Nightshade Stinger MTG Card
2007-10-12 - Number 132
2020-07-17 - Number 258
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Faerie Rogue |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Nightshade Stinger provides consistent card advantage and nimble board presence with minimal mana investment.
- Flexibility at instant speed is key; though it demands tactical play due to its discard condition.
- High potential for synergy and board control in certain metas, despite its inability to block.
Text of card
Flying Nightshade Stinger can't block.
"Most faeries are harmless pranksters. Every now and again, though, you get one that crosses over from mischievous to malicious." —Gaddock Teeg
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Nightshade Stinger is an effective way to maintain hand superiority, especially in formats that favor quick and nimble plays. It can subtly chip away at an opponent’s life total while providing an opportunity to draw into more impactful cards.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, Nightshade Stinger requires minimal investment, costing just one black mana. This enables players to deploy other threats or hold up resources for reactive plays much sooner than expected, optimizing the pace at which they can develop their board state.
Instant Speed: Its ability to be played at the end of an opponent’s turn due to Flash makes Nightshade Stinger a versatile tool. It keeps pressure on the opponent while allowing the flexibility to respond to threats immediately before your turn begins.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Adding Nightshade Stinger to your deck means you might have to let go of valuable cards. Each attack mandates discarding, so think carefully about what you’re willing to sacrifice for a shadowy strike.
Specific Mana Cost: Summoning the Nightshade Stinger demands a precise blend of mana, including elusive black symbols. This could challenge players not steeped in the darker aspects of magic or those with multicolored decks seeking versatility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering its specialized skill set, Nightshade Stinger’s mana cost may initially seem steep. When pitted against creatures of comparable strength, one might question the investment, especially when options with less stringent demands lurk in the shadows.
Reasons to Include Nightshade Stinger in Your Collection
Versatility: Nightshade Stinger may not look imposing, but its low casting cost and flying ability make it a handy addition to decks focusing on evasion or needing an early game presence. Its utility in enabling combos or serving as an early blocker can’t be overlooked.
Combo Potential: This card is a lynchpin in decks built around utilizing creatures with low power. It can be paired with cards that exploit creatures’ abilities or with those that capitalize on the number of creatures you control, setting the stage for more potent plays later in the game.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature heavy decks reign, the Nightshade Stinger can gain you vital early board control. Its flying ability lets it avoid many common ground-based defenses, aligning well with tactics that disrupt your opponent’s early game strategies.
How to beat
Nightshade Stinger joins the arsenal of evasive low-cost creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its key trait lies in its ability to become unblockable, underlining its role in decks that prioritize early-game damage and evasion tactics. This becomes a challenging card to counter, particularly if it synergizes with effects that capitalise on dealing combat damage.
When dealing with the Nightshade Stinger, direct removal spells are the most straightforward solution. Since it’s a fragile 1/1 creature, any basic removal such as Shock or Fatal Push can effectively eliminate it from the board. Additionally, since it carries the drawn-back of not being able to block, aggressive decks can bypass this card by applying pressure, forcing opponents to consider defense over their evasive tactics.
Ultimately, maintaining control of the board and keeping removal options at the ready are key strategies in overtaking the swift assault that Nightshade Stinger presents. Keeping your deck equipped with versatile and instant-speed interactions will ensure that the Nightshade Stinger’s impact is as minimal as possible within the early stages of the game.
Cards like Nightshade Stinger
Nightshade Stinger joins the suite of one-mana creatures in Magic: The Gathering that wield subtle yet strategic effects on gameplay. Its comparative advantage lies in its flying ability, which allows it to evade many common blockers. This trait is reminiscent of creatures like Spire Owl and Cloud Sprite, both of which also possess flying and can be played for a single mana. Unlike these cards, Nightshade Stinger holds another trick with its inability to block — a disadvantage that players must strategize around.
Looking at Faerie Miscreant, another similar card in the one-mana slot with flying, it offers added value by drawing a card when another creature with the same name enters the battlefield under your control. While this ability can surpass Nightshade Stinger’s utility in certain decks, Miscreant’s one power point makes it on par with Nightshade Stinger’s offensive potential.
Taking the stealth route, Nightshade Stinger’s kinship to these cards showcases its unique role in MTG. It may not have card draw or the capacity to block, but in the right deck, its unblockability and minimal mana cost can become significant tools to churn the tides of battle in a player’s favor.
Cards similar to Nightshade Stinger by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Nightshade Stinger MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn and Jumpstart, 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 Nightshade Stinger 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Nightshade Stinger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-10-12 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Mark Poole.
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Nightshade Stinger has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
