Tattered Haunter MTG Card
2016-07-22 - Number 77
2023-03-21 - Number 94
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Spirit |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Efficient damage dealer with low casting cost, indirectly enhancing your card advantage through opponent’s resource depletion.
- Skulk ability provides reactive play, boosting its utility as a flexible and elusive creature against opponents.
- Despite its discard drawback and specific mana needs, it offers strong synergy in blue or spirit-focused decks.
Text of card
Flying Tattered Haunter can block only creatures with flying.
When the Nebelgast recedes, there are often stragglers.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Tattered Haunter enables you to maintain a strategic edge by providing consistent damage over time. Even if it doesn’t explicitly draw you cards, the pressure it applies can force your opponent to make unfavorable trades or use resources on removal, indirectly contributing to your card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: While Tattered Haunter itself does not accelerate your resources in the traditional sense, its low casting cost allows you to deploy threats quickly and efficiently. This efficiency in mana cost helps streamline your deck’s performance and saves your resources for critical plays later in the game.
Instant Speed: Although Tattered Haunter is a creature, its ability to gain an evasion mechanism, typically through activating skulk at instant speed, makes it a flexible component in any strategy. By having the option to make Tattered Haunter unblockable until end of turn, you can react swiftly to changes in the battlefield, ensuring your attacks connect when needed.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Utilizing Tattered Haunter might narrow your strategic options, given its clause that necessitates tossing another card to access its potential. This could deplete your hand faster than desired, particularly detrimental in tight game scenarios.
Specific Mana Cost: Tailored for decks with blue mana, Tattered Haunter’s casting cost might not fit seamlessly into every strategy. Players running multicolored decks may find it inadequate if they cannot consistently produce the required blue mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Weighing its abilities against its cost of two mana, enthusiasts might find Tattered Haunter a bit costly. Other creatures within the same mana range could potentially offer greater stats or more influential abilities, improving your board presence more effectively.
Reasons to Include Tattered Haunter in Your Collection
Versatility: Tattered Haunter offers utility in blue-centric decks that demand evasive attackers. As a flying creature, it easily bypasses ground defenders, fitting seamlessly in aggressive and tempo strategies.
Combo Potential: Its spirit type makes it a compelling addition to decks that capitalize on spirit synergies or graveyard mechanics. This grants Tattered Haunter unexpected depth in decks designed around tribal themes or graveyard manipulation.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta with few flying blockers, Tattered Haunter can consistently chip away at an opponent’s life total. It’s a solid choice for players looking to exploit weaknesses in ground-based defensive lines and maintain aerial dominance.
How to beat
Tattered Haunter is a spectral addition to creature line-ups in MTG, prominently featured for its ability to only be blocked by creatures with flying. This ghostly feature can make the Haunter a persistent threat, especially in limited formats where flying is typically at a premium.
To effectively neutralize Tattered Haunter, prioritize the inclusion of airborne blockers in your deck, thereby ensuring you have a line of defense against such evasive creatures. Additionally, spells that can directly remove creatures or alter combat conditions, such as Pacifism or Dead Weight, can effectively disable the Haunter’s presence without requiring a blocker to be on board. Board control instants or enchantments, irrespective of an opponent’s flying capabilities, also provide a blanket solution to the problem posed by the Haunter.
Strategic deck construction with a mindful approach to potential aerial threats, along with adaptive gameplay, can greatly diminish the impact of Tattered Haunter. Proactively addressing this specter can turn what might be a haunting challenge into a manageable aspect of the wider strategic battle.
Cards like Tattered Haunter
Tattered Haunter offers specters and ghosts enthusiasts a compelling choice among flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It stands out due to its “can’t block” ability, akin to the strong evasion skills seen in cards like Skyship Stalker. What makes Tattered Haunter distinct is its spectral resilience coupled with unblockable attacks. Conversely, Skyship Stalker, while mightier, lacks this particular aspect and instead comes with a higher mana investment and the option for firebreathing abilities.
Within the same sphere of two-mana creatures, we also see Stormrider Spirit. This card boasts flash, allowing strategic plays by summoning creatures in your opponent’s turn, although it trades off Tattered Haunter’s continuous flying presence for an ephemeral surprise factor. Additionally, Advanced Stitchwing resonates with Tattered Haunter through its flying ability and graveyard interaction, setting a higher stage for mana costs, but compensating with its return mechanism from the graveyard to the battlefield.
In sum, Tattered Haunter emerges as a proficient choice for players seeking evasive and persistent board presence for a low mana investment, anchoring its uniqueness in the spirits archetype where its inability to block might be less of a drawback and more of a focused offensive strategy.
Cards similar to Tattered Haunter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Tattered Haunter MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Shadows over Innistrad 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 Tattered Haunter 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 Tattered Haunter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Nils Hamm.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-07-22 | Eldritch Moon | EMN | 77 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nils Hamm | |
| 2 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 94 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nils Hamm |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Tattered Haunter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
