Stinging Hivemaster MTG Card

Stinging Hivemaster - Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Phyrexian Warlock
Abilities	Toxic
Released	2023-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Phyrexia: All Will Be One
Set code	ONE
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	110
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Lie Setiawan

Key Takeaways

Stinging Hivemaster creates card advantage through recurring insect token generation during combat.
Its tokens offer flexibility in play, serving multiple roles from attackers to resource enhancers.
Instant speed deployment can disrupt opponent strategies, providing a surprise tactical shift.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stinging Hivemaster MTG card by a specific set like Phyrexia: All Will Be One, 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 Hivemaster and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.) When Stinging Hivemaster dies, create a 1/1 colorless Phyrexian Mite artifact creature token with toxic 1 and "This creature can't block."

From within its form, a single word echoed forth: "Devour."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Stinging Hivemaster excels in generating card advantage by creating insect tokens with each hit on your opponent. This steady token generation can quickly overflow your side of the battlefield, overwhelming opponents and providing valuable blockers or attackers without losing cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Every insect token created by the Stinging Hivemaster can be a vital resource. Not only do these tokens serve as a board presence but they can also be utilized in conjunction with other cards or abilities to accelerate your resources, whether that’s mana ramp, sacrificing for effects, or contributing to synergistic combos within your deck.

Instant Speed: If Stinging Hivemaster has flash or can be brought into the battlefield at instant speed through other card interactions, it offers a significant advantage. This can instantly alter the board state to your favor during your opponent’s turn, catching them off-guard and disrupting their strategies.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stinging Hivemaster necessitates letting go of a card from your hand, rendering it a precarious decision when your options are already dwindling.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specialized mana requirement that includes green, this card’s integration into a multicolored deck needs careful mana curve planning.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Bearing a heftier mana investment than many alternatives, Stinging Hivemaster can strain your resources before impacting the battlefield meaningfully.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Stinging Hivemaster offers flexibility in deck-building, particularly for those that capitalize on insect token generation or life gain mechanics. Its ability to fit into various archetypes makes it a valuable addition to any collector’s portfolio.

Combo Potential: The insect tokens generated allow synergies with numerous strategies that pivot around creature count, sacrifice mechanics, or token enhancements, paving the way for creative and potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: As the game’s landscape continually evolves, Stinging Hivemaster retains relevance by adapting to environments where incremental advantage and swarm strategies are effective against prevalent control or slow-paced decks.

How to beat Stinging Hivemaster

Stinging Hivemaster is a unique creature card in Magic: The Gathering that can be particularly challenging to tackle due to its ability to produce insect tokens. To effectively combat this card, it’s essential to disrupt the token generation. Control strategies that include board wipes such as Wrath of God or Doomskar can clear out a swarm of insect tokens with a single spell. Spot removal won’t be as effective given the continuous stream of tokens.

Moreover, employing enchantments or artifacts that limit creature abilities, like Cursed Totem or Linvala, Keeper of Silence, can neutralize the Hivemaster’s token-producing capability. Also, cards that penalize the opponent for summoning multiple creatures, such as Trespasser’s Curse or Rampaging Ferocidon, can turn the tide by making it costly for the opponent to generate a vast insect army.

In essence, to stand against Stinging Hivemaster, players must be strategic in their approach by using global resets or by implementing effects that either inhibit the creature’s ability or make the act of token generation a detrimental move for the opponent, thereby staving off the buzzing threat.

Cards like Stinging Hivemaster

Stinging Hivemaster is a unique creature card that contributes to the insect archetype within Magic: The Gathering. Its abilities liken it to Hornet Queen, known for creating flying insect creature tokens. Yet, the Hivemaster diverges by providing a more cost-effective solution for swarming the battlefield, even if it lacks the flying attribute of the tokens generated by Hornet Queen.

Another card that resonates with Stinging Hivemaster’s theme of token generation is Ant Queen. Although both cards share the insect-creating mechanism, Ant Queen demands a mana investment for each token. This makes Stinging Hivemaster stand out due to its passive ability to produce tokens without additional cost, enhancing the potential for an overwhelming board presence in a more efficient manner.

Taking a broader look, Izoni, Thousand-Eyed offers a similar onboard impact by producing insect tokens. However, her ability is based on the number of creature cards in your graveyard. Stinging Hivemaster does not require such setup, enabling a straightforward and consistent token strategy. Considering these aspects, Stinging Hivemaster holds its place as a valuable card for players looking to build around persistent token creation strategies in Magic: The Gathering.

Izoni, Thousand-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Stinging Hivemaster by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stinging Hivemaster has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2023-02-04	A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action and doesn't use the stack. In other words, it happens immediately and players can't respond to it, just like a player losing the game due to having 0 or less life.
2023-02-04	Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
2023-02-04	Conversely, replacement effects that apply to the number of counters put on a player can modify the counters placed this way. For example, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider's last two abilities can apply to counters placed this way.
2023-02-04	Damage dealt by a creature with toxic grants the same number of counters regardless of how much damage is dealt. Notably, if a replacement effect modifies the damage in some way (such as that of Gratuitous Violence), the number of counters given remains unchanged.
2023-02-04	If a creature with toxic deals combat damage to a creature or planeswalker, or if it deals noncombat damage, toxic has no effect and no player gets poison counters.
2023-02-04	Multiple instances of toxic are cumulative. For example, if a creature has toxic 2 and gains toxic 1 due to another effect, combat damage that creature deals to a player will cause that player to get 3 poison counters.
2023-02-04	Toxic doesn't change the amount of combat damage a creature deals. For example, if a 2/2 creature with toxic 1 deals combat damage to a player, that creature will deal 2 damage. The results of that damage are the player loses 2 life and gets a poison counter.