Rakish Heir MTG Card


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

Key Takeaways

  1. Boosts board presence, turning each vampire attack into an escalating threat through +1/+1 counters.
  2. Demands strategic deck building with a specific mana cost and reliance on vampire synergy.
  3. Its snowballing effect makes it a prime target for preemptive removal in enemy strategies.

Text of card

Whenever a Vampire you control deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

"If you're not having fun, what's the point of living forever?"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rakish Heir is designed to enhance your board presence by giving you an edge whenever you deal combat damage to a player. It’s particularly efficient in decks centered around vampires, enabling you to put +1/+1 counters on each of those creatures, effectively creating an ever-growing threat that can intimidate your opponent and increase your capacity for offense with every successful attack.

Resource Acceleration: While Rakish Heir doesn’t directly provide mana acceleration, it helps in building up resources on the battlefield. The counters it provides are a form of investment — the longer Rakish Heir remains on the field, the more value you get out of your creatures, which in turn could lead to faster victories and more efficient use of your mana each turn.

Instant Speed: Although Rakish Heir is not an instant and doesn’t offer the flexibility of casting at instant speed, its continuous effect compensates by persistently threatening to enhance your creatures. This means that with each turn, the potential benefits keep stacking up, ensuring that your opponents must constantly consider the implications of Rakish Heir’s presence on the board during their strategy planning.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Rakish Heir doesn’t directly make you discard cards, but as a creature that strengthens others, it’s less effective if your hand isn’t equipped with the vampire allies it needs to utilize its power-up ability.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specific casting cost of one colorless and two red mana, Rakish Heir demands a commitment to red mana sources, potentially limiting its inclusion to vampire or red-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a cost of three mana is standard for a creature of its effect, when stacked against the swift and often aggressive nature of vampire decks, investing in Rakish Heir could represent a slower payoff in terms of board control and damage output.


Reasons to Include Rakish Heir in Your Collection

Versatility: Rakish Heir is a staple in Red-based aggressive decks, fitting seamlessly into Vampire tribal builds. Its ability to enhance creatures across the board makes it a valuable card in diverse strategies that capitalize on +1/+1 counters.

Combo Potential: This card shines in synergy with cards that care about counters or deal damage, such as “Stromkirk Captain” or “Falkenrath Aristocrat.” The additional counters provided by Rakish Heir can turn a modest threat into a game-ending powerhouse.

Meta-Relevance: In environments rich with creature-based combat, Rakish Heir helps maintain pressure on the opponent. Its consistent counter-generation can give you an edge in boosting your creatures’ power quickly, keeping you ahead of the curve in the race against other aggressive strategies.


How to Beat Rakish Heir

Rakish Heir is a card that becomes a key component in many vampire-themed decks across countless MTG battles. The card essentially rewards players for having vampires by adding +1/+1 counters on them whenever they deal damage to a player. It’s a powerful engine in a dedicated vampire deck, potentially turning each vampiric attack into a growing threat that can snowball out of control if left unchecked.

To counteract the momentum Rakish Heir can generate, consider using removal spells that can target creatures before they grow too large. Instant-speed removal such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade will allow you to respond right after the Rakish Heir hits the board but before it can start stacking counters. Board clear spells like Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act can reset the playing field, nullifying the advantages Rakish Heir provides. Lastly, enchantment destruction such as Naturalize or Return to Nature can directly handle the Heir. Timing and choosing the right moment to play these counters can be as critical as the cards themselves in keeping vampire swarms at bay.

It’s important to not let the Rakish Heir’s influence take hold. Prioritize its removal in your strategy, and you’ll stand a far better chance against this escalating threat. Remember, managing to disrupt the synergy it creates is crucial for maintaining control of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving deeper into MTG mechanics, Rakish Heir emerges as a formidable force in vampire-centric decks. The card’s unique ability to bolster your offensive line each time your vampires connect with your opponent makes for an exhilarating gameplay experience. If you enjoy crafting strategies that reward aggressive playstyles and wish to enhance your vampire deck’s potency, this card deserves your attention. Dive into our strategies and analysis to maximize Rakish Heir’s potential and consistently outmaneuver adversaries. Expand your MTG knowledge, refine your deck-building skills, and consistently emerge victorious in your duels. Journey with us deeper into MTG and discover how to optimize your gameplay with Rakish Heir.


Cards like Rakish Heir

Rakish Heir is a distinctive creature card in the realm of Magic the Gathering that fits smoothly into Vampire tribal decks. It shares common ground with cards like Stromkirk Captain, which also accentuates Vampire synergy by granting +1/+1 and first strike to other Vampires. Yet, Rakish Heir elevates this niche by focusing on empowering your creatures with +1/+1 counters each time they deal combat damage to a player, rather than a static buff.

Another analogous card is Quirion Dryad, a creature that also grows through counters, but it gains them whenever you cast a spell of a color different than its own. This mechanism is more spell-oriented, contrasting with Rakish Heir which incentivizes aggressive combat strategies. Legion Lieutenant is a Vampire tribal staple too, offering a fixed +1/+1 to fellow Vampires, but without the built-in engine for accumulating counters that Rakish Heir provides.

To sum up, Rakish Heir distinguishes itself in Vampire decks by rewarding players who adopt an aggressive posture, fostering a strategy of repeated attacks to strengthen the creature base. This dynamic makes it a formidable inclusion for enthusiasts looking to escalate the pressure and potency of their Vampire-themed MTG decks.

Stromkirk Captain - MTG Card versions
Quirion Dryad - MTG Card versions
Legion Lieutenant - MTG Card versions
Stromkirk Captain - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Quirion Dryad - Planeshift (PLS)
Legion Lieutenant - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)

Cards similar to Rakish Heir by color, type and mana cost

Dwarven Warriors - MTG Card versions
Raging Bull - MTG Card versions
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Blind-Spot Giant - MTG Card versions
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Dwarven Warriors - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Raging Bull - Legends (LEG)
Wall of Lava - Ice Age (ICE)
Brassclaw Orcs - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Imperial Recruiter - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Uthden Troll - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Hobgoblin Bandit Lord - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos (PAFR)
Goblin Rabblemaster - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Nosy Goblin - Onslaught (ONS)
Goblin Sky Raider - Onslaught (ONS)
Cosmic Larva - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Ghost-Lit Raider - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Goblin Chariot - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Balduvian Barbarians - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Basalt Gargoyle - Time Spiral (TSP)
Orcish Artillery - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Stinkdrinker Daredevil - Lorwyn (LRW)
Blind-Spot Giant - Lorwyn (LRW)
Mudbutton Torchrunner - Duel Decks: Elves vs. Goblins (DD1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rakish Heir MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad 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 Rakish Heir and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Rakish Heir Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2021-11-19. Illustrated by Winona Nelson.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 1582003normalblackWinona Nelson
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1402015normalblackWinona Nelson
32021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1492015normalblackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rakish Heir has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

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