Sengir, the Dark Baron MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Vampire Noble
Abilities Flying,Partner
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Sengir the Dark Baron thrives in multiplayer, gaining power with each creature’s fall.
  2. Resource acceleration and card advantage make it a formidable late-game threat.
  3. Mana cost specificity and activation conditions may limit deck compatibility.

Text of card

Flying Whenever another creature dies, put two +1/+1 counters on Sengir, the Dark Baron. Whenever another player loses the game, you gain life equal to that player's life total as the turn began. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sengir the Dark Baron excels in providing card advantage, particularly in multiplayer formats. Each time a creature dies and triggers Sengir’s ability, you draw cards, potentially refilling your hand with valuable resources.

Resource Acceleration: This vampire noble not only offers card advantage but also resource acceleration. An increase in +1/+1 counters can swiftly turn Sengir into a formidable threat, thus accelerating the pace at which you can pressure opponents.

Instant Speed: Though Sengir the Dark Baron does not operate at instant speed, its ability to accrue value happens instantly upon any creature’s demise, making each creature death an opportunity to grow stronger, even during an opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sengir the Dark Baron requires you to sacrifice another creature to activate its ability. While the potential benefits are clear, the necessity to forgo part of your own board can be a strategic disadvantage, especially if you are unable to maintain a stable board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Sengir the Dark Baron’s mana cost includes two black mana symbols. This specificity can be restrictive, as it often demands a dedicated black-mana base, potentially limiting its inclusion to mono-black or color-intensive dual-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total converted mana cost of six, Sengir the Dark Baron enters battle quite late. Given the card’s cost, some players may find it challenging to exploit its full potential in a fast-paced game where lower-cost creatures can dominate the board earlier on.


Reasons to Include Sengir the Dark Baron in Your Collection

Versatility: Sengir the Dark Baron is a flexible option for any MTG player looking to enhance their Commander decks. Its capability to scale in power as the game progresses allows it to serve as both a formidable creature and a life gain source, making it a multifaceted asset in various play styles and strategies.

Combo Potential: With its ability to accumulate +1/+1 counters, this card has significant synergy with strategies that revolve around counter manipulation. It can be the cornerstone of combos that exploit increases in power and toughness, or that use counters as a resource for other effects.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creatures are frequently dying, whether through board wipes or combat, Sengir the Dark Baron’s abilities become increasingly pertinent. Its power to grow and strength gain life can tilt duels in your favor, making it highly relevant in several MTG metagames where creature-based strategies are common.


How to beat

Sengir the Dark Baron presents a unique challenge for players in the world of Magic: The Gathering. This formidable vampire noble becomes stronger with each passing turn, especially as creatures leave the battlefield. To effectively counteract Sengir’s power-acquiring strategy, a player must carefully manage their removal spells. It’s essential to avoid unnecessary creature death, which feeds into Sengir’s growing strength. Singular exile spells or board wipes that do not result in life gain for the opponent are effective ways to neutralize the threat without providing added benefits.

Moreover, employing graveyard hate mechanics can stifle Sengir’s ability to capitalize on death triggers, making it challenging for the Dark Baron to accumulate +1/+1 counters. Cards such as Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can be instrumental in this strategy. It is also crucial to keep pressure on the opponent and force unfavorable blocks for Sengir, as chipping away at the vampire’s health can prevent it from taking over the game.

By considering these aspects, you can craft a solid game plan that undercuts the power of Sengir the Dark Baron, securing your path to victory on the MTG battlefield without fueling the Dark Baron’s ascent.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring Sengir the Dark Baron’s potential reveals a card ripe for strategic deck-building and tactical plays. Its knack for card advantage and resource acceleration make it a heavy hitter in multiplayer scenarios. If your MTG journey leads you down the path of counter manipulation or you seek to capitalize on creature-rich environments, the Dark Baron warrants consideration. But remember, each card has strengths and weaknesses. Understanding and integrating Sengir into your game requires nuance and foresight. Curious about tapping into its power or discovering how to thwart it? Dive deeper with us and enrich your MTG arsenal for your next clash.


Cards like Sengir, the Dark Baron

Sengir the Dark Baron presents a unique presence in MTG as a card that capitalizes on other creatures’ demise. It shares traits with popular commander cards like Kokusho, the Evening Star, which also offers rewards on creature deaths. However, Sengir the Dark Baron gains counters, enhancing power and endurance over time, whereas Kokusho provides an immediate life swing upon its death. This contrast in delayed versus immediate payoff sets the Dark Baron apart.

Looking towards Vampire Nighthawk, we observe common ground with the Baron’s vampire theme but diverge in utility. The Nighthawk acts as an early game defender with deathtouch and lifelink. Sengir, however, accrues value in the late game, thriving in an environment rich with creature interactions and acting as a potential win-condition in itself. Furthermore, the Baron’s ability to potentially draw cards upon the death of a player’s commander makes it particularly potent in multiplayer formats, distinguishing it from the single-target impact of the Nighthawk.

Thus, Sengir the Dark Baron holds a significant role in MTG, excelling in enduring board states where it can grow into a formidable threat, all the while providing strategic depth and card advantage in the right scenarios.

Kokusho, the Evening Star - MTG Card versions
Vampire Nighthawk - MTG Card versions
Kokusho, the Evening Star - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Vampire Nighthawk - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)

Cards similar to Sengir, the Dark Baron by color, type and mana cost

Nightmare - MTG Card versions
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Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Ihsan's Shade - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Necrosavant - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Dakmor Lancer - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Face of Fear - Odyssey (ODY)
Wire Surgeons - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Grave Titan - Fallout (PIP)
Chittering Harvester - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Crossway Troublemakers - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Anurid Murkdiver - Onslaught (ONS)
Gempalm Polluter - Legions (LGN)
Nefashu - Scourge (SCG)
Twisted Abomination - Scourge (SCG)
Iname, Death Aspect - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ascendant Evincar - Tenth Edition (10E)
Bog Hoodlums - Lorwyn (LRW)
Helldozer - Planechase (HOP)
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Toxic Nim - New Phyrexia (NPH)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sengir, the Dark Baron MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Sengir, the Dark Baron and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sengir, the Dark Baron Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862602015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 863582015normalblackPete Venters
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 7222015normalblackPete Venters
42020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 1492015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
52020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5682015normalblackBastien L. Deharme

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sengir, the Dark Baron has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 If Sengir, the Dark Baron is dealt lethal damage at the same time as other creatures, they die at the same time. The second ability won't resolve in time to save Sengir, the Dark Baron.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If you and another player lose the game at the same time, the third ability won't resolve in time to save you.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 Sengir, the Dark Baron's third ability will trigger no matter how the player lost the game: due to a state-based action (having 0 or less life, trying to draw a card from an empty library, having 10 or more poison counters), because of a spell or effect that states they lose the game, because your awesome might has left them with no choice other than concession, or for any other reason.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.

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