinging Cave Crawler has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2023-11-10	Cards with the ability word "descend N" have abilities that care if you have at least N permanent cards in your graveyard.
2023-11-10	Some descend triggered abilities include intervening "if" clauses (i.e. "if you have -our or eight] permanent cards in your graveyard" in the middle of the ability). Each of these abilities checks your graveyard at the moment it would trigger to see if it does. If you don't have the required number of permanent cards in your graveyard at that time, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If it does trigger, it will check again as it tries to resolve. If you don't have the required number of permanent cards in your graveyard at that time, the ability won't resolve and none of its effects will happen.