Drekavac MTG Card


Drekavac - Dissension
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Released2006-05-05
Set symbol
Set nameDissension
Set codeDIS
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number43
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byCarl Critchlow

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed of Drekavac allows surprise creature returns, elevating tactical depth in gameplay.
  2. Requires careful hand management due to its potentially resource-intensive discard condition.
  3. Excels in decks that capitalize on graveyard mechanics, increasing strategic combo potential.

Text of card

When Drekavac comes into play, sacrifice it unless you discard a noncreature card.

Like a vulture's scalp, the face of a drekavac is oily and hairless. The filth and disease of its carrion diet slip off its blood-slick skin.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Drekavac card is a potent tool for gaining an upper hand in card utility. It enables you to retrieve a powerful creature from your graveyard, effectively increasing your available resources without losing card count in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Drekavac itself doesn’t directly produce additional mana or treasure, its ability to recur high-impact creatures can indirectly lead to acceleration in board presence and resource utility, keeping the pressure on your opponent and maximizing your mana usage.

Instant Speed: One of Drekavac’s most strategic benefits is its instant-speed interaction capability. This allows for unpredictable plays, forcing opponents to play conservatively for fear of the unknown creature that might return to the battlefield during combat or at the end of their turn, thus granting you a tactical edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Drekavac demands a card to be discarded to unleash its full potential, which can be particularly taxing when your hand is already thin. This requirement can lead to difficult decisions, especially if you’re forced to discard a high-value card to maintain board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Drekavac’s casting cost is stringent, needing both black and generic mana. This may hinder its inclusion in multi-colored decks where mana flexibility is crucial, thereby limiting the card’s versatility across different deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is often considered on the higher side for its stats and abilities, Drekavac faces stiff competition from creatures in the same mana range. Such high mana investment can put players at a disadvantage, particularly in faster-paced games where efficiency is key.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Drekavac stands out due to its capability to be utilized in various deck archetypes. Whether it’s a control deck that needs a reliable blocker or an aggressive deck looking for a cost-effective creature, Drekavac adapts to multiple strategies.

Combo Potential: This card has the potential to work well with graveyard strategies. The ability to discard a creature card for an alternate casting cost paves the way for setups that can exploit graveyard mechanics for greater advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the fluctuating nature of the MTG meta, Drekavac could gain prominence in environments where its traits align well with prevalent deck types, showing particular synergy in metas with graveyard-focused playstyles.


How to beat

Drekavac can be a formidable card to come up against in Magic the Gathering, offering its controller a tactical avenue for creature recursion. The key to overcoming Drekavac lies in managing its activated ability to return it to hand by discarding a nonland card with the same mana cost as the creature targeted in your graveyard. Given this, players should focus on strategies that either limit the card options available for Drekavac’s owner to discard or aim to strategically exile creatures from the graveyard.

Exile effects are especially potent as Drekavac’s owner won’t have targets in the graveyard to aim for. Graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Rest in Peace can completely disable the strategy Drekavac is trying to implement. Alternatively, hand disruption tactics can ensure that the owner doesn’t have the necessary cards to meet Drekavac’s discard condition. Thoughtseize or Duress are prime examples of hand disruption that can prevent Drekavac’s recursion ability from being utilized effectively.

Ultimately, intercepting your opponent’s game plan and ensuring Drekavac’s ability is nullified or too costly to activate, strategically speaking, makes it much easier to render this otherwise powerful card much less of a threat on the battlefield.


Cards like Drekavac

Drekavac stands out as a unique creature card in MTG due to its distinct attributes and cost-effective demise ability. Its closest counterparts in card synergy include Doomed Necromancer and Apprentice Necromancer. Both enable reanimation of creatures from the graveyard, but neither offers Drekavac’s self-recurring mechanism. While the Necromancers possess single-use abilities, Drekavac can reenter the battlefield repeatedly, granted you fulfill its specific discard requirement.

Furthermore, we can draw parallels with Reassembling Skeleton. This creature also boasts an ability to come back from the graveyard. However, instead of demanding a card discard, it requires a marginal mana investment. The Reassembling Skeleton’s regenerative power hinges on available mana, in contrast to Drekavac’s need for a substantial card presence in hand. Additionally, cards like Nether Traitor and Bloodghast exhibit similar revival traits but are significantly triggered by different game states such as a creature’s death or land plays, respectively.

By exploring the nuances of reanimation techniques amongst these cards, it’s clear that Drekavac offers a valuable and recurring strategic option for deck builders looking for resilient creatures capable of maintaining field presence through multiple rounds of gameplay.

Doomed Necromancer - MTG Card versions
Apprentice Necromancer - MTG Card versions
Reassembling Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Nether Traitor - MTG Card versions
Bloodghast - MTG Card versions
Doomed Necromancer - Onslaught (ONS)
Apprentice Necromancer - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Reassembling Skeleton - Archenemy (ARC)
Nether Traitor - Time Spiral (TSP)
Bloodghast - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Drekavac by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Chronicles (CHR)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Skullsnatcher - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Cutthroat - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Drekavac MTG card by a specific set like Dissension, 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 Drekavac and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Drekavac has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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