Sinuous Striker 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
: This creature gets +1/-1 until end of turn. Eternalize—
Complete guide
Sinuous Striker is a versatile blue threat that leverages the Eternalize mechanic to return from the graveyard stronger than before. Whether you are shifting its stats for a lethal blow or bringing it back as a 4/4 Zombie, this Snake Warrior provides consistent pressure throughout the game.
Stats on Command
Sinuous Striker features an activated ability that allows you to pay one blue mana to give it +1/-1 until end of turn. Because it starts as a 2/3, you can activate this once to make it a 3/2, or twice to make it a 4/1. Be careful not to activate it a third time while it is a 2/3, as its toughness would hit 0, causing it to be put into the graveyard as a state-based action.
The Eternalize Process
Eternalize is a keyword that functions while Sinuous Striker is in your graveyard. By paying its cost—three generic mana, two blue mana, and discarding a card—you exile it to create a token copy. This token retains all abilities of the original but undergoes specific changes: it becomes a black Zombie in addition to its other types, and its base power and toughness become 4/4. You may only activate this during your main phase when the stack is empty.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A common misconception involves the discard cost; you cannot discard Sinuous Striker to pay for its own Eternalize ability, as the card must already be in the graveyard to start the activation process. Additionally, while the token copy has no mana cost, its mana value is 0. This is important to remember for effects that care about mana value, such as certain board wipes or counterspells.
Strategic Timing
Because Eternalize exiles the card as part of the cost, your opponent cannot respond to the activation by exiling the card from your graveyard with other effects. If the card enters your graveyard during your turn, you will typically have priority to activate the ability before any player can attempt to remove it from your graveyard.
Interaction examples
Sinuous StrikerIf you have Eternalized Sinuous Striker, it enters the battlefield as a 4/4. You can now use its activated ability much more aggressively. You could pay four blue mana to give it +4/-4, turning it into an 8/0, which would die. However, giving it +3/-3 makes it a 7/1, allowing it to trade with massive blockers or deal significant damage.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Snake' or 'Warrior' chosen, and you activate Sinuous Striker's ability, note that Roaming Throne does not affect it. Roaming Throne only interacts with triggered abilities (starting with 'when', 'whenever', or 'at'). Sinuous Striker uses an activated ability, so the Throne provides no additional power boosts.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Sinuous Striker is on the battlefield as a normal creature, its mana value is 3. However, once you Eternalize it, the resulting token has no mana cost. Unlike Solemn Simulacrum, which has a mana value of 4 regardless of its status, the Eternalized Snake Warrior token has a mana value of 0.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sinuous Striker
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
For each card with eternalize, a corresponding game play supplement token can be found in some Hour of Devastation booster packs. These supplements are not required to play with cards with eternalize; you can use the same items to represent an eternalized token as you would any other token.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature card with eternalize is put into your graveyard during your main phase, you'll have priority immediately afterward. You can activate its eternalize ability before any player can try to exile it, such as with Crook of Condemnation, if it's legal for you to do so.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Once you've activated an eternalize ability, the card is immediately exiled. Opponents can't try to stop the ability by exiling the card with an effect such as that of Crook of Condemnation.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The token copies exactly what was printed on the original card and nothing else, except the characteristics specifically modified by eternalize. It doesn't copy any information about the object the card was before it was put into your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The token is a Zombie in addition to its other types and is black instead of its other colors. Its base power and toughness are 4/4. It has no mana cost, and thus its mana value is 0. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Several cards have an eternalize cost that includes "Discard a card." You can't discard the card with eternalize to pay its own cost because the card has to be in your graveyard to begin activating its eternalize ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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