Drekavac MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Beast |
| Released | 2006-05-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Dissension |
| Set code | DIS |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 43 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Carl Critchlow |
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.
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.
Cards similar to Drekavac by color, type and mana cost
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.
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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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Drekavac has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |