Kumagoro42's picture
By: Kumagoro42, Gianluca Aicardi
Jun 28 2014 12:00pm
5
Login to post comments
6714 views


I love this game. I love writing about it. Compiling lists about it. Evaluating it. Sometimes, I even play it. I'm an Accidental Player.

 Vampires are one of the most successful horror tropes in contemporary pop culture, assuming a plethora of different forms, often entirely removed from, but almost always influenced by both the bloodsucking monsters of folklore and the more complex creations of gothic literature. Since the very beginning, Magic: The Gathering didn't shy away from such a rich legacy, and the most romanticized of the undead have become a familiar presence in our decks throughout the years.

  • Definition: every Vampire card in the game
  • Number of cards: 101
  • What you need to know: the Rating is calculated on a scale from 0 to 10; the entries are ordered by ascending rarity, then alphabetically.
  • Click HERE to go directly to the hypertextual list at the end with all of the entries.
  • Click HERE to check the latest additions.

 The Vampire Nobility


> top <

1. 

  • Name: Balustrade Spy   >> summary
  • Set: Gatecrash
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: Balustrade Spy was possibly a good pick in RTR block limited, being a decent evasive guy for a decent cost, with a little bit of milling added as a bonus (milling with 40-card decks is 50% more effective, of course). As a constructed card, its stats are just too underwhelming, even for dedicated milling strategies.
  • Rating: 3

2. 

3. 

  • Name: Bleak Coven Vampires   >> summary
  • Set: Scars of Mirrodin
  • Additional Type: Warrior
  • Evaluation: SOM block didn't have a lot of vampires (just like the original Mirrodin, despite the flavor text saying that "the vampires' territory expanded" – well, I guess 3 cards are more than 1). This one is just an overcosted, boltable dude who hopes to drain your opponent for 4 if metalcraft is achieved.
  • Rating: 2

4. 

  • Name: Blood Bairn   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2014
  • Evaluation: This gal took the place of Vampire Aristocrat in M14. Why? Unclear. Vampire gender politics, maybe? They're both solid sacrifice outlets that turn into aggressors, and are bound to play well with both their tribe's and their color's many death triggers. Both their tribe and their color have Viscera Seer, though.
  • Rating: 5

5. 

  • Name: Blood Seeker   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Magic 2012
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: The reverse Soul Warden! It had to be a vampire, no? It's one of those cards that can do a lot of damage, but it's hard to commit slots to it. You need a creature-based environment with no better options available. Tribal Pauper, perhaps? I know I've seen it played somewhere.
  • Rating: 6

6. 

  • Name: Bloodcrazed Neonate   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Most of the monored vamps from Innistrad block have the Whirling Dervish/Slith ability, which is never a bad thing. Except maybe not in a 1-toughness creature that's forced to suicide itself at the first occasion (you'd really need a lot of ammo to keep that board empty long enough for it to grow past the danger, considering it's not even a 1-drop).
  • Rating: 3

7. 

  • Name: Bloodflow Connoisseur   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Evaluation: A variation on the Vampire Aristocrat/Blood Bairn routine (which is actually an earthbound Fallen Angel routine). Now the bonus is in the form of permanent counters. However, the minimal body and reduced growth pack less of a punch, and where her colleagues can deal 4 damage with 1 sacrifice, Bloodflow Connoisseur only deals 2. Ditto for the exponential beating in case of alpha strike. She plays the long game, but it's too slow a game, I'm afraid.
  • Rating: 5

8. 

  • Name: Bloodrage Vampire   >> summary
  • Sets: Magic 2012, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Evaluation: It's a 4/2 vanilla for 3 good enough? Considering these stats are not even guaranteed, I'm gonna say no.
  • Rating: 3

9. 

  • Name: Bloodrite Invoker   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: Part of the Invoker cycle from ROE, which had "casual" written all over it. The black member, who happens to be this cave dweller Vampire, is even particularly crappy, because for 8 mana (which ROE limited had ways to produce in order to play Eldrazi), it just drains for 3.
  • Rating: 2

10. 

  • Name: Bloodthrone Vampire   >> summary
  • Sets: Rise of the Eldrazi, Magic 2011, Magic 2013
  • Evaluation: As far as the Fallen Angel junior varsity goes, Bloodthrone Vampire has a big advantage over the Vampire Aristocrat lineage: she's a 2-drop. You'll still want Viscera Seer for all your sacrifice needs, but she's effective, only losing 1 total point of damage over her more expensive siblings. No wonder she's the one who replaced Aristocrat in the core sets for two years, before the advent of Blood Bairn.
  • Rating: 7

11. 

  • Name: Child of Night   >> summary
  • Sets: Magic 2010, Magic 2011, Magic 2012, Magic 2014, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Evaluation: Child of Night is one of the more reprinted Vampires ever, and you can see why: it's very basic, yet effective: a 2-powered 2-drop with lifelink. You can do worse than that. It's almost constructed material. Almost.
  • Rating: 6

12. 

  • Name: Crossway Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Yet another not very successful attempt at a strictly better Scathe Zombies. Perhaps the problem is that you'd need a massively better Scathe Zombies to be worth it.
  • Rating: 3

13. 

14. 

  • Name: Erdwal Ripper   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Evaluation: Improvement on the monored vampire trick: haste is useful to have it grow quicker, considering you don't really want to use it as a blocker anytime soon. Still, 3 mana, of which 2 colored, feel a bit too much for that starting body.
  • Rating: 4

15. 

  • Name: Falkenrath Torturer   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Evaluation: Another one of the modern sacrifice outlets a la Vampire Aristocrat. This one gets flying, which is good, but the growth is conditional, which is very bad. It's an instance of the link between the Vampire tribe and its favorite prey, though: the Human tribe. An interesting tribal combination.
  • Rating: 3

16. 

  • Name: Guul Draz Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Zendikar
  • Additional Type: Rogue 
  • Evaluation: Potentially, a 3/2 intimidate for 1 is a hoot. Of course, it doesn't really happen by turn 1, but it's still a 1-drop, and in the right build, working the right way, the boost is bound to happen eventually, giving this weird circus contortionist her time to shine, possible dealing the last points of damage that seal the deal.
  • Rating: 6

17. 

  • Name: Heirs of Stromkirk   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Evaluation: Vampire Slith gets intimidate. For 4 mana, though. Nah.
  • Rating: 3

18. 

  • Name: Markov Patrician   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Markov Patrician tries to improve on the simplicity of Child of Night, but one point of power more doesn't justify one mana more. At the point in the game when she would join the battlefield, she's too likely to become a trade that gives you 3 life. Which isn't a bad deal, but has too many better options to consider, even in Pauper.
  • Rating: 4

19. 

  • Name: Nearheath Stalker   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: Undying is a great ability, but putting it on a creature that you wouldn't bother to cast the first time around doesn't help much its chances to actually be played.
  • Rating: 3

20. 

  • Name: Night Revelers   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Expanding on the monored family only shows that they were mostly Limited fodder, or worse. A 4/4 vanilla for 5 is the definition of a very late pick, conditional haste or not.
  • Rating: 1

21. 

  • Name: Pulse Tracker   >> summary
  • Sets: Worldwake, Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: PureMTGO's RexDart has a strong dislike for this guy. I think he's fine for fast aggro. It's a 1-drop, and if the opponent isn't also playing the fast aggro game, he either deals 2-4 damage, or attracts early removal, both of which are good in a Vampire tribal build. And later he's sure to sneak at least one more damage past anything, including Maze of Ith or most defender creatures. I've received more damage from this guy that I'd like to admit.
  • Rating: 6

22. 

  • Name: Quag Vampires   >> summary
  • Sets: Worldwake, Conspiracy
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: A scalable threat! Which becomes... let's see... either a Gray Ogre, or a strictly worse Hill Giant, or worse. With swampwalk, sure. Not gonna happen.
  • Rating: 2

23. 

  • Name: Ruthless Cullblade   >> summary
  • Set: Worldwake
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: An attempt at a variation on Guul Draz Vampire, but lacking intimidate, and being slower, it doesn't favorably compare.
  • Rating: 4

24. 

  • Name: Shadow Alley Denizen   >> summary
  • Sets: Gatecrash, Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: There are some possible applications for intimidate on big finishers in late game, but mostly this gal is for Limited, and not even particularly useful at that. She uses crows as a fashion statement, though. You gotta respect that.
  • Rating: 3

25. 

  • Name: Stromkirk Patrol   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Additional Type: Soldier 
  • Evaluation: Here's a black ISD vamp that wants in in the monored action. But it does it in the clumsiest of ways, becoming the poster boy for the "too little, too late" movement.
  • Rating: 1

26. 

  • Name: Tithe Drinker   >> summary
  • Set: Dragon's Maze
  • Evaluation: One of only two white Vampires (the other one is probably more famous), Tithe Drinker uses the Orzhov extort mechanic, and has lifelink, so the white component is used at its fullest. It's not terrible, but you might ask for a little more to something that requires 2 colors. And if you just wanted an early permanent to exploit extort, I'm sure there's better options, or at least easier to cast and harder to kill.
  • Rating: 4

27. 

  • Name: Vampire Aristocrat   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2010
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: The antecedent to Blood Bairn, that's essentially a functional reprint of this one. Except for two minor details: the Aristocrat can be sacrificed to himself, to dribble exile and activate triggers. And he's a Rogue. Interesting to note is that all the Vampire Rogues are common or uncommon. Greater and wealthier vampires don't need to "go rogue" anymore, I guess.
  • Rating: 6

28. 

  • Name: Vampire Hounds   >> summary
  • Set: Exodus
  • Additional Type: Hound 
  • Evaluation: These weird vampiric dogs (vampire animals: a well they fortunately didn't come back to) do exactly what Vampire Aristocrat does, only as a discard outlet rather than a sacrifice one. Problem is, you want a much faster discard outlet than a 3-drop, even if then the activation is free and repeatable. These mutts ain't Putrid Imp. Still, the tribe doesn't have many other options (or at all), if you want to dump into the graveyard one of the bigger Vampires for reanimating purposes. And it still swings for 4 on turn 4, which is decent.
  • Rating: 5

29. 

  • Name: Vampire Interloper   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Additional Type: Scout 
  • Evaluation: This guy (the only Vampire Scout in existence) is nice enough for Limited, probably not nice enough elsewhere. The common Vampires sure feel fragile, don't they?
  • Rating: 4

30. 

  • Name: Vampire Lacerator   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: The go-to 1-drop for super-aggro Vampire builds. It's serviceable, and the downside is typical for black. Better not try and compare it to stuff like Goblin Guide or Figure of Destiny, though. After all, this is Pauper.
  • Rating: 6

31. 

  • Name: Viscera Seer   >> summary
  • Sets: Magic 2011, Commander 2013
  • Additional Type: Wizard 
  • Evaluation: Still one of the best sacrifice outlets you'll find in the game. It's mostly famous for helping Melira going to town with her persisters, which is something our vamp wiz particularly excels at, because you can infinitely scry by infinitely saccing KItchen Finks until you get the Murderous Redcap you need to end the game. But any deck with a need for fast and smart sacrifice can do worse than employ the Seer. He's Ranger of Eos-friendly, too!
  • Rating: 9

> top <

32. 

  • Name: Arrogant Bloodlord   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Type: Knight 
  • Evaluation: This is a strange beast. A 4/4 for 3 is certainly interesting for aggro, but how often will that drawback result damning? Uhm, probably often.
  • Rating: 4

33. 

  • Name: Arrogant Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Portal
  • Evaluation: The arrogance of this guy is that he was the 7th Vampire being printed, back in Portal, and he didn't even match Sengir Vampire's body for the same cost, ending up boltable for no real reason. I get simplifying by removing the ability, but would new players understand the game better if their creatures were crappier? Not surprisingly, they never bothered to bring him online.
  • Rating: 0

34. 

  • Name: Blood Artist   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Evaluation: Drain Life death triggers are a specialty of undead like Vampires and Zombies. Blood Artist is the latest example, and the lack of conditions make it one of the strongest. Pair him up with in-tribe cards like Bloodghast, and you have a winner, albeit of a very specialized strategy. It doesn't hurt that the art by Johannes Voss is just gorgeous, if mightily creepy, and deserves a closer look.
  • Rating: 8

35. 

  • Name: Bloodhusk Ritualist   >> summary
  • Set: Worldwake
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: It's hard to make multikicker worth its while, but Mind Rot for 5 with a 2/2 body attached isn't one of the right ways.
  • Rating: 2

36. 

  • Name: Duskmantle Prowler   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2013
  • Additional Type: Rogue
  • Evaluation: So this guy attacks for 3 on turn 4, uh? Well, it might get worse, but you definitely have to ask more than this from CMC 4, despite both haste and exalted being always welcome keywords.
  • Rating: 4

37. 

  • Name: Falkenrath Exterminator   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Additional Type: Archer 
  • Evaluation: Slith Vampire with a twist: some removal capability. It's not that easy to pull off, of course, and the activation cost isn't cheap, but it's a potentially powerful trick if you manage to get going.
  • Rating: 5

38. 

  • Name: Falkenrath Noble   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Before Blood Artist, there was this guy. Then they realized that the relevant part of this card wasn't being a 2/2 flyer for 4.
  • Rating: 3

39. 

  • Name: Gatekeeper of Malakir   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: Diabolic Edict on a stick. There's really not much else to say about this guy. Most of the times, here he comes on their turn 3, killing whatever you dropped on your turn. Solid is his middle name. Useful was his high school moniker.
  • Rating: 9

40. 

  • Name: Havengul Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Evaluation: The attempts at variance for the Slith Vampires never got very appealing, uh? The problem with this kind of creature is that they either are very early drops, or evasive (which is hard to expect for them to be), or their ability will end up being mostly moot. You can try and make them evasive somehow, sure. But even in that case, you want them on the board earlier than turn 4, otherwise you'd better just change plan.
  • Rating: 4

41. 

  • Name: Irini Sengir   >> summary
  • Set: Homelands
  • Additional Types: Legendary Dwarf 
  • Evaluation: So, one of the first Vampires in the game (specifically the fourth, after Sengir Vampire in Alpha, Krovikan Vampire in Ice Age, and Baron Sengir in the same set) is a dwarf lady that got vampirized by Baron Sengir and adopted as her daughter, which is already a pretty bizarre piece of back story. And her ability is such a weirdly focused color hosing, and such entirely removed from what you'd expect for Vampires to do, that I don't even. Too bad she's not online, so we can experience what happens when your turn-5 Rancor now costs 3.
  • Rating: 2

42. 

  • Name: Krovikan Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Ice Age
  • Evaluation: For those who might not feel like losing eyesight trying to read that text, this guy just takes control of any creature he kills, until he leaves the battlefield. Which mostly means they won't attack into him with creatures that wouldn't want to attack into him regardless, and won't block him with creatures that wouldn't kill him or trade with him. So exactly what would usually happen. All right, it's less irrelevant an ability than it sounds, but still not very effective on a 3/3 for 5. Although, for being the second Vampire ever, and almost as old as the game itself (which, okay, for a vampire should translate into being super powerful), you could expect much worse.
  • Rating: 5

43. 

  • Name: Markov Warlord   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: You read that ability and almost think that hey, it's cool, isn't it? Until you realize that you're paying Titan mana for it. Titan mana!
  • Rating: 2

44. 

  • Name: Moroii   >> summary
  • Sets: Ravnica: City of Guilds, Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas
  • Evaluation: I had totally forgotten about this card, possibly because it's just a serviceable, if absolutely nondescript, midrange flyer. For one mana more (and one color less!), you can have one more power and one more card per turn, you know. After reading the name "moroii", I immediately thought, "It has to be a type of vampire in Romanian folklore". Indeed, a quick search on Wikipedia reveals that a moroii (or moroi) is "a type of vampire or ghost in Romanian folklore." Nailed it. Also, "A female moroi is called a moroaică". So now we know this guy's male.
  • Rating: 5

45. 

46. 

  • Name: Pawn of Ulamog   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: Vampires got enthralled by the Eldrazi on Zendikar (which is ironic, but hey, they're Eldrazi). Pawn of Ulamog rewards his master by creating a bunch of Eldrazi Spawn tokens through death triggers. It would seem like a worse deal than just draining your opponent, but it has some neat applications, mostly due to the fact that the Spawns can self-sacrifice. Cue Grave Pact shenanigans and such.
  • Rating: 6

47. 

  • Name: Rakish Heir   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: The ultimate Slith-ness: Slith-ness for all! Well, for the Vampire tribe, at least. Yes, it works, I have to admit that. Still, you don't see this guy played very often, despite the fact that it impacts the board right away. If I had to play fast aggro vampires, I for one would splash red for him, and watch all the early drops go instantly crazy.
  • Rating: 6

48. 

  • Name: Ravenous Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Mirage
  • Evaluation: Mysteries of Magic design: back in Mirage, Sengir Vampire borrowed Lord of the Pit's downside, and in doing so, it weirdly lost power. I mean, Mirage guys, did you realize that Lord of the Pit is a 7/7 flying trampling monstrosity, right? And that's why he asks for sacrifices. Why should I want to sacrifice stuff to a 3/3?!
  • Rating: 1

49.   

  • Name: Sengir Vampire   >> summary
  • Sets: Limited Edition Alpha to Fourth Edition, Ninth Edition, Tenth Edition, Magic 2012, Magic 2014, Beatdown Box Set, Torment, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Evaluation: The very first Vampire in Magic, still very iconic, although entirely made obsolete by contemporary midrange finishers like Bloodgift Demon and, in tribe, Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief (or also, you know, a certain Blood Baron). It was playable, though, and still kind of is, although he's mostly just a 4/4 flyer for 5. In fact, I don't think I ever saw his ability trigger more than once or twice in total in my entire life. It just doesn't happen: your midrange flyer wants to attack, and the opponent's not likely to have lesser flyers to throw at him (of course, being essentially retired, Sengir Vampire never really got to interact with cards like Bitterblossom). Interestingly, the original iconography, that came back in the version from the Torment reprint that's still in use (after that strange one-time deal of the Beatdown Box Set version), is a reference to the bald, unglamorous Dracula from the classic German expressionist film Nosferatu by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. So that's what the MTG vampires started looking like. To their credit, and luckily for us, they never really went the Twilight route
  • Rating: 5

50. 

  • Name: Skyshroud Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Tempest
  • Evaluation: Here's a sacrifice outlet that manages to make Vampire Hounds look good in comparison. Well, sure, it hits for evasive 5 on a turn where you have to discard something. And it can potentially hit for a lot more if you, I don't know, just cast Squadron Hawk? But it's still a 5-drop that dies to Lightning Bolt and does very little on its own. On a different note, it's interesting how, apparently, it's not supposed to be a humanoid vampire, but a monstrous version of the real life animal. At least, that's what it looks like in the picture, portrayed while it's comically ambushing some sad hyena that seems all but ready to die. 
  • Rating: 4

51. 

  • Name: Stromkirk Captain   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Additional Type: Soldier 
  • Evaluation: One of the tribal lords from Dark Ascension, Stromkirk Captain gives a little boost and first strike to his fellow tribesmen. He's a first striker himself, which only partially excuses the inherent Scathe Zombies-ness of his stats.
  • Rating: 6

52. 

  • Name: Treacherous Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Judgment
  • Evaluation: So, this guy needs threshold to be decent (except then it even takes 6 out of your life total for your troubles), and it actively works against achieving threshold. To the point that it might even end up pacified if your graveyard is empty. Sometimes I really can't understand the criteria behind old cards' concept of "balance".
  • Rating: 1

53. 

  • Name: Vampire Hexmage   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Conspiracy
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: Vampire Hexmage is one of the best designed Vampires in the game, hands down. Even not counting the combo potential of her ability (Dark Depths, anyone?), she's a 2-powered first-striker that instantly kills planeswalkers or resets anything with counter. And she's also easy to make come back from the graveyard. A veritable, if unassuming, powerhouse that Eric Deschamps famously chose to depict as a deranged lady with a disquieting relationship with her pet cockroaches.
  • Rating: 10

54. 

  • Name: Vampire Nighthawk   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Magic 2013, Commander, Commander 2013, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Additional Type: Shaman
  • Evaluation: A vamp for all seasons, the Nighthawk is a good option for an aggressive early drop in any Rock-style Modern deck. He sneaks damage through, he gives you life, and most importantly, he's a removal in disguise when required.
  • Rating: 8

55. 

  • Name: Vampire Outcasts   >> summary
  • Sets: Magic 2012, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Evaluation: I guess that a 4/4 lifelinker for 4 isn't bad, right? And at that point in the curve, bloodthirst (which sounds like an ability Vampires should get more consistently, no?) is likely to happen. The main issue with these guys is that it's hard to find a reason to find room for them at CMC 4, where you either have more juicy options, or you just don't bother going at all in a faster vamp deck. Maybe as a sideboard against burn?
  • Rating: 5

56. 

  • Name: Vampire Warlord   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2014
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: This is quite possibly the worst free sacrifice outlet the Vampire tribe has gotten so far. Good job, M14.
  • Rating: 2

57. 

  • Name: Vengeful Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Evaluation: Whoa, is a 3-powered flying undyer really worth SIX MANA? Uncommon, what you gotta do, right?
  • Rating: 2

> top <

58. 

  • Name: Anowon, the Ruin Sage   >> summary
  • Set: Worldwake
  • Additional Types: Legendary Shaman 
  • Evaluation: Anowon is fragile, but he's also a one-sided The Abyss for Vampire decks, so it's hard to resist the temptation to bring him in, especially in slower builds. It's worth noting that Vampire is one of those tribes, much like Elf, Goblin, and Merfolk, albeit with less wider applications, that it doesn't just exist in the world of Tribal Wars proper, but it's viable in several eternal formats, if not all of them. A card like Anowon, then, becomes more than just a strictly tribal player. For one, he makes for a great commander in Vampire-themed decks.
  • Rating: 8

59. 

  • Name: Ascendant Evincar   >> summary
  • Sets: Nemesis, Tenth Edition, Planechase
  • Additional Type: Legendary 
  • Evaluation: This guy, who's actually another, less terrible incarnation of Crovax, would be great, if only wasn't a miserable 3/3 for 6. Along with his alternate universe version from Planar Chaos, he's a proto-Elesh Norn. Except for the part where Elesh is twice as effective, ignores color restrictions, and is way harder to kill.
  • Rating: 5

60. 

  • Name: Baron Sengir   >> summary
  • Set: Homelands
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Baron Sengir was the big bad from Homelands, in a storyline nobody probably remembers or cares about. He's just a grotesquely overcosted, slightly boosted version of Sengir Vampire that can tap to regenerate a fellow Vampire (because you're certainly likely to keep your 8-mana finisher behind in case he has to regenerate something). Turns out Sengir Vampires were more useful than Sengir himself.
  • Rating: 4

61. 

  • Name: Blood Tyrant   >> summary
  • Set: Conflux
  • Evaluation: Blood Tyrant was obviously designed with multiplayer in mind (back when that wasn't as usual as it is today), what with that ability referencing the death of a player that does NOT coincide with the end of the game. The same ability will then reach new level of aweseomness with Withengar, but the Tyrant is still a great beater in Commander, growing very fast while punishing your opponents each turn. It doesn't have much purpose elsewhere.
  • Rating: 6

62. 

  • Name: Bloodghast   >> summary
  • Set: Zendikar
  • Additional Type: Spirit 
  • Evaluation: It's a vampire! It's a spirit! It's a powerhouse! As RexDart correctly noted in his evaluation, Bloodghast is probably the most played Vampire in the history of Magic, and it's all due to that little landfall trigger. When you need a creature that can go back and forth between battlefield and graveyard, free of charge, again and again, always ready for any kind of shenanigans, and sometimes just for the sake of beating, Bloodghast is your (dead) guy. Did you ever try a trio of them with Buried Alive? Never without.
  • Rating: 10

63.  

  • Name: Bloodline Keeper   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: Bloodline Keeper's transformation isn't the easy trick to pull, and his token factory isn't the fastest ever. But it's the kind of card you want to try and break. And you might. Granted, he's boltable, but 4 mana aren't that many to invest in this project, and if left unattended, the Keeper is going to take over the board eventually. The best comparison is to green's Master of the Wild Hunt, although the Master has more control elements to it.
  • Rating: 8

64. 

  • Name: Butcher of Malakir   >> summary
  • Sets: Worldwake, Commander, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: Grave Pact on a stick is the next level death trigger for Vampires. Butcher of Malakir is certainly expensive, but he's also able to swing for 5 while causing mayhem, possibly with the help of Bloodghast, who's always up for this kind of death task. Arguably, it all sounds more like a Commander thing than any other constructed format.
  • Rating: 7

65. 

  • Name: Captivating Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2011
  • Evaluation: The basic application of Captivating Vampire is being a classic, boosting lord, which isn't much in this time and age, especially for a tribe that can do better than just settling for a generic +1/+1. But then there's the allure of that other ability, something that will hardly ever happen (even if you do manage to commit other 4 vampires to the board, why should you leave them all untapped, unless there's Emrakul on the other side of the battlefield? In many cases, it'd just be a win-more situation). But you just want to dream. And you're allowed to.
  • Rating: 6

66. 

  • Name: Chancellor of the Dross   >> summary
  • Set: New Phyrexia
  • Evaluation: This card is part of a cycle of big guys that do stuff if you reveal them from the opening hand, which is sort of a silver lining for having unplayable cards in the opening hand to begin with. As a 6/6 evasive lifelinker for 7 isn't even that bad, but it's mostly only famous for freeform format builds where you automatically win at turn 0 with a deck made exclusively by copies of this guy. I'm not sure this counts as an accomplishment.
  • Rating: 6

67. 

  • Name: Crovax the Cursed   >> summary
  • Sets: Stronghold, Vintage Masters
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Here we are again, with an old-school Vampire that wants you to sacrifice creatures for no good reason. Oh well, at least Crovax starts as a 4/4 for 4. Although he's not going to stay that for long.
  • Rating: 4

68. 

  • Name: Dark Impostor   >> summary
  • Set: Avacyn Restored
  • Additional Type: Assassin 
  • Evaluation: Dark Impostor is most notable for one of the creepiest, most unsettling flavor texts ever done. For the rest, it's a very, very clunky removal, unless you happen to have a ton of black mana.
  • Rating: 5

69. 

  • Name: Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Types: Legendary Shaman
  • Evaluation: Drana is the leader and progenitor of the most powerful and referenced family of Zendikar vampires, Kalastria (among the others, only Nirkana and Ghet are referenced on cards). And she's a great creature that never got the rightful recognition she deserved. Her basic cost and stats are on par with Sengir Vampire, which is still a decent starting point. And her ability is killer. Literally: she's removal on a stick that doubles as evasive finisher. It requires some mana to fully exploit, but it's also a great mana dump for the occasions when a monoblack deck has a surplus, which isn't uncommon in a few formats.
  • Rating: 8

70. 

  • Name: Falkenrath Marauders   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: Yet another variation on the basic shtick of the monored vampires. And while this one, being a hasty flyer, might be worth the effort, it just means it starts as a 4/4 that dealt 2 damage. It's bound to become big eventually, but it's less explosive than it seems, and still easily boltable (or even shockable!) before it connected.
  • Rating: 6

71. 

  • Name: Fiend of the Shadows   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Additional Type: Wizard 
  • Evaluation: Despite the injection of faster cards in both Zendikar and Innistrad blocks, the midrange slots of the Vampire family still feel overpopulated, but also strangely filled with creatures that fall just short of being really good. Take this one, for instance: the ability to force an exile from hand with the possibility to steal and play that card is very sweet, as you get some value even from the lands the opponent is going to choose eventually. But it's been grafted onto a 3/3 body for 5, which makes it clumsy. Compare it with the similar ability of Nightveil Specter, that starts being active two turns earlier (plus the opponent can't control the outcome of the stealing, even if he won't get any card disadvantage out of it). The addition of that random regeneration via Human sacrifice doesn't help in the slightest, since it's both unreliable and conditional in a way that spells "build around me", but doesn't reward enough if you do.
  • Rating: 5

72. 

  • Name: Garza Zol, Plague Queen   >> summary
  • Set: Coldsnap
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Garza is essentially a 5-powered flyer that might draw you a card per turn. There's also the traditional Sengir Vampire ability (which, luckily, they stop repurposing lately), but we know that doesn't mean much. Don't get me wrong, the fact that she has haste is great, but as flashy as this card feels, when you analyze it closely, is it really worth 7 mana and, more importantly, three different colors? Because Bloodgift Demon deals the same amount of damage, and is certain to give you the extra card, and it only costs 5 mana with one color requirement.
  • Rating: 6

73. 

  • Name: Guul Draz Assassin   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Type: Assassin 
  • Evaluation: This deadly Vampire Assassin (a staple of Assassin decks in Tribal Wars) is simply one of the best levelers from Rise of the Eldrazi. It takes 5 mana to get started, then another 4 to get powered up to the max, but at that point it's a 4-powered victim per turn, indestructible or regeneration notwithstanding. Certainly not a guy for lightning fast formats, but a tribal bogeyman for sure.
  • Rating: 7

74. 

  • Name: Kalastria Highborn   >> summary
  • Set: Worldwake
  • Additional Type: Shaman 
  • Evaluation: One of the most well-known Vampires, this noblewoman from Drana's family is the epitome of victory through black's death triggers. Although necessarily requiring a tribal build, and some amount of black mana available, her Drain Life for 2 is hard to contain. Workplace buddy with Viscera Seer.
  • Rating: 8

75. 

  • Name: Malakir Bloodwitch   >> summary
  • Set: Zendikar
  • Additional Type: Shaman 
  • Evaluation: Another Vampire Tribal staple, the Bloodwitch from Zendikar's vampire city of Malakir is a very solid, evasive 5-drop. Draining for a variable amount as an ETB trigger might end up as a finishing move, or at least a push past that 10 life mark that several ZEN Vampires cares about. And of course protection from white is always noteworthy, making her resilient to so many different spot removals.
  • Rating: 8

76. 

  • Name: Markov Blademaster   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Additional Type: Warrior 
  • Evaluation: The ultimate Slith vampire has double strike for 3. It doesn't connect that easily as a meager 1/1, but once she does, the trigger happens twice per turn, so things might escalate quickly. Still not particularly desirable, especially due to the need to commit to red as more than a splash, but if you're willing to go for it, she's probably one of better investments. Johannes Voss and Jana Schirmer's detailed art and striking pose deserve a closer look, although this fierce lady could actually be anything, not necessarily a vamp.
  • Rating: 6

77. 

  • Name: Mephidross Vampire   >> summary
  • Set: Fifth Dawn
  • Evaluation: Mephidross Vampire, the only Vampire from the original Mirrodin block, is a severely overcosted creature that gives all your creatures the not especially useful Sengir Vampire routine. The only things for which he was remembered was the combo with Triskelion, and these days, the shooting robot prefers the company of Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, that allows for the not negligible option to target players, too. Alas, Mephidross Vampire is now a relic from his own past.
  • Rating: 6

78. 

  • Name: Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker   >> summary
  • Set: Dragon's Maze
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: As milling goes (a line of attack that Dimir has been aggressively given as of lately), Mirko is a strong one, as each of his evasive hits results in a potential lot of cards ending up in that opponent's graveyard. He does little more than that, though, and he's not even very fast, so you really need to be a fan of the strategy, both in Commander or elsewhere.
  • Rating: 6

79. 

  • Name: Mirri the Cursed   >> summary
  • Set: Planar Chaos
  • Additional Types: Legendary Cat
  • Evaluation: During the timeline-confusing events of Time Spiral block, Mirri, the Cat Warrior from crew of the skyship Weatherlight, became afflicted with vampirism when she switched fates with Crovax (resulting in the latter not going black in this alternate reality). The resulting card is a nice midrange evasive beater, with a good combination of keywords. And yes, the Sengir Vampire ability too, which is probably at the best of its chances of actually happening when paired up with first strike.
  • Rating: 7

80. 

81. 

  • Name: Sangromancer   >> summary
  • Set: Mirrodin Besieged
  • Additional Type: Shaman 
  • Evaluation: Sangromancer is the Vampire and/or Shaman you need when your deck kills a lot and/or causes the opponent to discard a lot, both of which are certainly not uncommon in black. You don't even need to over-commit to the theme, as 3 life per occurrence are enough of a good deal in and by themselves. And in the meantime, she's a pretty decent 3-powered flyer for 4.
  • Rating: 7

82. 

  • Name: Sengir Nosferatu   >> summary
  • Set: Time Spiral
  • Evaluation: This guy from Time Spiral (that weirdly resembles less to Nosferatu than the original Sengir Vampire) is the first attempt at translating into a Magic mechanic the trope of the vampire turning into a bat, and back again. The wording is a bit clumsy, and the whole thing is ultimately just a way to dodge removal a la Aetherling, but the Sengir Vampire stats makes it better than the more elegant Screeching Bat/Stalking Vampire transformer.
  • Rating: 6

83. 

  • Name: Shauku, Endbringer   >> summary
  • Set: Mirage
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Let me get this straight: you have a 5/5 flyer for 7 (which, is it supposed to be a good deal?), but she can't attack unless she's the only creature on the board, which means you can't have any, and she has to keep tapping herself to try and kill the opponent's creatures, one by one. And in the meantime, she makes you lose 3 life per turn. Am I missing something here or is this the craziest The Abyss variant ever?
  • Rating: 3

84. 

  • Name: Skeletal Vampire   >> summary
  • Sets: Guildpact, Modern Masters, Duel Decks: Garruk vs. Liliana
  • Additional Type: Skeleton 
  • Evaluation: If Sengir Nosferatu depicts the relationship between vampires and bats from within, Skeletal Vampire is all about their friendship. For 6 mana, you get a combined flying power of 5, which isn't much, but the good part is how you can proliferate the bats. Granted, it's not a very fast process, and it relies on at least one bat surviving at any given time, and the bats are Skeletal Vampire's regeneration tickets, but it's still a good design. Not sure why he's skeletal to begin with, though.
  • Rating: 6

85. 

86. 

  • Name: Stromkirk Noble   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Evaluation: The main problem with all the monored Slith vampires that were one of the main Innistrad block's innovations for the tribe is that they really, really need to connect to be any good. Coming as a 1-drop that dribbles a fair share of the faster creatures in the game (although, that was most noticeable – not to mention, flavorful – within Innistrad block itself) is a good step towards that goal.
  • Rating: 7

87. 

  • Name: Szadek, Lord of Secrets   >> summary
  • Sets: Ravnica: City of Guilds, Commander
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: So, Szadek has only one way to win, and that's through milling. His milling power increases exponentially at each successful hits, and is bound to get out of control fast, which makes him potentially stronger than his direct rival (and House Dimir's heir) Mirko Vosk, whose milling is more random. Plus, Szadek's growing body makes it progressively harder to kill through direct damage. Still, he's one-trick pony, and the Commander deck he can lead is bound to be thematically resonant, as much as it'll be immediately hated on at any table.
  • Rating: 6

88. 

  • Name: Vampiric Dragon   >> summary
  • Set: Odyssey
  • Additional Type: Dragon 
  • Evaluation: Did you know Dragons can be Vampires, too? Now you do. And when they are, at least they can exploit that whole Sengir Vampire thing better, due to targeted pinging. This guy is sure to eat a lot of mana dorks, isn't he? Too bad that, for such a CMC, you can do much scarier than a 5/5 with the potential to grow.
  • Rating: 5

89. 

  • Name: Vein Drinker   >> summary
  • Set: Shards of Alara
  • Evaluation: And where Vampiric Dragon Sengir-pings, Vein Drinker Sengir-fights! The ability requires a red splash but it's very effective, because it's based on the starting 4/4 body. It should see more play than it is, even if I guess 6 mana to drop and the requirement to tap make the whole process a little clunky.
  • Rating: 6

90. 

  • Name: Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter   >> summary
  • Set: Commander
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Vish Kal's high casting cost is probably the fatal flaw in his design, because once you managed to get him online, you have a solid evasive lifelinker that doubles as a sacrifice outlet for more body strength, and triples as removal. It's a legit reanimation target for when you need one or more of these things, though.
  • Rating: 7

91. 

  • Name: Soul Collector   >> summary
  • Sets: Scourge, Time Spiral "Timeshifted"
  • Evaluation: Soul Collector does a stronger variation on what The Wretched does, and she's also helped a little by the morph's element of surprise, albeit triple black isn't an easy morph cost to pay outside monoblack. And 3 is a very limited range of affected toughness.
  • Rating: 6

> top <

92. 

  • Name: Blood Baron of Vizkopa   >> summary
  • Set: Dragon's Maze
  • Evaluation: I often read criticisms about Blood Baron of Vizkopa that laments the fact that it's a very boring card, in that it's just a beatsick. And it is, but what a beatstick! Admittedly, the last ability is the epitome of win-more (also, more far-fetched than it looks), but the Baron doesn't need much more than solid midrange stats (he got the classic Sengir Vampire's CMC and body, if you notice), lifelink, and more importantly, protection from almost all the targeted removal in existence, including Lightning Bolt. He's hard to kill and gives you life, in the great tradition of cards like Wurmcoil Engine. Sometimes, winning is boring.
  • Rating: 9

93. 

  • Name: Bloodlord of Vaasgoth   >> summary
  • Set: Magic 2012
  • Additional Type: Warrior
  • Evaluation: This mostly overlooked guy drops for 5 as, very possibly, a 6/6 flyer. Granted, in black you can have 6/6 flyers for 4. And there will be the case when you draw into it on an empty board, and a 3/3 Vampire for 5 really sucks (pun not intended). But this one also gives the same potential deal to all the other Vampires, turning into a stealth tribal lord. It might be worth a shot.
  • Rating: 6

94. 

  • Name: Duskmantle Seer   >> summary
  • Set: Gatecrash
  • Additional Type: Wizard 
  • Evaluation: A 4/4 flyer for 4 is pretty decent. Dark Confidant ability is pretty great. Doing it for all the players is pretty odd. This guy is pretty hard to evaluate. It's pretty playable, let's leave it at that.
  • Rating: 6

95. 

  • Name: Falkenrath Aristocrat   >> summary
  • Set: Dark Ascension
  • Evaluation: Falkenrath is one of the four major vampire bloodlines in Innistrad, along with Markov, Stromkirk, and Voldaren. The Aristocrat is a fierce representative of her progeny, a 4-powered hasty flyer for 4 with a nice, but not required build-around-me potential. See, if you put Humans in your deck, she grows while dribbling destruction. If you put creatures you want to sacrifice, that could also be Human (anything from Doomed Traveler to Academy Rector), she becomes a combo piece. Or you can just sacrifice whatever you deem less valuable to save her own butt in a pinch. Noblesse oblige.
  • Rating: 9

96. 

  • Name: Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge   >> summary
  • Set: Commander 2013
  • Additional Types: Legendary Wizard 
  • Evaluation: A born commander, Jeleva might be too color-intensive in other constructed formats, albeit she may certainly come faster than Szadek. Plus, her milling ability, that fuels her very powerful cast-for-free ability, is strictly linked to being played again and again, and to some degree to having more than one opponent's cards to choose from. Cynthia Sheppard's theatrical look and demeanor call attention upon themselves.
  • Rating: 7

97. 

  • Name: Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet   >> summary
  • Set: Zendikar
  • Additional Types: Legendary Warrior 
  • Evaluation: Ghet is the Cinderella of the vampire families in Zendikar. Their bloodchief is this guy, who's spot removal on a stick. The most direct comparison is with Visara the Dreadful. Let's see, Kalitas costs one mana more. Body is the same, but Visara is evasive. Both need to tap, but on top of that, Kalitas requires a color-intensive activation cost, while Visara is free of charge. The only part where Kalitas excels is in giving you tokens with body equals to his victims. Which is flavorful, and certainly welcome, and has some potential, but sometimes you just want to kill that Deathrite Shaman, which doesn't give you much of a token. All in all, Kalitas' flaws outweigh his one major virtue, but he still remains a powerful killer, especially in formats like Commander, where he has a place in tribal setups.
  • Rating: 6

98. 

  • Name: Necropolis Regent   >> summary
  • Set: Return to Ravnica
  • Evaluation: Necropolis Regent is a proverbial Timmy creature, and a great one at that. You attack with her and the team, and everybody doubles their stats, again and again, to infinity and beyond. Plus, she's just Titan mana, and hits for 6 to begin with. If anything else, she's a Commander staple.
  • Rating: 8

99. 

  • Name: Nirkana Revenant   >> summary
  • Set: Rise of the Eldrazi
  • Additional Type: Shade 
  • Evaluation: Doubling the amount of black mana from the Swamps is something firmly in black's wheelhouse (think of cards like Cabal Coffers or, more recently, Liliana of the Dark Realms and Crypt Ghast). Nirkana Revenant does it proficiently, adding the Shade's usual pumping for good measure. She's not fast, as she's designed to ramp from "6 mana" to "an outrageous amount", which makes her essential in any and all monoblack Commander decks.
  • Rating: 9

100. 

  • Name: Olivia Voldaren   >> summary
  • Set: Innistrad
  • Additional Type: Legendary
  • Evaluation: Vastly improving on Vampiric Dragon's ping to grow, the floating, party-loving Olivia actually just needs to ping to grow. And then she can control whoever she pinged, although that requires more mana than her original casting cost itself. She's a bit frail, and the control has an expiration date, but if used well in the right deck, she won't disappoint.
  • Rating: 8

101. 

  • Name: Vampire Nocturnus   >> summary
  • Sets: Magic 2010, Magic 2013
  • Evaluation: The very paragon of tribal lords, Vampire Nocturnus can give the Vampire tribe such a boost that it might just get one strike after he comes online. The chance of misfire is very real, though, albeit alleviated by the use of deck shuffling implements like the fetch lands. In those occasions, he'll end up suddenly downgraded to a frail 3/3 vanilla for 4. Also, he gives away your next draw and isn't very friendly to red Vampires. This said, he's possibly the scariest Vampire you will ever face, as the difference between win or lose may rest on the flip of a card.
  • Rating: 8

BONUS: TRANSFORMER VAMPIRES

   

  • Names: Screeching Bat; Chosen of Markov   >> summary
  • Sets: Innistrad; Dark Ascension
  • Evaluation: Both these off-tribe transformers use the powerful double-faced card mechanic to represent two vampire tropes. Screeching Bat is the vampire that turns into a bat (or, in this case, vice versa, so we could say that it's more of the trope of a bat that's actually a vampire in disguise). While Chosen of Markov is the enthralled human victim who gets turned by a vampire. Both are flavorful, yet not very good, low-rarity cards, because of demanding activation costs and vanilla vampire forms.

BONUS: SORIN, LORD OF VAMPIRES

  

  • Names: Sorin Markov; Sorin, Lord of Innistrad   >> summary
  • Sets: Zendikar, Magic 2012; Dark Ascension, Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt
  • Evaluation: Could we not mention the one and only vampire planeswalker, possibly the most ancient being in the multiverse after Nicol Bolas? Sorin hails from Innistrad, has an angel daughter who dressed just like him, and a complicated relationship with heroism and good deeds (and Nissa). But the guy who put the Eldrazi away (twice, almost!) can't really be that bad.

> top <

 Vampiric History (first appearances only)

  • Core sets: 13 (Alpha: 1, M10: 3, M11: 3, M12: 3, M13: 1, M14: 2)
  • Starter sets: 1 (Portal: 1)
  • Special sets: 2 (Commander: 1, Commander 2013: 1)
  • Ancient sets: 2 (Homelands: 2)
  • Ice Age block: 2 (Ice Age: 1, Coldsnap: 1)
  • Mirage block: 2 (Mirage: 2)
  • Tempest block: 3 (Tempest: 1, Stronghold: 1, Exodus: 1)
  • Urza block: 0
  • Masques block: 1 (Nemesis: 1)
  • Invasion block: 0
  • Odyssey block: 4 (Odyssey: 3, Judgment: 1)
  • Onslaught block: 1 (Scourge: 1)
  • Mirrodin block: 1 (Fifth Dawn: 1)
  • Kamigawa block: 0
  • Ravnica block: 3 (Ravnica: 2, Guildpact: 1)
  • Time Spiral block: 2 (Time Spiral: 1, Planar Chaos: 1)
  • Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block: 0
  • Alara block: 2 (Shards of Alara: 1, Conflux: 1)
  • Zendikar block: 24 (Zendikar: 9, Worldwake: 7, Rise of the Eldrazi: 8)
  • Scars of Mirrodin block: 3 (Scars of Mirrodin: 1, Mirrodin Besieged: 1, New Phyrexia: 1)
  • Innistrad block: 28 (Innistrad: 12, Dark Ascension: 9, Avacyn Restored: 7)
  • Return to Ravnica block: 7 (Return to Ravnica: 1, Gatecrash: 3, Dragon's Maze: 3)
  • Theros block: 0

 Conclusions: Vampires have witnessed two big baby booms in Magic history, one first time with Zendikar block, then with Innistrad, giving two wildly different interpretations of the myth: Zendikar Vampires are wilderness dwellers, while Innistrad Vampires are urbanites and aristocrats. It's noteworthy that before Zendikar only 28 vampires had been printed, a number that ZEN block almost doubled, moving the whole subtype from one reserved to special high-profile monsters, to one of the largest races in the game. Together, Zendikar and Innistrad amount to more than half the entire Vampire population, while several blocks, such as Kamigawa, Lorwyn/Shadowmoor, and Theros, leave the bloodsuckers out entirely, for flavor reasons.

 Vampiric Colors

  • White: 2 (of which 2 Orzhov)
  • Blue: 7 (of which 4 Dimir, 3 Grixis)
  • Black: 88 (of which 75 mono, 4 Dimir, 4 Rakdos, 2 Orzhov, 3 Grixis)
  • Red: 20 (of which 13 mono, 4 Rakdos, 3 Grixis)
  • Green: 0
  • Colorless: 0

 Conclusions: It's to nobody's surprise that the Vampires mostly reside in black, with occasional but not exceedingly frequent excursions in black's ally colors. Innistrad notably introduced the idea of monored Vampires, which still have to appear elsewhere.

 Additional Types

  • Legendary: 15
  • Warrior: 12
  • Shaman: 11
  • Rogue: 8
  • Wizard: 4
  • Assassin: 2
  • Soldier: 2
  • Archer: 1
  • Cat: 1
  • Dragon: 1
  • Dwarf: 1
  • Hound: 1
  • Knight: 1
  • Scout: 1
  • Shade: 1
  • Skeleton: 1
  • Spirit: 1

 Conclusions: Once the Vampires became a veritable race of beings, they began to use the "classes" as an additional type, with particular attention to the ones more typical of violent, chaotic cultures (Warrior over Soldier, Shaman over Wizard). A few bizarre exceptions aside (one Hound, one Dragon, one Cat, that very peculiar Dwarf), Vampires don't mix well with other species. They are especially suitable for characterized individualities, resulting in about 15% of the whole tribe being legendary.

 The Vampiric Elite


SUMMARY

> top <

 


 

2 Comments

Balustrade Spy nearly made my by RexDart at Sat, 06/28/2014 - 20:00
RexDart's picture

Balustrade Spy nearly made my Top 10, he sees fringe Legacy play in the "Oops, All Spells!" deck. The deck is a bad Charbelcher basically, weak to hate Belcher isn't. But it does show up in Legacy, and can win smaller tournaments.

It's also in the Manaless by TheKidsArentAlright at Sun, 06/29/2014 - 03:32
TheKidsArentAlright's picture

It's also in the Manaless Dredge decks as a Dread Return target. He'll dump the entire deck into the graveyard, a position from which winning is academic for the Dredge pilot.