Unerring Sling MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	1996-10-08
Set symbol
Set name	Mirage
Set code	MIR
Number	322
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zak Plucinski

Key Takeaways

Card advantage with Unerring Sling can tip the resource scales heavily in your favor.
Instant speed usage provides unexpected disruption in opponent’s strategies.
However, the card’s discard requirement may challenge hand-size strategies.

Text of card

o3, oc T, Tap an untapped creature you control: Unerring Sling deals an amount of damage equal to that creature's power to target attacking or blocking creature with flying.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Unerring Sling, each successful hit on an opponent’s creature not only thins their board presence but also potentially rewards you a peek into your own deck. This exchange tips the scale of card equity in your favor as you inch ahead in resources.

Resource Acceleration: By eliminating key creatures early on, Unerring Sling helps to streamline your gameplay, effectively accelerating your control over the battlefield. This can set you up for more powerful plays sooner than your adversary can respond.

Instant Speed: The beauty of Unerring Sling’s design is in its instant speed, offering the element of surprise. The ability to disrupt an opponent’s strategy during their turn or at the end of it without warning is a tactical advantage not to be underrated.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unerring Sling necessitates the discard of another card as part of its activation cost. This can be a significant setback for players, especially when hand size is essential to sustaining your overall game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a strict combination of mana types to cast, which can sometimes lead to it being stranded in your hand if your mana base isn’t perfectly aligned. This specificity can restrict its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce the required mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment needed to utilize Unerring Sling’s ability may not align with its impact on the game. Players might find that their turns could be better spent developing the board or playing other spells with more immediate and powerful effects for a similar or lower mana cost.

Reasons to Include Unerring Sling in Your Collection

Versatility: Unerring Sling comes with the flexible ability to potentially alter the course of the game by converting late-game land draws into direct damage against creatures. Its adaptability makes it a useful inclusion in decks that can capitalize on dealing damage outside of combat.

Combo Potential: Tailored for synergy with decks that can manipulate the number of lands a player has or can play, Unerring Sling enhances strategies centered around landfall or cards that return lands to a player’s hand for repeated use.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that values the ability to remove key creatures and maintain board control, Unerring Sling offers a repeatable solution to disrupt your opponent’s strategy. This could give players an edge, especially in formats where small creatures with powerful effects dominate the field.

How to beat Unerring Sling

Unerring Sling is an equipment card that can pack a punch in the right MTG setup, as it turns any creature into a potential threat by allowing it to deal direct damage to players or planeswalkers. To effectively counteract this card, one strategy is to focus on removal spells that target artifacts, such as Disenchant or Abrade. These allow you to remove Unerring Sling from play before it becomes too significant of a threat.

Another robust approach is to utilize counter spells that can prevent Unerring Sling from hitting the field in the first place. Negate and Dovin’s Veto are excellent choices for hindering your opponent’s attempts to equip their creatures. Additionally, keeping creature removal handy ensures that even if the sling is equipped, the creature bearing it won’t be around for long. Swift responses like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can swiftly eliminate the problem.

Embracing a strategy that limits the opponent’s ability to maximize Unerring Sling’s potential is key. This can include deploying creatures with hexproof to prevent them from becoming targets, or focusing on game plans that don’t involve an abundance of creatures, minimizing the sling’s relevance. Constant vigilance and knowing when to dismantle your opponent’s arsenal will lead to your victory in MTG’s intricate dance of strategy and cunning.

Cards like Unerring Sling

Unerring Sling finds its niche within the realm of removal spells in Magic: The Gathering. When reflecting on similar cards, one might consider Clear Shot, which shares the aspect of allowing a creature to deal its power in damage to another creature. While Unerring Sling offers the additional benefit of tapping the involved creature, Clear Shot grants a temporary power boost to your creature, potentially increasing the amount of damage dealt.

Another analog is the card Rabid Bite, which offers a straightforward approach to creature damage without the tap mechanism. Rabid Bite is more mana-efficient, costing less to cast compared to Unerring Sling, but it lacks the versatility of being able to target players or planeswalkers directly, as Unerring Sling does.

Discussing these various options, it becomes clear that Unerring Sling provides players with a blend of flexibility and utility, setting it apart from its counterparts in creature-targeted damage spells. Its unique combination of tapping a creature and dealing direct damage gives it a tactical advantage in controlling the battlefield dynamics.

Cards similar to Unerring Sling by color, type and mana cost

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Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Unerring Sling MTG card by a specific set like Mirage, 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 Unerring Sling and other MTG cards: