Forerunner of Slaughter MTG Card
2015-08-28 - Number 64
2015-10-02 - Number 204
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Eldrazi Drone |
| Abilities | Devoid |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Forerunner of Slaughter bolsters aggression by granting haste, enhancing early game pressure on opponents.
- Requires careful mana management, locking it into specific red and black color strategies.
- Its versatility and combo potential make it a worthy addition to aggressive MTG decks.
Text of card
Devoid (This card has no color.) : Target colorless creature gains haste until end of turn.
"While we delay, they're on the move. They will not wait as we bicker. We are losing this war by moments as our goal slips beyond our reach." —Gideon Jura
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Playing Forerunner of Slaughter doesn’t directly draw cards, yet it provides an edge by quickly buffing creatures and pressuring opponents. This can often lead to favorable trades or unimpeded attacks, indirectly contributing to card advantage as your opponent is forced to deal with the threats more urgently.
Resource Acceleration: While Forerunner of Slaughter doesn’t generate mana or treasure, it accelerates your board state by giving Devoid creatures haste. This ability lets you utilize your resources immediately, especially when new creatures are cast, offering a swift response to an ever-changing battlefield.
Instant Speed: Despite being a creature card, Forerunner of Slaughter supports strategies that benefit from instant-speed interactions by instantly activating haste on other Devoid creatures. This surprise factor can turn the tide of a game, especially during combat phases or when sneaking in extra damage becomes crucial.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Even though Forerunner of Slaughter doesn’t require you to discard cards, it’s essential to keep track of your hand size. Having to play creatures and activate abilities can deplete your hand quickly, leaving you at a disadvantage if you can’t replenish your resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Forerunner of Slaughter demands both black and red mana for casting. This specific mana requirement pigeonholes it into a certain type of deck, making it less flexible for players who are looking to incorporate it into multi-colored decks that don’t focus heavily on these colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana—one colorless, one red, and one black—the Forerunner of Slaughter can be considered to have a high mana cost when compared to other creatures of similar power and abilities. Decks aiming for fast-paced gameplay might find this as a restraint, potentially looking for quicker options to deploy their threats on the battlefield.
Reasons to Include Forerunner of Slaughter in Your Collection
Versatility: Forerunner of Slaughter offers flexibility to players constructing aggressive decks. Its ability to grant haste to other colorless creatures can accelerate early game pressure, making it compatible with various aggro and Eldrazi strategies.
Combo Potential: As part of intricate combos, this card can become a lynchpin for explosive turns. It interacts well with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or require swift combat engagement, maximizing the impact of your plays.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where speed is critical, Forerunner of Slaughter shines. It can outpace control opponents and establish an imposing board presence quickly, making it a valuable asset against more ponderous decks.
How to beat
Forerunner of Slaughter presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield with Magic: The Gathering. This aggressive creature card can give other colorless creatures haste, enabling a blitz strategy that puts opponents on the defensive. To overcome this onslaught, it’s crucial to focus on removal spells that can target Forerunner of Slaughter before it accelerates the game. Cards like Fatal Push and Path to Exile are efficient answers that can dispatch it swiftly.
Moreover, controlling the board with sweepers like Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God can prevent the momentum that Forerunner of Slaughter aims to build. Understanding the tempo and pacing of your opponent’s strategy becomes key. If you anticipate an early Forerunner, setting up your defenses and removals accordingly can save you from a quick defeat. Always be wary of the potential for explosive turns that this card can enable, and align your play to mitigate such risks.
Ultimately, staying one step ahead and being reactive to threats as they present themselves is your best line of defense against the speed and aggression that Forerunner of Slaughter brings to the table in an MTG match.
Cards like Forerunner of Slaughter
Forerunner of Slaughter adds an aggressive dimension to the assortment of early-game creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It matches up with other Eldrazi aggressive creatures, particularly from the Battle for Zendikar block. For comparison, consider the Swift Warkite – while not being an Eldrazi, it offers a similar immediate impact on the battlefield. The Swift Warkite allows you to put a creature with converted mana cost 3 or less from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. Unlike Forerunner of Slaughter, it does not inherently grant haste, but it compensates by affecting board presence right away.
Another analog is the Bearer of Silence, which parallels Forerunner of Slaughter’s early battlefield influence. This Eldrazi card not only serves as an aggressive creature with its evasion but also offers a removal ability at the cost of sacrificing another creature when cast using its optional colorless mana ability. Though both cards share the same cost, the Bearer of Silence lacks the ability to grant haste to other colorless creatures, which might give Forerunner of Slaughter an edge in the right deck.
Assessing the similarities among these cards, Forerunner of Slaughter emerges as a unique blend of potency and utility, marking its place in MTG as a tool for hastening the assault and amplifying the impact of other colorless creatures in the battlefield.
Cards similar to Forerunner of Slaughter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Forerunner of Slaughter MTG card by a specific set like Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi and Battle for Zendikar, 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 Forerunner of Slaughter and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Printings
The Forerunner of Slaughter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-08-28 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by James Zapata.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-08-28 | Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi | DDP | 64 | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Zapata | |
| 2 | 2015-10-02 | Battle for Zendikar | BFZ | 204 | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Zapata |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Forerunner of Slaughter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Forerunner of Slaughter card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-08-25 | A card with devoid is just colorless. It’s not colorless and the colors of mana in its mana cost. |
| 2015-08-25 | Cards with devoid use frames that are variations of the transparent frame traditionally used for Eldrazi. The top part of the card features some color over a background based on the texture of the hedrons that once imprisoned the Eldrazi. This coloration is intended to aid deckbuilding and game play. |
| 2015-08-25 | Devoid works in all zones, not just on the battlefield. |
| 2015-08-25 | If a card loses devoid, it will still be colorless. This is because effects that change an object’s color (like the one created by devoid) are considered before the object loses devoid. |
| 2015-08-25 | Other cards and abilities can give a card with devoid color. If that happens, it’s just the new color, not that color and colorless. |
