Carnival of Souls MTG Card

Card advantage flourishes as Carnival of Souls turns creature summons into additional mana for strategic plays. Black mana-specific and life-draining downsides demand careful deck construction and strategy anticipation. Its unique ability to ramp up mana makes it a potent inclusion for black-focused, creature-heavy decks.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Enchantment
Released	1999-06-07
Set symbol
Set name	Urza's Destiny
Set code	UDS
Number	55
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Brian Snõddy

Text of card

Whenever a creature comes into play, you lose 1 life and add o B to your mana pool.

"'Davvol, blast those elves.' 'Davvol, transport those troops.' No one cares that today is my birthday."

Cards like Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls stands out in the pantheon of unique enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often compared to cards like Blood Artist, as both feed into strategies that exploit creatures entering or leaving the battlefield. Carnival of Souls triggers upon any creature’s arrival, granting its controller a surge of black mana at the cost of 1 life. Blood Artist, instead, focuses on death triggers, offering life drain and gain for each creature’s demise without providing mana.

Dark Prophecy has thematic similarities, bolstering black mana’s fondness for drawing power from sacrifices. Like Carnival of Souls, it imposes a life toll for each creature’s death, but rewards the player with card draw instead of additional mana. This can set a player up for longer term advantage but doesn’t have the immediate mana ramp of Carnival of Souls.

To sum up, while there are cards with comparable gameplay dynamics, Carnival of Souls remains unique in its immediate mana-generating ability tied to creatures entering the battlefield. It supports a very different but potent axis of strategy, favoring players who can adeptly manage life and resources to fuel their dark machinations.

Cards similar to Carnival of Souls by color, type and mana cost

Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions

Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions

Aphemia, the Cacophony - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Carnival of Souls provides a significant boost in card flow by enabling the summoning of multiple creatures without losing out on mana. This creates substantial card advantage, especially in decks that rapidly fill the board with creatures.

Resource Acceleration: By generating an additional mana whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, the card can act as a resource accelerator. This advantage is pivotal in decks that look to cascade smaller summons into larger threats, ramping up the game’s pace and putting pressure on the opponent.

Instant Speed: Although Carnival of Souls isn’t an instant itself, it seamlessly fits into strategies that deploy creatures at instant speed. The mana generated can be used immediately to fund reactionary spells or abilities, thereby maximizing efficiency and maintaining momentum during critical phases of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: As a continuous effect, Carnival of Souls presents a persistent dilemma each time a creature enters the battlefield, demanding something from your strategy to offset the life loss it incurs. This can lead to a deficit in lifepoints which might be difficult to recover from, especially in games where maintaining a high life total is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: The specific casting cost of Carnival of Souls, which includes black mana, inherently restricts deck inclusion. It stands as an ideal enchantment only in decks that can leverage black mana and the benefits of new creatures appearing on the battlefield, consequently lessening its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For what may seem at face value as an advantage—gaining mana each time a creature arrives—the truth is the mana provided is black and at the cost of one life. This can be prohibitive, since the card doesn’t outright offer you a creature nor does it protect you from the loss of life, which may not equate to a favorable exchange when compared with other cards that can be played to generate mana without such a drawback.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Carnival of Souls offers a unique dynamic to any black deck through its ability to produce mana almost continuously. This enabler can slot into a variety of builds, particularly those that capitalize on creature spells or death triggers.

Combo Potential: The card has a notorious reputation for functioning as a cog in various combo engines. By generating mana for each creature that enters the battlefield, it can be the key card that unlocks infinite mana combinations or facilitates game-ending plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Carnival of Souls can provide the necessary resources to stay ahead. Whether it’s for casting disruptive spells, setting up defenses, or fueling aggressive strategies, its relevance on the current battlefield can be game-changing.

How to beat

Carnival of Souls is a unique enchantment that can be a double-edged sword in the dynamic world of Magic: The Gathering. While it has the ability to generate a significant amount of mana, it does so at the potential cost of its controller’s life points, as players lose life whenever a creature comes into play. To effectively counter this card, it’s key to leverage its drawback to your advantage.

Removing creatures from the field can minimize the mana gain for the Carnival of Souls’ controller. Board wipes and targeted removals are effective tools here. Additionally, disrupting the timing of creature spells through counterspells or by imposing additional costs with cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, can hamper the opposing player’s rhythm and reduce the impact of Carnival of Souls.

Lastly, strategies focusing on life gain can help mitigate the life loss and turn the tide in your favor. By incorporating these tactics, players can cleverly navigate around the threats posed by Carnival of Souls, mitigating its influence and steering the game towards a favorable outcome.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Carnival of Souls MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny, 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 Carnival of Souls and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Carnival of Souls has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	This is not optional.