Stitched Mangler MTG Card

Stitched Mangler - Shadows over Innistrad

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Zombie Horror
Released	2016-04-08
Set symbol
Set name	Shadows over Innistrad
Set code	SOI
Power	2
Toughness	3
Number	89
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dave Kendall

Key Takeaways

Gives players tactical advantage by incapacitating an opposing creature, potentially leading to favorable board states.
While it enters at sorcery speed, its effect acts akin to an instant during your turn, quickly influencing the game.
The requirement of tapping another creature upon entry can limit strategic plays, representing a nuanced trade-off.

Text of card

Stitched Mangler enters the battlefield tapped. When Stitched Mangler enters the battlefield, tap target creature an opponent controls. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stitched Mangler provides a tactical edge by temporarily disabling an opponent’s creature. This could lead to card advantage by neutralizing threats and potentially enabling profitable attacks or deterring enemy assaults.

Resource Acceleration: The Stitched Mangler doesn’t directly contribute to resource acceleration; however, its ability to incapacitate a key defensive creature can indirectly accelerate your game plan by clearing the path for your other creatures to attack and maintain board presence.

Instant Speed: Though Stitched Mangler enters the battlefield only at sorcery speed, its impact is immediately felt by freezing a target creature. This effect can be as pivotal as an instant in certain game situations, allowing for strategic timing during your turn to establish dominance on the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Stitched Mangler doesn’t require a discard, but it does necessitate that you tap out another creature when it enters the battlefield. This can be a drawback if your strategy revolves around maintaining an active board presence and keeping your creatures ready for instant responses or attacks.

Specific Mana Cost: Stitched Mangler has a requirement for one generic and two blue mana. This can restrict the card’s inclusion in multi-colored or colorless decks that might not have sufficient blue mana sources, potentially impacting its overall utility in various playstyles.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Moreover, for three mana, the card’s ability to only temporarily tap a creature without dealing damage or providing additional utility might not make the cut in a competitive environment where other cards could offer more impactful effects or have lower mana costs for similar abilities.

Reasons to Include Stitched Mangler in Your Collection

Versatility: Stitched Mangler is a valuable addition to blue-based control or tempo decks. Its ability to tap down a potential blocker or attacker on entry makes it a multifaceted tool for various in-game situations.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes with flicker or bounce effects that allow you to reuse its tap-down ability, disrupting opponents’ strategies, and can be a key piece in combo control decks.

Meta-Relevance: Given the format’s predisposition towards creature-based tactics, including Stitched Mangler can give you the edge by incapacitating key creatures and tipping the scales in your favor during pivotal turns.

How to beat

Stitched Mangler is an intriguing blue creature card, capable of tapping down an opponent’s creature upon entering the battlefield. It creates an opportunity for tempo plays, momentarily freezing the opposition’s board. While this can be disruptive, there are strategies to counter this icy manipulator. Firstly, removal spells or abilities that can be activated in response to the Stitched Mangler’s entrance can ensure the target creature isn’t there to be tapped. Cards like Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push are potent tools that remove the Mangler before it executes its ability.

Additionally, possessing creatures with hexproof or shroud can negate Stitched Mangler’s ability since they cannot be targeted by abilities from sources opponents control. Alternatively, instant-speed creature buffs can be used to strengthen a critical creature beyond the Mangler’s reach, if you anticipate its appearance. Lastly, once the Mangler has exerted its influence, it becomes a relatively weak body, vulnerable to being traded off in combat easily, so strategic attacks and blocks can mitigate its impact on the game.

Understanding these tactics turns what feels like a cold setback into a manageable aspect of the game, allowing you to maintain control and emerge victorious despite the temporary stall Stitched Mangler presents.

Cards like Stitched Mangler

Stitched Mangler offers a unique twist in the realm of creature control within Magic: The Gathering. It mirrors other cards such as Frost Lynx but boasts a distinctive feature – its ability to freeze a target creature until the next turn. Unlike Frost Lynx, which only taps a creature when it enters the battlefield, the Mangler adds a layer of constraint by ensuring the creature doesn’t untap during the controller’s next untap phase.

Tapping into the same style is Icefall Regent, which not only taps a creature but makes it more costly for that spell’s owner to cast spells targeting the detained creature. Even though Icefall Regent comes at a higher mana cost than Stitched Mangler, it compensates with a durable body and prolonged board influence. Exhaustion is another relevant card – it doesn’t target a single creature but affects all the opponent’s assets, both creatures and lands. It’s broader, yet it is not embodied in a creature form and lacks the permanence of effect offered by Stitched Mangler.

Deciding on the right card for creature control requires weighing these options. The Mangler’s immediate board impact and the added turn of suppression make it a strategic choice for tempo decks in Magic: The Gathering, especially when seeking to maintain pressure on the opponent.

Cards similar to Stitched Mangler by color, type and mana cost

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Animating Faerie // Bring to Life - MTG Card versions

Ghost of Ramirez DePietro - MTG Card versions

Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar - MTG Card versions

Queen of Ice // Rage of Winter - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stitched Mangler MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Stitched Mangler and other MTG cards: