Reiver Demon MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Demon
Abilities Flying
Power 6
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Reiver Demon’s entrance can devastate opponents, leading to a considerable shift in the game’s momentum.
  2. A substantial mana investment is required, emphasizing its role as a late-game powerhouse.
  3. This card’s ability to control the battlefield makes it a crucial inclusion in strategic decks.

Text of card

Flying When Reiver Demon comes into play, if you played it from your hand, destroy all nonartifact, nonblack creatures. They can't be regenerated.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Reiver Demon, you obliterate your opponent’s nonartifact, nonblack creatures when it enters the battlefield, effectively wiping their slate clean if the conditions are right. This ruthless board clear can swing the game and render your adversaries’ hands less effective, securing a significant card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Reiver Demon doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its devastating entrance can fast-track your winning strategy. By resetting the board, it paves the way for your attacks, potentially shortening the game in your favor without the need for additional mana or turns to deal with your opponent’s threats.

Instant Speed: Reiver Demon is not an instant, but its impact is so instantaneous it’s akin to an unforeseen calamity for your opponent. Once you reach the mana threshold to summon the Demon and unleash its destructive power, the effect on the game is immediate, drastically altering the battlefield dynamic in an instant.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One downside to unleashing Reiver Demon’s full potential is the necessity to empty your hand. Without other cards in hand to leverage, you might find yourself at a strategic disadvantage, handicapping your ability to adapt to the evolving game state.

Specific Mana Cost: Its specific mana requirement of four black mana can be restrictive, often confining it to mono-black or heavily black-focused decks. This limitation can hinder deck diversity and may require a mana base that is fine-tuned to support such an intensive color commitment, potentially affecting the deck’s consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Reiver Demon’s board-clearing ability can be game-changing, its casting cost of eight mana makes it a late-game play. This high cost must be weighed against other high-impact cards in the same mana range which might provide more immediate or flexible advantages to your strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Reiver Demon offers a powerful board wipe effect when cast, serving as a reset button against an opponent’s established board. This Black-colored creature is a compelling addition not just for its massive stats but also for its dynamic role in controlling the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Reiver Demon holds significant combo potential in decks that can manipulate graveyard mechanics, enabling reanimation strategies or partnering with cards that capitalize on creature deaths for incremental advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors creature-heavy strategies or tokens, Reiver Demon becomes an invaluable asset. Its ability to clear multiple threats at once makes it a strategic inclusion that can instantly shift the momentum of a game in your favor.


How to beat

Reiver Demon is a notorious creature card in MTG, known for its devastating effect when cast from one’s hand. Upon entry, it clears the battlefield of all nonartifact, nonblack creatures, often swinging the game dramatically. To counter this powerful demon, players have several strategies. It’s essential to manage your board presence wisely, avoiding overcommitment of nonblack creatures that could be swept away all at once.

Incorporating instant-speed removal can be a game-changer, ready to remove the demon before its effect triggers. Cards with indestructible or protection from black attributes are also valuable, as they can survive the demon’s entrance. Another angle of approach is utilizing counterspells or hand disruption techniques to prevent your opponent from ever casting Reiver Demon. Finally, graveyard manipulation, either exiling the demon from your opponent’s graveyard or making it return to their hand or library, can ensure it won’t see play again.

Ultimately, preparing your deck to either counteract or withstand Reiver Demon’s board-wiping ability will bolster your chances of maintaining control when facing this mighty foe.


BurnMana Recommendations

As we unpack the potential of Reiver Demon, we recognize its game-changing nature within MTG. From wiping the slate clean of nonblack, nonartifact creatures to anchoring a win condition, this card is a powerhouse for any player adept in managing black mana resources. Its drawbacks, while notable, are a small price to pay for the control it can assert over the battlefield. We encourage you to explore its synergies and find a place for Reiver Demon in your arsenal, whether to clear the way for victory or to stand as a beacon of your strategic might. Dive deeper into its capabilities and meld it into your deck-building strategies for a thrilling competitive edge.


Cards like Reiver Demon

Reiver Demon is a compelling creature spell in Magic: The Gathering that stands out in the realm of board wipes. It shares similarities with the feared Damnation card, which also clears all creatures from the battlefield. However, the demon brings a more selective approach, annihilating nonartifact, nonblack creatures, sparing your own swath of darkness on the board. While Damnation offers no bias, Reiver Demon’s selective eradication can be strategically advantageous.

In relation to Archfiend of Depravity, another demonic force within the game, Reiver Demon offers a more immediate and vast impact. The former restricts the carnage to just two creatures per turn, while Reiver Demon often sweeps away much more. Lastly, we can’t ignore the presence of Plague Wind, whose effect is akin to a one-sided Damnation. This spell, however, lands at a higher mana cost compared to our Reiver Demon, which also enters the fray as a sizeable flying creature, ready to apply pressure on the opponent.

Ultimately, within the category of creature board wipes and particularly among demon-themed cards, Reiver Demon provides a unique blend of immediate board control and a significant aerial threat, making it a formidable inclusion in decks tailored around such strategies.

Damnation - MTG Card versions
Archfiend of Depravity - MTG Card versions
Plague Wind - MTG Card versions
Damnation - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Archfiend of Depravity - Fate Reforged (FRF)
Plague Wind - Prophecy (PCY)

Cards similar to Reiver Demon by color, type and mana cost

Infernal Denizen - MTG Card versions
Baron Sengir - MTG Card versions
Avatar of Woe - MTG Card versions
Griselbrand - MTG Card versions
Void Beckoner - MTG Card versions
Scion of Darkness - MTG Card versions
Myojin of Night's Reach - MTG Card versions
Sanguine Praetor - MTG Card versions
Liege of the Pit - MTG Card versions
Tombstalker - MTG Card versions
Skeletal Wurm - MTG Card versions
Pestilence Demon - MTG Card versions
Baleful Force - MTG Card versions
Shambling Attendants - MTG Card versions
Distended Mindbender - MTG Card versions
Razaketh, the Foulblooded - MTG Card versions
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Archfiend of Despair - MTG Card versions
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Infernal Denizen - Ice Age (ICE)
Baron Sengir - Masters Edition (ME1)
Avatar of Woe - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)
Griselbrand - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Void Beckoner - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Scion of Darkness - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Myojin of Night's Reach - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Sanguine Praetor - Guildpact (GPT)
Liege of the Pit - Time Spiral (TSP)
Tombstalker - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Skeletal Wurm - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Pestilence Demon - Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis (DDR)
Baleful Force - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Shambling Attendants - The List (PLST)
Distended Mindbender - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Razaketh, the Foulblooded - Commander Masters (CMM)
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate - Game Night 2019 (GN2)
Archfiend of Despair - Commander Masters (CMM)
Vilis, Broker of Blood - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclopean Titan - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reiver Demon MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin and Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic, 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 Reiver Demon and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Reiver Demon Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2003-10-02 and 2017-06-09. Illustrated by Brom.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12003-10-02MirrodinMRD 752003normalblackBrom
22009-04-10Duel Decks: Divine vs. DemonicDDC 432003normalblackBrom
32011-06-17Commander 2011CMD 952003normalblackBrom
42014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. DemonicDVD 432015normalblackBrom
52017-06-09Commander AnthologyCMA 642015normalblackBrom

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reiver Demon has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2013-09-20 If a creature (such as Clone) enters the battlefield as a copy of this creature, the copy’s “enters-the-battlefield” ability will still trigger as long as you cast that creature spell from your hand.

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