Drannith Stinger is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever you cycle another card, this creature deals 1 damage to each opponent. Cycling(
Complete guide
Drannith Stinger is a versatile Human Wizard that turns your cycling engine into a direct damage machine. Whether you are using it as an early-game threat or discarding it to find a better answer, it provides consistent value in any deck focused on discarding and drawing. By dealing incremental damage to every opponent, it serves as a powerful clock in multiplayer formats.
Burn Through Cycling
Drannith Stinger features a triggered ability that activates whenever you cycle another card from your hand. While the Stinger is on the battlefield, every time you pay a cycling cost and discard a card, the Stinger deals 1 damage to each opponent. Importantly, the damage is dealt to each opponent individually; in a Two-Headed Giant game, this means the opposing team loses a total of 2 life.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When you choose to cycle a card, you pay the mana cost and discard the card as a single action to put the cycling ability on the stack. This immediately triggers Drannith Stinger's ability. The damage trigger is placed on top of the stack above the cycling ability. This means the 1 damage is dealt to your opponents before you actually draw the card from the cycling effect itself.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is assuming that Drannith Stinger triggers when you cycle the Stinger itself. The ability specifically says 'whenever you cycle another card,' meaning the Stinger must already be on the battlefield to trigger. If you discard the Stinger for its own cycling cost, it will not deal damage. Additionally, remember that cycling and the resulting damage are abilities, not spells, so they cannot be stopped by standard counterspells like Cancel.
When to Play Drannith Stinger
In the early game, cast Drannith Stinger for two mana to establish a presence that punishes opponents for every card you filter through. In the late game, if the battlefield is stalled or you lack the mana to protect it, you can simply cycle the Stinger for one generic mana to replace it with the top card of your library.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseWith Drannith Stinger on the battlefield, you tap Ornithopter of Paradise for one mana of any color. You spend that mana to cycle a card from your hand. The Stinger's ability triggers, dealing 1 damage to your opponent before you draw your new card from the cycling ability.
Professional Face-BreakerYou attack with both Drannith Stinger and Professional Face-Breaker. If they deal combat damage, Professional Face-Breaker creates a Treasure token. You can then sacrifice that Treasure for mana to cycle a card, triggering Drannith Stinger to deal an additional 1 damage to your opponent during your post-combat main phase.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Drannith Stinger
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, Drannith Stinger’s first ability causes the opposing team to lose 2 life.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Some cards with cycling have an ability that triggers when you cycle them, and some cards have an ability that triggers whenever you cycle any card. These triggered abilities resolve before you draw from the cycling ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Triggered abilities from cycling a card and the cycling ability itself aren’t spells. Effects that interact with spells (such as that of Cancel) won’t affect them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You can cycle a card even if it has a triggered ability from cycling that won’t have a legal target. This is because the cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. This also means that if either ability is countered (with Disallow, for example), the other ability will still resolve.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Drannith Stinger
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.