Blood Host MTG Card


Blood Host creates card advantage by exploiting repeatable creature sacrifices to fuel its power. The card facilitates resource acceleration, turning excess creatures into valuable +1/+1 counters. Versatile during play, Blood Host’s abilities provide strategic options and improve life totals.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Vampire
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

, Sacrifice another creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on Blood Host and you gain 2 life.

It would be ill-mannered to decline his invitation. It would be ill-advised to accept it.


Cards like Blood Host

Blood Host offers a unique blend of sacrificial mechanics and lifegain in the world of Magic: The Gathering. When looking at creatures that also engage with sacrifice, Vampire Aristocrat stands out due to its similar ability to pump itself by sacrificing other creatures. However, Blood Host takes it a step further by not only increasing its size but also replenishing the player’s life total, an advantage absent in the simpler Vampire Aristocrat.

Another card worth mentioning is Nantuko Husk, which operates on a comparable concept as Blood Host. It allows for the sacrifice of creatures to become momentarily stronger, offering strategic flexibility during combat. Though both cards thrive on sacrifice, Blood Host’s additional lifegain effect grants incremental advantage over time, which Nantuko Husk lacks.

Ultimately, while each of these cards share the theme of sacrifice for power, Blood Host stands apart with its additional lifegain benefit. This makes it a compelling choice for decks capitalizing on creature sacrifice strategies, blending the aggressiveness of power increase with the resilience of life restoration.

Vampire Aristocrat - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Husk - MTG Card versions
Vampire Aristocrat - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Husk - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Blood Host by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Entropic Specter - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Hollow Dogs - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Entropic Specter - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Hollow Dogs - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Blood Host offers the potential for card advantage by providing a repeatable creature sacrificing mechanism. This ability synergizes with decks that produce numerous tokens or creatures that can benefit your strategy when they’re put into the graveyard.

Resource Acceleration: Through its ability to sacrifice creatures, Blood Host effectively transforms excess creatures into additional +1/+1 counters, accelerating your resources in the form of a more formidable creature presence on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: While Blood Host itself does not operate at instant speed, it allows you to utilize its ability any time you could cast an instant. This flexibility lets you make strategic decisions during your opponent’s turn, potentially disrupting their plans or maximizing the timing of your creature sacrifices.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Blood Host requires you to sacrifice another creature to activate its ability. This can be a significant downside, especially if you’re struggling to maintain a presence on the board or want to hold onto valuable creatures for other strategies or synergies.

Specific Mana Cost: Blood Host comes with a specific mana cost that includes two black mana. This can restrict its inclusion to decks that are heavily black or have a reliable mana base capable of producing the necessary black mana without compromising the deck’s overall consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s initial mana investment is comparatively high for its base stats. While the ability to grow stronger is appealing, it competes with other cards in the four-mana slot that could potentially provide immediate impact or require fewer resources to be effective on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Blood Host in Your Collection

Versatility: Blood Host offers a dynamic ability to grow in power while also providing a life cushion. It can perform in a range of decks, especially those focused on creature sacrifice and life gain strategies.

Combo Potential: With its capacity to utilize creatures for strengthening, Blood Host can be a linchpin in combos that rely on creatures entering and leaving the battlefield, or those that benefit from consistent life gain.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where small creatures are plentiful, Blood Host can become an asset by converting those less impactful pieces into value, and it has synergy in archetypes relevant to the current meta.


How to beat

Blood Host is an intriguing creature card with the ability to strengthen itself while diminishing opponents’ forces in MTG. It possesses an ability that allows it to sacrifice other creatures to elongate its longevity on the battlefield and bolster its power. But don’t be daunted; overcoming this vampiric adversary is a feat within reach. A prime strategy to overpower Blood Host lies in restraining this creature’s capacity to sacrifice others. Employ spells or abilities that impose summoning sickness, such as “Silence the Believers” or “Crippling Chill,” preventing its skill activation. Keeping your board clear of expendable creatures also minimizes Blood Host’s potential growth.

Moreover, unleash removal spells swiftly. Before Blood Host can multiply in strength, target it with unconditional removal spells such as “Doom Blade” or “Murder.” In the event Blood Host accumulates a substantial amount of +1/+1 counters, use bounce spells like “Unsummon” that can reset its power level. Lastly, remember controlling the game’s tempo is essential. The faster you can deplete your opponent’s resources or render their defenses useless, the less likely Blood Host will exert its influence over the game state.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blood Host MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Jumpstart, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Blood Host and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Blood Host Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Cynthia Sheppard.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-18Magic 2015M15 872015NormalBlackCynthia Sheppard
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2082015NormalBlackCynthia Sheppard

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blood Host has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Blood Host card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2014-07-18 If Blood Host isn’t on the battlefield when its ability resolves, you won’t put a +1/+1 counter on it but you’ll still gain 2 life.