Abyssal Nightstalker MTG Card

Abyssal Nightstalker - Portal Second Age

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Nightstalker
Released	1998-06-24
Set symbol
Set name	Portal Second Age
Set code	P02
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	61
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Sam Wood

Key Takeaways

Abyssal Nightstalker offers card advantage through its hand disruption ability, crucial in game’s later stages.
Its ability might indirectly hasten your resource gain by constraining opponent’s hand, tipping scales in your favor.
While non-instant, its battlefield presence strategizes with instant-speed plays, compelling opponents to think twice.

Text of card

If Abyssal Nightstalker attacks and isn't blocked, your opponent chooses and discards a card from his or her hand. (Ignore this effect if your opponent doesn't have any cards.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Abyssal Nightstalker has a strong mechanism for hand disruption, causing opponents to discard cards and potentially providing you with a card advantage. This could be especially pivotal during the late-game when resources are slim.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or acceleration, the Abyssal Nightstalker’s ability to thin out an opponent’s hand can indirectly accelerate your resources by limiting theirs, making it easier for you to outpace your opponent in terms of available options.

Instant Speed: Though the Abyssal Nightstalker itself does not have an ability at instant speed, its presence on the battlefield can be paired with other instant-speed interactions. Creating an environment where your opponent has to ponder their plays carefully can give you the upper hand, especially when they’re concerned about what you could have in store with open mana and a full grip of cards.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Abyssal Nightstalker’s ability triggers upon its attack, prompting you to discard a card. This works against you when hand size is crucial for your strategy or when running low on cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black mana and generic mana, it demands a commitment to black mana resources which may not seamlessly fit into multi-color deck compositions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that competes with other impactful four-mana creatures, Abyssal Nightstalker is often overshadowed by alternatives that do not include the disadvantage of card disadvantage or offer better stats and abilities.

Reasons to Include Abyssal Nightstalker in Your Collection

Versatility: Abyssal Nightstalker can seamlessly integrate into various deck strategies. Its role as a creature with a solid power to casting cost ratio makes it a valuable addition to more aggressive black decks or those looking for reliable board presence.

Combo Potential: This card’s graveyard interaction perfectly complements strategies utilizing discard mechanisms or reanimation tactics. By discarding key cards, you can set up powerful plays or disrupt your opponent’s hand.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control decks reign, Abyssal Nightstalker’s discard ability becomes increasingly significant. It can provide a much-needed edge by forcing opponents to lose resources and disrupting their carefully planned gameplay.

How to beat

The Abyssal Nightstalker is a unique creature in the vast tableau of Magic: The Gathering cards. This creature often requires a strategy to effectively remove it from play. Unlike direct damage spells, which might not always be practical due to its shadow ability, using removal spells that don’t target, like Wrath of God or Damnation, can effectively clear the board including this elusive creature.

Another tactic involves countering the card before it even hits the battlefield. With the appropriate mana, a Counterspell can ensure that the Abyssal Nightstalker never gets a chance to exercise its abilities. Control decks, therefore, have a distinct advantage in this scenario as they can manage the flow of the game and deal with such threats preemptively.

Ultimately, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your own deck, as well as anticipating your opponent’s moves, are key to overcoming the challenges posed by cards like Abyssal Nightstalker. A well-timed removal or counter can neutralize this threat and maintain the balance of the game in your favor.

Cards like Abyssal Nightstalker

Abyssal Nightstalker may not be the most famous creature in the world of MTG but it has its niche. Among fear-inducing cards, it shares some similarities with cards like Duskmantle Prowler. Both creatures take advantage of being unblockable by anything except black or artifact creatures. However, Abyssal Nightstalker requires the player to discard a card at random, a trait not found in the prowler, making it a more risky play.

Comparing it to other discard-focused creatures like Hypnotic Specter, the Nightstalker falls short as it does not force an opponent to discard, thereby losing some potential board control. On the upside, its four toughness provides a more robust presence than the Specter’s two. Then there’s Stronghold Assassin, which also lives in the same mana range. While the Assassin doesn’t have the self-discard downside, it lacks the inherent evasiveness the Nightstalker possesses, instead offering a removal utility.

Ultimately, Abyssal Nightstalker may appeal to players who enjoy the challenge of balancing risk with the reward of an evasive creature. It’s a card tailor-made for decks that leverage discard mechanics to their benefit.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Abyssal Nightstalker MTG card by a specific set like Portal Second Age, 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 Abyssal Nightstalker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Abyssal Nightstalker has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Abyssal Nightstalker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-04-15	An ability that triggers when something "attacks and isn't blocked" triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step.