Blood Operative MTG Card
2018-10-05 - Number 63s
2018-10-05 - Number 63
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Vampire Assassin |
| Abilities | Lifelink |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
Lifelink When Blood Operative enters the battlefield, you may exile target card from a graveyard. Whenever you surveil, if Blood Operative is in your graveyard, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Blood Operative to your hand.
Cards like Blood Operative
In the realm of MTG, Blood Operative stands out as a unique creature card. While it shares the lifelink trait commonly seen in cards like Vampire Nighthawk, it carves a niche for itself with its distinctive set of abilities. Vampire Nighthawk, although it doesn’t offer the same recurring playability, provides flying and deathtouch, making it a versatile defender and attacker.
Another card in the conversation is Oathsworn Vampire, which also can return from the graveyard to the battlefield. However, it lacks the direct graveyard interaction that Blood Operative provides; it needs a condition of gaining life that same turn for its return. Then we look at Deathgorge Scavenger. This dinosaur also interacts with graveyards by allowing you to exile cards from them, but it doesn’t come with the self-recurring nature or the ability to impact the hand like Blood Operative does.
Evaluating the unique combination of graveyard control, lifelink, and recurring potential, Blood Operative is quite a compelling option for decks focusing on sustain and disruption. It shines in its capacity to be a persistent nuisance for opponents, balancing offense and defense with strategic graveyard play.
Cards similar to Blood Operative by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With its unique ability to be returned from the graveyard to your hand, Blood Operative ensures you always have access to its benefits, effectively giving you a recurring card resource that’s hard for opponents to permanently deal with.
Resource Acceleration: By exiling cards from an opponent’s graveyard, Blood Operative can disrupt their game plan, potentially slowing them down and giving you a relative acceleration in resources and board presence.
Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Blood Operative can be returned to your hand at instant speed whenever you surveil, allowing you to optimize your plays and maintain surprise by possibly reintroducing it to the battlefield in a moment’s notice.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To utilize Blood Operative’s return-from-graveyard ability, you must part with another valuable card from your hand, potentially diminishing your in-game advantage and resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Blood Operative demands a precise mana combination to cast—two generic and one black mana which might not seamlessly integrate into multicolored or off-theme decks, limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For three mana, Blood Operative’s stats and life link ability may appear underwhelming compared to other creatures in the same mana range, potentially detracting from the card’s overall efficiency and impact in your gameplay strategy.
Reasons to Include Blood Operative in Your Collection
Versatility: Blood Operative offers a flexible role in a variety of deck builds, particularly those that thrive on life gain and graveyard interaction. Its ability to be returned from the graveyard to your hand provides a recurring threat or defensive option depending on the situation.
Combo Potential: This card pairs well with mechanics that surveil, allowing you to deliberately place it in the graveyard to later retrieve it, thus initiating synergies and potential combos with other cards that benefit from surveil actions or graveyard play.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where graveyard strategies are prevalent or where opponents frequently utilize their graveyards, Blood Operative becomes an essential tool. Its ability to exile cards from graveyards can disrupt your opponents’ plans while providing you a continued board presence.
How to Beat Blood Operative
In the dynamic arena of Magic: The Gathering, encountering Blood Operative can be a daunting challenge. This vampiric menace poses a significant threat with its lifelink ability, allowing it to serve as both an aggressor and a source of life for the player. To counter this card effectively, one must explore strategies that minimize its impact or eliminate it from the battlefield altogether. It’s important to remember that Blood Operative’s return-to-hand ability hinges on surveil, thus controlling or preventing this mechanic can be key.
Graveyard hate cards are particularly effective, as they prevent the Operative from making its dreaded return. Leyline of the Void and Rest in Peace can exile Blood Operative immediately, ensuring it doesn’t come back to haunt the board. Additionally, instant-speed removal like Path to Exile or Assassin’s Trophy can handle the Operative before the surveil trigger occurs. Strategic planning and precise timing can turn the tide against this intrusive agent, safeguarding your life total and asserting your dominance in the match.
Ultimately, to triumph over Blood Operative, it is essential to remain vigilant and ready to disrupt the synergies that this card thrives upon. Thwart its recurrent nature, and you’ll sustain your advantage throughout the gameplay.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Blood Operative MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica Promos and Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Operative and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Blood Operative Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2018-10-05. Illustrated by Livia Prima.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica Promos | PGRN | 63s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Livia Prima | |
| 2 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica | GRN | 63 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Livia Prima |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Blood Operative has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Blood Operative card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-10-05 | An ability that triggers “whenever you surveil” triggers after you’re done surveilling, even if you have fewer cards in your library than the number of cards you’re instructed to surveil. It even triggers if you have no cards in your library. |
| 2018-10-05 | If you surveil and put Blood Operative into your graveyard as you do so, its ability triggers once you’ve finished surveilling. |
| 2018-10-05 | No player may take actions between the time you choose to pay 3 life and the time you return Blood Operative to your hand. |