Stingerback Terror – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.13
Casual: 3.50
Limited: 4.38
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.37
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Say what you like about Magic art – I have certainly done so at times – but it’s hard to criticize when they’re trying something new and different with the looks of various creatures. The fact is that there is no single mythological canon about what dragons look like, and a dragon that’s also a scorpion opens up a lot of possibilities. Basing them on invertebrates helps with the issue of them possibly looking odd when they have four legs plus two wings, and it’s a cool spin on the poison or venom that many mythological dragons were said to possess. That would be more relevant to the Dungeons and Dragons manifestations than Magic, so hopefully the other side of Wizards of the Coast’s design team is taking notes!
How do you make a drawback like that on Stingerback Dragon less debilitating? By playing it at the right time. Plot might, in itself, seem to be irrelevant when you can also always hold it in your hand and wait, but you might have an effect that makes you discard your entire hand at one time, in which case you want the dragon to be somewhere else. I’m sure there are other strategic wrinkles that emerge and other fun interactions to be had; just don’t lose sight of the fact that the baseline is an undercosted efficient creature in the part of the game when you’re likely to have fewer cards in hand anyway.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
One part scorpion, one part dragon, and one part adorable, Stingerback Terror is an interesting threat that really wants to play in a particular shell. Four mana for a 7/7 with what is effectively two layers of evasion is pretty nice…though it rarely will be that big. Plot is an interesting wrinkly for it, though, as it allows Stingerback Terror to go off to exile for a bit and wait util the time is right to come out.
I feel like th sweet spot on Stingrback Terror will be as a 4/4 for 4; it’s not unplayable if you’re slightly off it, but you’d much rather have that as the baseline of our swooping friend. It’s not a terribly complicated card; it’s aggressive and costed to move, but you’d better make sure you can keep a tight clutch of cards. Still, this majestic dragon ehlps show that swooping is, indeed, bad, and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t see play.
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 3
Limited: 4.75
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.25
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
