Plague 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
Flying Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
Complete guide
Plague Stinger is a classic evasive threat that brings the terrifying power of Phyrexia to the early game. With the ability to fly over blockers and deliver lethal poison, it puts your opponents on a very short clock. Understanding how its infect ability interacts with other cards is key to mastering this efficient two-drop.
The Sting of Infect
Plague Stinger possesses two key abilities: Flying and Infect. Infect fundamentally changes how the creature deals damage. Instead of reducing a player's life total, it gives them Poison Counter objects. Similarly, when it fights or hits a creature, it places permanent -1/-1 counters instead of marked damage. This makes Plague Stinger a threat that doesn't just hurt opponents—it permanently weakens their defenses.
Resolution Step-by-Step
When Plague Stinger deals damage, the process follows these steps: First, determine if the damage is dealt to a player or a creature. If it is a player, they receive a number of Poison Counter tokens equal to the damage dealt. If it is a creature, place that many -1/-1 counters on it. If the damage is prevented by an effect, no counters are placed. Finally, state-based actions are checked; a player with ten or more poison counters loses the game immediately.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is thinking infect damage isn't 'damage.' Infect is damage in all respects. If an ability triggers 'whenever a creature deals damage,' Plague Stinger will still trigger it. However, because it deals damage in the form of counters, it does not reduce a player's life total. If you need to trigger an effect that specifically requires a loss of life, infect damage won't help you there.
When to Deploy
Plague Stinger is most effective in the early turns when your opponent lacks flying blockers. Because it only costs two mana, it can begin applying pressure before most decks can set up a defense. It is also a fantastic target for power-boosting spells, as every point of extra power brings the opponent significantly closer to the ten-poison-counter loss threshold.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf your opponent controls an Ornithopter of Paradise, Plague Stinger can be blocked by it because both have Flying. During combat, Plague Stinger deals 1 damage to the Ornithopter of Paradise in the form of a -1/-1 counter. Since the Ornithopter of Paradise now has 0 toughness, it is put into the graveyard as a state-based action.
Blood ArtistIf Plague Stinger attacks and is not blocked, it deals 1 damage to the player, giving them one Poison Counter. The player's life total does not change. If Plague Stinger were to die later, the Blood Artist ability would trigger, causing a player to lose 1 life. Note that the Poison Counter and life loss are two separate ways to bring an opponent closer to defeat.
Poison CounterPlague Stinger attacks an opponent directly. Upon dealing damage, the opponent receives a Poison Counter. Unlike normal damage, this cannot be healed by gaining life. Once the opponent accumulates ten Poison Counter markers, they lose the game immediately, regardless of how much life they have remaining.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Plague Stinger
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A player who has ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Infect's effect applies to any damage, not just combat damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The -1/-1 counters remain on the creature indefinitely. They're not removed if the creature regenerates or the turn ends.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Damage from a source with infect is damage in all respects. If the source with infect also has lifelink, damage dealt by that source also causes its controller to gain that much life. Damage from a source with infect can be prevented or redirected. Abilities that trigger on damage being dealt will trigger if a source with infect deals damage, if appropriate.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a player is prevented, that player doesn't get poison counters. If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a creature is prevented, that creature doesn't get -1/-1 counters.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Damage from a source with infect affects planeswalkers normally.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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Meta decks with Plague Stinger
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.