Stingerback Terror 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, trample This creature gets -1/-1 for each card in your hand. Plot(You may pay
Complete guide
Stingerback Terror is a high-risk, high-reward creature that demands you empty your hand to reach its full potential. As a 7/7 Scorpion Dragon with flying and trample, it can dominate the board if your resources are low. This card introduces the Plot mechanic, allowing you to set up a massive swing on a future turn.
A Shrinking Threat
Stingerback Terror has a base power and toughness of 7/7, but it gets -1/-1 for every card currently in your hand. This means if you have seven cards, it will have 0 toughness and be put into your graveyard as a state-based action. To keep it alive and powerful, you need to play or discard your cards as quickly as possible. The Plot ability helps this strategy by letting you move the card from your hand to exile, effectively removing it from the count while preparing for a free cast later.
Understanding the Plot Mechanic
Plotting Stingerback Terror is a special action that you can only perform as a sorcery (during your main phase while the stack is empty). You pay {2}{R} and exile the card. Once you announce this, your opponents cannot respond to discard it from your hand. On any turn after the turn it was plotted, you may cast it from exile for free as a sorcery. This is especially useful because casting it for free on a later turn allows you to spend your mana on other spells first, reducing your hand size before the Dragon hits the battlefield.
Resolution and State-Based Actions
If an effect causes you to draw cards and then discard cards, Stingerback Terror might briefly have 0 or less toughness. However, state-based actions are not checked during the resolution of a spell. As long as your final hand size after the spell finishes resolving keeps the Terror's toughness at 1 or higher, it stays on the field. Be careful during combat; if the Terror takes damage and you draw cards later that same turn, the reduction in toughness might cause that existing damage to become lethal.
Interaction examples
Stingerback TerrorIf you have three cards in hand including Stingerback Terror, you can choose to Plot it for {2}{R}. It moves to exile, and you now have two cards in hand. On your next turn, you play those two cards first, leaving your hand empty. You then cast Stingerback Terror from exile for free. Because your hand is empty, it enters as a full 7/7 creature.
Solemn SimulacrumYou have a Stingerback Terror on the battlefield and your hand is empty, making it a 7/7. You also have a Solemn Simulacrum. If the Simulacrum dies, its triggered ability lets you draw a card. Once that card enters your hand, Stingerback Terror immediately becomes a 6/6. If that Terror had already taken 6 damage earlier in the turn, drawing that card would result in the Terror having 0 remaining toughness, and it would be destroyed.
Roaming ThroneWhile Roaming Throne can double triggered abilities of a chosen type, it is important to note that Stingerback Terror's -1/-1 effect is a continuous static ability, not a triggered one. If you name 'Dragon' with Roaming Throne, the Terror's stats are still only modified once by the number of cards in your hand. The Throne will not double the stat reduction, nor will it interact with the Plot special action.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Stingerback Terror
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability causes you to draw cards and then has you remove some from hand (such as by discarding them or putting them on top of your library), Stingerback Terror may briefly have 0 toughness or less. As long as its toughness is 1 or greater again after the spell or ability is finished resolving, it will remain on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Because damage remains marked on a creature until it's removed as the turn ends, the damage Stingerback Terror takes during combat may become lethal if you draw cards later in the turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Plot abilities are written "Plot [cost]," which means "Any time you have priority during your main phase while the stack is empty, you may pay [cost] and exile this card from your hand. It becomes plotted."
Card named in this ruling
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling a card using its plot ability is a special action. Once you announce you're taking that action, no other player can respond by trying to remove that card from your hand.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
You can't cast a plotted card on the same turn it became plotted. On any future turn, you may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost during your main phase while the stack is empty.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you're casting a plotted card from exile without paying its mana cost, you can't choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the plotted card has any mandatory additional costs, those must still be paid to cast the spell.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If a plotted card has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Stingerback Terror
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