Demolition Stomper MTG Card
2016-09-30 - Number 206
2020-11-12 - Number 233
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact — Vehicle |
| Abilities | Crew |
| Power | 10 |
| Toughness | 7 |
Key Takeaways
- Forces opponents into unfavorable trades, providing an indirect card advantage over time.
- Demolition Stomper’s entrance timing is crucial for leveraging its board domination potential.
- High mana cost requires strategic planning but ensures consistent deployment of threatening creatures.
Text of card
Demolition Stomper can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less. Crew 5 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 5 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Though Demolition Stomper does not directly allow you to draw cards, this massive artifact creature potently pressures your opponents into making unfavorable trades or sacrifices, indirectly leading to a card advantage as they struggle to match its board presence.
Resource Acceleration: While Demolition Stomper itself doesn’t accelerate resources, its hefty power implies a stable board state where your resource base is secure enough to cast such a high-cost creature. With proper ramping, the stomper confirms your capability to deploy massive threats consistently.
Instant Speed: Despite Demolition Stomper operating at sorcery speed, understanding when to commit this hulking machine to the battlefield is key. Timing its entrance after significant board wipes or when opponents have tapped out can negate its lack of instant speed, allowing it to dominate an open field with little standing in its path to delivering massive damage.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While not applicable to the Demolition Stomper itself, players must be aware that using such a heavyweight card may necessitate selecting and discarding others to pave the way for its casting, given the dense nature of six mana artifacts. Managing your hand effectively becomes an essential skill to maximize its potential on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: The Demolition Stomper requires a considerable colorless mana investment which makes it inflexible when it comes to the variety of decks that can accommodate it. While colorless mana is generally easier to gather, having such a specific and substantial cost can be prohibitive, often requiring a deck to mitigate such an expense through ramp mechanics or specific land choices.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of six mana to bring into play, the Demolition Stomper comes with a hefty price tag, which can be highly situational. In fast-paced games or in environments where efficiency is key, there might be alternative creatures or artifacts that present a swifter impact on the game, especially considering its lack of immediate board influence due to not having inherent haste.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Demolition Stomper can adapt to various deck builds, fitting nicely into strategies that revolve around heavy machineries and big creatures. Its ability to avoid being blocked by smaller creatures can make it a game-changer on a cluttered battlefield.
Combo Potential: As a massive artifact creature, Demolition Stomper can synergize with cards that capitalize on artifact count or that give additional benefits to artifact creatures. Its sheer size makes it a prime candidate for synergies with cards that increase power or grant trample.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where ground-based creature combat prevails, Demolition Stomper shines by sidestepping chump blockers and exerting pressure on opponents. Its resilience in such meta-games can turn it into a valuable asset for your collection.
How to beat
The Demolition Stomper is a formidable artifact creature that can pose a significant challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. With its massive size and the ability to overpower most blockers thanks to its ability that prevents it from being blocked by creatures with power 2 or less, facing this behemoth requires a well-thought-out strategy.
To effectively counter the Demolition Stomper, one could focus on spell-based removal options or utilize creatures with sufficient power to block and overcome it. Spells like Murder or Path to Exile can provide a direct solution to remove the Demolition Stomper from the game. For those preferring a more combat-centered approach, it would be wise to manage a lineup of creatures possessing power above 2 to ensure the ability to block this gigantic construct.
Enchantment-based control tools such as Pacifism or tapping abilities also serve as reliable methods to neutralize the Demolition Stomper without having to engage it in combat. Players must plan their strategy around the fact that conventional blocking methods might not be effective, and instead seek alternative avenues to mitigate the threat posed by this powerful creature card.
Cards like Demolition Stomper
When diving into the realm of colossal artifacts in Magic: The Gathering, Demolition Stomper stands out with its massive presence on the battlefield. Its most direct comparison can be made to another artifact behemoth, Metalwork Colossus, which also boasts a substantial power and toughness. One key difference is that the Colossus may potentially hit the board sooner due to its cost reduction ability linked to noncreature artifacts, whereas Demolition Stomper’s cost remains fixed. Despite this, both create moments of impending dread for the opponent.
Vehicle cards such as Untethered Express should also be analyzed alongside Demolition Stomper. Untethered Express starts smaller but has the potential to grow through its trample and “revolt” ability. This could lead to a consistently increasing threat, unlike the fixed power of Demolition Stomper. However, Demolition Stomper has the advantage of not being able to be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less, allowing it to potentially bypass chump blockers and directly threaten an opponent’s life total.
Considering the strategic depth of Magic: The Gathering, Demolition Stomper fits well within the archetype of potent artifact threats that dominate the late game, despite its lack of cost flexibility or growth potential, thanks to its immediate and unstoppable presence once crewed and mobilized.
Cards similar to Demolition Stomper by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Demolition Stomper MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Demolition Stomper 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 Demolition Stomper Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by James Paick.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 206 | 2015 | normal | black | James Paick | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 233 | 2015 | normal | black | James Paick |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Demolition Stomper has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Demolition Stomper card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-09-20 | Once a creature with power 3 or greater has blocked Demolition Stomper, changing the power of the blocking creature won't cause Demolition Stomper to become unblocked. |
| 2017-09-29 | Any untapped creature you control can be tapped to pay a crew cost, even one that just came under your control. |
| 2017-09-29 | Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren't attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don't affect the creatures that crewed it. |
| 2017-09-29 | Each Vehicle is printed with a power and toughness, but it's not a creature. If it becomes a creature (most likely through its crew ability), it will have that power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | For a Vehicle to be able to attack, it must be a creature as the declare attackers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to attack with it is during the beginning of combat step. For a Vehicle to be able to block, it must be a creature as the declare blockers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to block with it is during the declare attackers step. In either case, players may take actions after the crew ability resolves but before the Vehicle has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If a permanent becomes a copy of a Vehicle, the copy won't be a creature, even if the Vehicle it's copying has become an artifact creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If an effect causes a Vehicle to become an artifact creature with a specified power and toughness, that effect overwrites the Vehicle's printed power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a Vehicle becomes a creature, it behaves exactly like any other artifact creature. It can't attack unless you've controlled it continuously since your turn began, it can block if it's untapped, it can be tapped to pay a Vehicle's crew cost, and so on. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a player announces that they are activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability has been paid for. Notably, players can't try to stop the ability by changing a creature's power or by removing or tapping a creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | Vehicle is an artifact type, not a creature type. A Vehicle that's crewed won't normally have any creature type. |
| 2017-09-29 | When a Vehicle becomes a creature, that doesn't count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won't trigger. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may activate a crew ability of a Vehicle even if it's already an artifact creature. Doing so has no effect on the Vehicle. It doesn't change its power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may tap more creatures than necessary to activate a crew ability. |
