Wooden Stake MTG Card
2011-09-30 - Number 237
2020-09-26 - Number ISD-237
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
Key Takeaways
- Its ability to equip at instant speed provides strategic flexibility during gameplay against vampires.
- Equipping Wooden Stake can preemptively control vampire creatures, a niche yet powerful approach.
- While niche in application, Wooden Stake’s unique destruction ability can be pivotal against vampire decks.
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +1/+0. Whenever equipped creature blocks or becomes blocked by a Vampire, destroy that creature. It can't be regenerated. Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Wooden Stake card may not directly allow you to draw additional cards, but its presence on the board is a subtle form of advantage against decks relying on Vampire creatures. By neutralizing key threats with its ability, you effectively reduce the necessity to draw into more answers, thereby indirectly maintaining card superiority.
Resource Acceleration: While the Wooden Stake does not provide explicit resource acceleration like ramp cards, its low casting cost offers a different kind of economic edge. By being able to deploy it early in the game for just two mana, players can set up their defenses efficiently, preserving other resources for more significant plays as the game unfolds.
Instant Speed: Although Wooden Stake is not an instant, its ability to equip at instant speed gives players flexibility. You can adapt to the rapidly changing battlefield by attaching it to a creature in response to an opponent’s move or during their turn, keeping the upper hand especially when facing decks with Vampire synergies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the Wooden Stake doesn’t directly require you to discard a card, it does call for precise deck building around vampires or werewolves, which might force you to discard unrelated, yet potentially useful cards from your deck during the building stage.
Specific Mana Cost: To equip Wooden Stake, not only do you need the card itself but also an available two mana, specifically one of any kind and one Plains. This demand could disrupt your mana curve, especially during the early stages of a game when mana efficiency is crucial.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Wooden Stake’s activation may appear cost-efficient at first glance, but in a game that values tempo and versatility, two mana for an equipment that offers a niche benefit can be a significant investment. The truth is, there are other equipment cards or removal options that provide a broader utility or a more impactful board presence for the same or lesser investment.
Reasons to Include Wooden Stake in Your Collection
Versatility: Wooden Stake is a functional addition to any deck looking to have an answer for pesky vampire creature types, which occasionally surface in various metagames. It’s not only an equipment card that can be used in creature-heavy decks but also a handy tool for specific creature matchups.
Combo Potential: This artifact has its own niche in decks focused on equipping and synergizing with creatures. When attached, it offers the equipped creature an advantage over vampires by enabling it to potentially destroy them in combat, which can be the linchpin in tightly contested games.
Meta-Relevance: As metagames evolve, so do the creature types that dominate them. With the recurrent popularity of tribal decks in various formats, having a Wooden Stake in your collection ensures readiness against potential vampire-heavy decks you may encounter, thus keeping your deck adaptive and competitive.
How to Beat
Sometimes, the simplest cards can pose surprising challenges in MTG. Wooden Stake is one such equipment that has distinct advantages specifically against creatures of the vampire persuasion. Its mechanic offers protection by granting the equipped creature a particular edge—destroying vampires with ease. To tackle this artifact, consider strategies that minimize the impact of its vampire-specific perk.
The key lies in diversifying your threats. Rather than over-committing to a vampire-centric deck, include a variety of creature types to ensure your opponent’s Wooden Stake doesn’t become overwhelmingly advantageous. Additionally, artifact removal spells are quintessential when facing equipment cards. Cards like Naturalize or Return to Nature are classic examples that remove troublesome artifacts like Wooden Stake from the battlefield. Furthermore, instant-speed interaction allows you to respond to the equipping action, eliminating the threat before it becomes critical.
Overall, while Wooden Stake might excel in a narrow slice of MTG gameplay, incorporating a broad array of responses ensures you can outmaneuver it. By adapting your strategy and maintaining flexible countermeasures, you can effectively mitigate the influence of Wooden Stake in your matches.
Cards like Wooden Stake
Wooden Stake holds a niche spot among MTG’s array of equipment cards. It can be paralleled to similarly strategic equipment like Blazing Torch, which also provides a way to deal with specific types of creatures; in this case, Vampires. Both can be equipped for a single mana, but Wooden Stake stands out with its ability to destroy any Vampire it deals damage to, granting players preemptive control on the battlefield.
Delving into the broader category of anti-creature cards, we encounter Ghostfire Blade. Although not vampire-specific, it equips at a reasonable cost and buffs up the creature significantly. However, it lacks the specialization that Wooden Stake offers. Another related card is Silver-Inlaid Dagger, which also buffs a creature but gains additional power if equipped to a Human. While it doesn’t directly eliminate a threat like Wooden Stake, it provides a solid offense in tribal human decks.
Ultimately, Wooden Stake’s unique vampire elimination capability demonstrates its specialized role. Situational yet powerful, it offers a targeted strategy for players battling against nocturnal antagonists in their MTG escapades.
Cards similar to Wooden Stake by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Wooden Stake MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and The List, 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 Wooden Stake and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Wooden Stake Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2011-09-30. Illustrated by David Palumbo.
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Wooden Stake has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Wooden Stake card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-09-22 | The Vampire is destroyed before any combat damage is dealt. |
