Harvester of Souls MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Demon
Abilities Deathtouch
Power 5
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Harvester of Souls is valuable for drawing cards and gaining advantage when nontoken creatures perish.
  2. Its black mana dependency narrows deck inclusion but enables specific strategy-focused builds.
  3. Despite a hefty mana cost, it juxtaposes as a competitive option for card-drawing engines.

Text of card

Deathtouch Whenever another nontoken creature dies, you may draw a card.

"He is judge, jury, and executioner because he killed them all." —Bishop Cawle of Elgaud


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Harvester of Souls rewards you with extra drawing power. Every time a nontoken creature dies, you get to draw a card, bolstering your hand and giving you more options to outmaneuver your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While Harvester of Souls doesn’t directly generate mana, the cards drawn from its ability can lead to more lands or spells that accelerate your resources, indirectly contributing to your mana development.

Instant Speed: Although Harvester of Souls operates at sorcery speed, its passive ability triggers off other cards’ instant-speed actions, allowing for interaction during your opponent’s turn and potentially disrupting their strategy while enhancing your own position.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Harvester of Souls comes with no direct discard requirement, but its ability hinges on other creatures dying, which can be a setback. This limitation requires you to manage your board and sometimes sacrifice valuable creatures to trigger card draw, potentially putting you at a strategic disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: A defining element of the Harvester of Souls is its commitment to black mana with a cost of four generic and two black mana. This cost narrows its inclusion to primarily black decks or those with a heavy black mana base, potentially excluding a variety of decks from benefiting from its abilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As a six-mana creature with an intensive color requirement, Harvester of Souls competes with other high-impact cards within the same mana range. Given its cost, players might find that other options could provide more immediate or versatile effects with a lower investment of resources.


Reasons to Include Harvester of Souls in Your Collection

Versatility: Harvester of Souls is a dynamic addition with its ability to draw cards whenever another non-token creature dies, making it a solid fit for decks that manipulate the battlefield or where creatures dying is a common occurrence.

Combo Potential: This demon’s card-drawing capability allows for synergy in decks focused on sacrifice or death-triggered mechanics, enhancing strategic depth and providing fuel for your hand.

Meta-Relevance: Its relevance shines in environments where trading creatures is frequent, turning each exchange into an opportunity to replenish your options and maintain card advantage over opponents.


How to Beat Harvester of Souls

The Harvester of Souls presents a unique challenge in MTG due to its ability to capitalize on other creatures’ demise. Possessing Deathtouch and the powerful ability to draw a card whenever another nontoken creature dies, it can quickly tilt the game in your favor by keeping your hand filled with options. To effectively undermine this daunting card, focus on removing it through exile or bounce spells, which prevent the Harvester from putting its ability to use.

One efficient method to counteract the Harvester is to restrict its activation by limiting creature deaths. Using exile effects such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile ensures the Harvester’s ability doesn’t trigger since the creature isn’t dying—it’s being exiled. Alternatively, employing counterspells when the Harvester is cast or bounce effects to return it to the hand before it has an opportunity to impact the board can be equally effective. Maintaining board control and keeping the Harvester off the field is key to stopping it from harvesting value from every creature’s demise.

In summary, to beat the Harvester of Souls in MTG, prioritize its immediate removal from the field, and restrain from allowing creature trades that would fuel your opponent’s card advantage.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into MTG’s strategies uncovers resources like Harvester of Souls, a card that can transform the ebb and flow of the game by rewarding players with a wealth of new cards in their hand. Success on the battlefield often hinges on such tactical advantages. Revealed intricacies from the card’s pros and cons to combating it on the field illuminate its value and challenges. Enhance your collection by embracing Harvester of Souls, capitalizing on the depth it brings to your deck. For those looking to refine their strategies and expand their MTG prowess, join us and unearth the full potential of your deck.


Cards like Harvester of Souls

Harvester of Souls finds its place in the realm of creature-based card advantage in MTG. Its kin includes the likes of Midnight Reaper, which also rewards you with card draw upon the death of non-token creatures you control. Although both have the same triggers, Harvester of Souls is non-discriminatory and allows you to draw cards from any creature’s demise, not just your own. This distinguishes it in games with multiple opponents or creature-heavy strategies.

Another parallel can be drawn with Grim Haruspex. This card similarly triggers card draw when nontoken creatures you control bite the dust. However, Harvester of Souls’ higher mana cost is justified by its bigger body and broader draw capability, applying to all creatures instead of only your own. Its presence on the battlefield poses a significant threat and a card-drawing engine that can quickly turn the tide of a match.

Considering these elements, Harvester of Souls presents itself as a formidable tool for players seeking to maintain card advantage off creature trades. Its ability to draw from any creature’s demise sets it apart in the death-triggered card advantage category, offering potentially limitless value throughout the course of a game.

Midnight Reaper - MTG Card versions
Grim Haruspex - MTG Card versions
Midnight Reaper - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Grim Haruspex - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)

Cards similar to Harvester of Souls by color, type and mana cost

Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Demonic Hordes - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Lancer - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
Deathcurse Ogre - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions
Bog Hoodlums - MTG Card versions
Helldozer - MTG Card versions
Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Demonic Hordes - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
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)
Deathcurse Ogre - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ascendant Evincar - Tenth Edition (10E)
Bog Hoodlums - Lorwyn (LRW)
Helldozer - Planechase (HOP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Harvester of Souls MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed, 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 Harvester of Souls and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Harvester of Souls Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 1072003normalblackSlawomir Maniak
22016-02-26Duel Decks: Blessed vs. CursedDDQ 602015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
32016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 1382015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
42017-06-16Archenemy: Nicol BolasE01 342015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
52020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2432015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
62021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 3251997normalblackSlawomir Maniak

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Harvester of Souls has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 If another nontoken creature dies at the same time as Harvester of Souls, its ability triggers for that creature.

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