Stalked ResearcherHow it works & interactions with other cards

Unlocking Potential

Stalked Researcher has the Defender keyword, meaning it normally cannot be declared as an attacker. However, its Eerie ability creates a temporary exception. Whenever an enchantment you control enters the battlefield, or whenever you unlock the second door of a Room (fully unlocking it), Stalked Researcher gains the ability to attack that turn as though it didn't have defender.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you must have the Eerie trigger occur during your turn, usually during your first main phase. When an enchantment enters or a Room is fully unlocked, the Eerie ability is put onto the stack. Once the ability resolves, a continuous effect is applied to Stalked Researcher for the rest of the turn. During your declare attackers step, the game checks if the creature can attack; since the effect says it can attack as though it didn't have defender, you may legally tap it to attack your opponent.

Strategic Timing

To maximize this card, you want to trigger Eerie before your combat phase begins. If an enchantment enters the battlefield after the declare attackers step, the ability will still resolve, but it will be too late for Stalked Researcher to join the fray for that combat. Remember that fully unlocking a Room specifically refers to the moment both doors are unlocked; if you only unlock the first door of a new Room, Eerie triggers because an enchantment entered, not because a Room was fully unlocked.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion is how Eerie interacts with multiple enchantments entering at once. If several enchantments enter simultaneously (for example, via a mass recursion spell), Stalked Researcher's ability triggers for each one individually. While redundant in terms of allowing it to attack, this is important for other cards that might care about the number of triggers. Also, note that Stalked Researcher does not lose Defender; it simply ignores the restriction for the turn.

Interaction examples

A Solid Defense

If you cast Stalked Researcher on turn two, it acts as a 3/4 wall. Without any enchantments entering the battlefield, it must stay back to block, providing excellent protection against early-game aggressive creatures.

Curving into Aggression

Ornithopter of Paradise

You have Stalked Researcher and Ornithopter of Paradise on the battlefield. You use the mana from Ornithopter of Paradise to cast an enchantment spell. When that enchantment resolves and enters the battlefield, Stalked Researcher's Eerie ability triggers. After it resolves, you can attack with the Researcher for 3 damage while the Ornithopter stays back or flies over for chip damage.

Building the Machine

Foundry Inspector

With Foundry Inspector on the battlefield, your artifact spells cost less. If you cast an Artifact Enchantment, the cost reduction applies. When the Artifact Enchantment enters, Stalked Researcher's Eerie ability triggers. This demonstrates how you can lower the cost of your Eerie enablers to keep the pressure on every single turn.