Insect WarriorHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it does

The Insect Warrior is a token creature with a power and toughness of 1/1. It possesses the keyword Flying, meaning it cannot be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach. While it has no mana cost and a mana value of 0, it is a fully functional creature that can attack, block, and be sacrificed to pay for ability costs.

How it resolves step by step

When an effect instructs you to create an Insect Warrior token, the token is placed directly onto the battlefield under your control. It does not go through the stack as a spell, though the ability creating it does. Once it enters the battlefield, any 'Enters the Battlefield' (ETB) triggers occur. If the token is created during an end step, it will stay on the battlefield indefinitely until it is destroyed, exiled, or sacrificed.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion involves the 'Disappear' ability used to create these tokens. Remember that the condition 'if a permanent left the battlefield' must be met before the end step begins. If a permanent leaves the battlefield during the end step itself, it is too late to trigger the creation of a token for that specific turn. Additionally, because tokens cease to exist if they move to any zone other than the battlefield, you cannot return an Insect Warrior token to your hand or library to use it again.

Interaction examples

Generating the Swarm

Lord Dregg, Insect InvaderWalking Ballista

If you control Lord Dregg, Insect Invader and a Walking Ballista with a +1/+1 counter, you can remove the counter from the Ballista to deal damage to a target. This causes the Ballista to have 0 toughness and be put into the graveyard. Because a permanent left the battlefield, Lord Dregg's ability will trigger at the beginning of your end step, creating one 1/1 black Insect Warrior creature token with flying.

Sacrifice for Value

Lord Dregg, Insect InvaderViscera Seer

You can use Viscera Seer to sacrifice an Insect Warrior token to Scry 1. Since the token left the battlefield, if you do this before your end step, Lord Dregg, Insect Invader will see that a permanent left your control. At the beginning of the end step, Lord Dregg will then create a new Insect Warrior token to replace the one you sacrificed.

Drawing Cards

Lord Dregg, Insect Invader

While you have an Insect Warrior token on the battlefield, you can activate the second ability of Lord Dregg, Insect Invader. By paying 3 and one Green mana and sacrificing the token, you draw a card. This counts as a permanent leaving the battlefield, which can trigger Lord Dregg's own 'Disappear' ability to create a new token during your end step.