Darkling Stalker MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Shade Spirit
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	119
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Susan Van Camp

Key Takeaways

Darkling Stalker offers card advantage by avoiding graveyard, preserving battlefield resources.
Its regenerative prowess at instant speed ensures board presence and strategic flexibility.
Regeneration makes it meta-relevant by persisting through removal-heavy environments.

Text of card

o B: Regenerate Darkling Stalker. o B: Darkling Stalker gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

"In this dark place, yes, I *am* afraid of my own shadow." —Mirri of the *Weatherlight*

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Darkling Stalker can be a subtle but effective way to gain card advantage. Through its ability to continuously regenerate, it avoids being sent to the graveyard and can potentially demand multiple cards from an opponent before it’s dealt with permanently. This regenerative quality means you’re more likely to keep your Darkling Stalker on the field, preserving your other valuable creatures and spells that offer card draws or other advantages.

Resource Acceleration: As a card that can be brought back into action at the end of each turn, Darkling Stalker helps in maintaining board presence. While not directly accelerating resources, its persistent threat can indirectly lead to resource advantage by limiting the need to cast additional creatures to maintain a formidable board state.

Instant Speed: The ability to regenerate at instant speed gives Darkling Stalker flexibility. You can confidently attack or block with it, knowing that you can protect it from destruction. This utility allows you to plan your strategies with the assurance that your Stalker can be ready to either deter attacks or be an aggressor again on your next turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging in play with the Darkling Stalker requires the strategic consideration of discarding cards. This mandatory field may at times become a stumbling block, especially when your hand is scarce on cards, demanding a judicious approach to maintaining adequate hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: The Darkling Stalker comes with a mana cost that is narrowly defined, demanding both blue and generic mana which positions it as a part of a specialized mana base. Decks which cannot accommodate this specific requirement might find it challenging to integrate the Darkling Stalker, thereby limiting its versatility across a broader range of deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a total of four mana to summon, the Darkling Stalker stands on the higher end of the cost spectrum. When assessing its overall potential and capabilities, MTG players often weigh other available alternatives that might offer a more impactful presence on the battlefield or enhanced utility for the same, or lesser, investment.

Reasons to Include Darkling Stalker in Your Collection

Versatility: Darkling Stalker offers a flexible role in decks that benefit from consistent creature presence. Its ability to regenerate means it can persist through board wipes and combat, making it a resilient threat or defender depending on your needs.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its regeneration capability, this card works well in combinations that exploit creature survival, from sacrifice mechanics to ‘tap creature’ strategies, providing enduring value and synergy on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: Darkling Stalker’s ability to avoid being easily removed makes it relevant in metas with heavy removal. It dodges most spot removal, allowing it to remain as an ongoing nuisance to your opponents or as a reliable blocker for other key creatures.

How to beat

When facing off against Darkling Stalker in your MTG games, it’s key to recognize its potential to become a recurrent threat owing to its regeneration ability. To effectively neutralize this card, it’s advised to employ removal spells that don’t inflict damage, as damage-based spells won’t provide a lasting solution. Instead, look for removals that exile, such as Path to Exile, or spells that force a player to sacrifice a creature. This will circumvent the regeneration capability entirely, ensuring Darkling Stalker doesn’t return to the battlefield.

A strategic plan could also involve manipulating your opponent’s graveyard. Cards like Bojuka Bog can exile all cards from a player’s graveyard, which includes creatures like Darkling Stalker if it has been destroyed or discarded. Additionally, deploying creatures with protection from black can be an excellent countermeasure, as Darkling Stalker’s abilities would have no effect on them, making it easier to maintain a robust defense while you formulate an offense to secure the game.

Keep in mind that timing is crucial when playing against Darkling Stalker. Being an instant-speed interactive player can make all the difference, so remain vigilant and ready to disrupt your opponent’s strategy when Darkling Stalker hits the table.

Cards like Darkling Stalker

Darkling Stalker is an interesting creature in the landscape of MTG with its inherent ability to regenerate. This feature aligns it with other creatures like Drudge Skeletons, which can also come back after being destroyed for a single black mana. Yet, Darkling Stalker stands out with its blue mana affiliation and the added advantage of not just survival, but offence, with its gradual power increase during each upkeep.

Another comparable card is Sengir Autocrat, which creates a robust board presence by generating three Serf tokens upon entry. While it lacks the self-regenerative trait of Darkling Stalker, it compensates with immediate impact on the board. Twisted Abomination is a further alternative that offers regeneration and versatility. Its swampcycling ability ensures land consistency as well as creature longevity, but it misses out on the progressive threat aspect that Darkling Stalker brings to the game.

Assessing the unique qualities of each card, Darkling Stalker presents a potent mix of offensive capabilities and resilience. Its ability to become an ever-growing threat with regeneration makes it a noteworthy option for players seeking to apply continuous pressure on the board.

Cards similar to Darkling Stalker by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Darkling Stalker MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Darkling Stalker and other MTG cards: