El-Hajjâj MTG Card
1993-12-17 - Number 24
1994-04-01 - Number 108
1994-04-01 - Number 108
1994-06-21 - Number 108
1995-04-01 - Number 134
1995-04-01 - Number 134†
1995-04-01 - Number 134
| Card sets | Released in 7 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Wizard |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
You gain 1 life for every point of damage El-Hajjâj inflicts.
Cards like El-Hajjâj
El-Hajjâj, a distinguished character in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, shares traits with other life-draining cards in the game. Just like Drain Life, El-Hajjâj offers a direct approach to reducing an opponent’s life total while simultaneously increasing your own. However, as a creature, El-Hajjâj provides ongoing board presence and the potential for repeated use, as opposed to the single-event nature of a sorcery like Drain Life.
Keeping the comparison within the black mana sphere, we encounter creatures like Sangromancer which also translates damage into life gain. While Sangromancer demands specific trigger events involving discard or another’s creature’s demise, El-Hajjâj grants life with each successful attack. This makes him particularly favorable in strategies emphasizing consistent life swings. Lastly, cards like Whip of Erebos offer a global effect, giving all your creatures lifelink. Unlike El-Hajjâj, though, the Whip doesn’t contribute to offense and instead relies on your creatures dealing damage to be effective.
Analyzing the dynamics of these similar cards, El-Hajjâj holds a distinctive spot. It appeals to those who seek the aggressive playstyle of black decks, leveraging both creature combat and life gain mechanics, which can affect the game turn after turn.
Cards similar to El-Hajjâj by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While El-Hajjâj does not directly allow you to draw cards, the card’s built-in life gain can help sustain your resources. In games where attrition is a key factor, maintaining a higher life total can indirectly contribute to card advantage as you’re less pressured to commit cards to manage your life total.
Resource Acceleration: El-Hajjâj itself does not accelerate your mana resources. However, its low cost provides an efficient use of mana for the effect it offers. This efficiency allows you to deploy other resources more freely, serving your overall strategy without a significant investment.
Instant Speed: As a creature card, El-Hajjâj operates at sorcery speed. Despite this, the life gain it provides occurs at the resolution of damage, which can be considered immediate benefits during the combat phase. While not utilizable in the same versatile manner as an instant, the timing of the life gain can still influence combat decisions and affect the course of a turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: As a strategic card game where each action counts, including El-Hajjâj into your game plan can present some challenges. This card doesn’t have a discard requirement outright, but in a broader sense, playing a card like El-Hajjâj can inadvertently cause discarding from a player’s hand, since it may not impact the board state as effectively as other creatures for its cost.
Specific Mana Cost: El-Hajjâj comes with a specific mana cost requirement that makes it less versatile. To cast El-Hajjâj, you need one black mana and two other mana of any color. This means it can only be optimally played in decks that already produce or can easily accommodate black mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a three-mana creature, El-Hajjâj’s 1/1 stats and the straightforward life-gain ability it offers are considered limited by current game standards. In today’s meta, three mana can summon creatures with more impactful abilities or higher stat lines, which can make El-Hajjâj’s cost seem disproportional to its benefits on the battlefield.
Reasons to Include El-Hajjâj in Your Collection
Versatility: El-Hajjâj stands out as an intriguing option for decks that aim to gain life. Its simple mechanics ensure it can be seamlessly integrated into decks focused on life manipulation, making it a useful card under various circumstances.
Combo Potential: Coupled with cards that reward you for gaining life or those that multiply the effects of life gain, El-Hajjâj can become a linchpin in a life-gain combo, turning a simple action into a game-winning strategy.
Meta-Relevance: In game environments where aggressive strategies proliferate, having El-Hajjâj can offer a consistent life buffer that keeps you afloat as you thwart your opponent’s plans and stabilize your own board presence.
How to beat
El-Hajjâj is one of those classic Magic: The Gathering cards that can be a true force on the battlefield. Known for its life-draining ability, every point of damage El-Hajjâj deals to your opponents amounts to a point of life for you. Overcoming this card involves a sound strategy, and that usually means preventing it from dealing damage in the first place.
One approach is to use cards that can either neutralize or bypass El-Hajjâj’s capabilities. Creature removal spells are a player’s best friend here, allowing you to dispatch El-Hajjâj before it becomes a threat. As it’s a creature, you might look at cards like Path to Exile or Doom Blade depending on the colors you’re playing. Alternatively, countering it upon casting with spells like Cancel could ensure it never touches the battlefield.
Avoiding combat damage is also key. Enchantments or artifacts that prevent or redirect damage can be essential. What’s more, running board wipes can reset the playing field if El-Hajjâj starts getting out of hand. In short, managing El-Hajjâj is about swift action – removing it quickly or nullifying its effect to keep your life total safe and secure.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase El-Hajjâj MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Foreign Black Border, 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 El-Hajjâj 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
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Printings
The El-Hajjâj Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 1995-04-01. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-12-17 | Arabian Nights | ARN | 24 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dameon Willich | |
| 2 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 108 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dameon Willich | |
| 3 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 108 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dameon Willich | |
| 4 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 108 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dameon Willich | |
| 5 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 134 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dameon Willich | |
| 6 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 134† | 1997 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 7 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 134 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dameon Willich |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where El-Hajjâj has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |