Captivating Vampire MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Vampire
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Grants card advantage by usurping opponent’s creatures, thus bolstering your board while depleting theirs.
  2. Acts as a vampire-specific resource accelerator, enhancing your existing vampire creatures rapidly.
  3. Its activated ability’s instant speed effect can pivot the game unexpectedly in your favor.

Text of card

Other Vampire creatures you control get +1/+1. Tap five untapped Vampires you control: Gain control of target creature. It becomes a Vampire in addition to its other types.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you think about rising stars in your deck that really pull their weight, Captivating Vampire certainly stands out. By allowing you to take control of your opponent’s creatures when you amass enough vampires, you’re not just adding to your army—you’re also chipping away at your adversary’s resources. This potent ability grants you significant card advantage, disrupting your opponent’s plans and fortifying your position in the game.

Resource Acceleration: Captivating Vampire doesn’t just boost your board presence through control; it also acts as an accelerator for your vampiric legion. The boost in strength it gives to other vampires helps you turn your existing creatures into more formidable threats much quicker. This type of resource acceleration can overwhelm foes and tilt the match in your favor, demonstrating the card’s multipurpose utility.

Instant Speed: While the Captivating Vampire itself isn’t an instant, the immediate effect of its activated ability can have just as much impact. You can wait for the perfect time—perhaps when your opponent suspects nothing—to activate it, swinging the dynamics of the board in an instant. This capacity to operate at the speed of surprise lends a tactical edge, much like a game-changing instant spell.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some other creature cards that can be played without additional costs, Captivating Vampire necessitates a certain composition of creatures for activation. This can lead to a situation where you’re forced to let go of a potentially valuable vampire ally just to fuel his ability, thus reducing your on-field presence and overall capabilities.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for this creature is quite specific, requiring two black mana in its overall cost. This can restrict its integration exclusively to black-centered decks or those with a heavy black mana base, making it a challenging fit for multi-color decks that might not have the mana consistency to deploy it reliably.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a three mana cost might not seem too steep at first glance, in the realm of vampire decks, efficiency is key. Some players might find that for the price of one Captivating Vampire, they could be deploying other creatures or spells that contribute more immediately or variably to board state and game tempo, making Captivating Vampire a potential bottleneck in fast-paced matches.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Captivating Vampire is a flexible card that can fit into various deck types focused on vampires or tribal strategies. Its ability to tap and take control of target creature enhances any deck aiming for board domination.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks that generate numerous vampires, as its control-changing ability becomes more potent with a growing vampire presence on the field.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based decks are prevalent, Captivating Vampire offers both offensive and defensive advantages by growing your vampire army and reducing your opponents’ threats simultaneously.


How to beat

When facing off against a Captivating Vampire in Magic: The Gathering, the key is to anticipate and disrupt your opponent’s strategy. This iconic Vampire card thrives in an environment rich with vampire allies, empowering them and sometimes even seizing control of your creatures. However, there are several tactics to dismantle its dominance on the battlefield.

One approach is targeting the Captivating Vampire directly with removal spells. As a creature card, it’s susceptible to a wide array of removal options available in MTG. Instant-speed removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, can be particularly effective as they can be used in response to the Captivating Vampire’s activated abilities. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God can reset the playing field, especially if your opponent has already assembled a vampire horde.

Another strategy involves disrupting your opponent’s creature-based game plan. Cards that prevent creatures from entering the battlefield or ones that limit the ability activations can severely weaken the effectiveness of a Captivating Vampire-centered strategy. By staying ahead of the curve and keeping the vampire numbers in check, you can mitigate the card’s ability to take control and maintain dominance on the playing field.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the depth of MTG’s strategic gameplay, Captivating Vampire emerges as a card to consider for anyone keen on mastering vampire-themed decks. Understanding its strengths such as card advantage, resource acceleration, and instant speed impact, paired with the awareness of its limitations, such as specific mana costs, ensures a well-rounded approach to deck building. For those aiming to enrich their collection, this card demonstrates a blend of versatility, combo potential, and meta relevance. Seeking to expand your prowess within the MTG arena? Dive deeper with us into the nuances of strategic play, deck optimization, and card analysis to outsmart your opponents and reign supreme.


Cards like Captivating Vampire

The Captivating Vampire is a cornerstone in vampire-themed decks for Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts. Standing side by side with cards like Drana, Liberator of Malakir, the Captivating Vampire offers more than just creature buffs. While Drana provides an aggressive approach by giving attacking vampires a +1/+1 counter, Captivating Vampire leans into deck synergy with a boost to all vampires you control and a potent control ability, allowing you to take the reins on your opponent’s creatures.

Yet, when it comes to creature control in vampire decks, New Blood also surfaces as a thematically aligned card. It similarly exerts dominance but through a different method—by outright stealing a creature and making it a vampire in addition to your desired creature type. What Captivating Vampire does provide over New Blood is a permanent and static power increase to all vampires, which can be game-defining, especially in multiplayer formats.

In essence, while other cards may offer singular benefits or variations in control, the Captivating Vampire delivers a commanding presence on the board by empowering your allies and debilitating your foes. This unique combination makes it an indispensable asset in any vampire arsenal.

Drana, Liberator of Malakir - MTG Card versions
New Blood - MTG Card versions
Drana, Liberator of Malakir - MTG Card versions
New Blood - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Captivating Vampire MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2011 and Commander 2017, 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 Captivating Vampire and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Captivating Vampire Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-07-16 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by Eric Deschamps.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-07-16Magic 2011M11 872003NormalBlackEric Deschamps
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1042015NormalBlackEric Deschamps
32020-09-26The ListPLST M11-872003NormalBlackEric Deschamps

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Captivating Vampire has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2010-08-15 Gaining control of a creature doesn’t cause you gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it.
2010-08-15 Since Captivating Vampire’s activated ability doesn’t have a tap symbol in its cost, you can tap a Vampire (including Captivating Vampire itself) that hasn’t been under your control since your most recent turn began to pay the cost.
2010-08-15 The effect of Captivating Vampire’s activated ability has no duration. You retain control of the affected creature until the game ends, the creature leaves the battlefield, or a later effect causes someone else to gain control of it. It doesn’t matter whether Captivating Vampire remains on the battlefield. Similarly, the affected creature remains a Vampire in addition to its other types until the game ends, the creature leaves the battlefield, or a later effect changes its types or subtypes.

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