Vodalian Zombie MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Merfolk Zombie
Abilities	Protection
Released	2000-10-02
Set symbol
Set name	Invasion
Set code	INV
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	286
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Hildebrandt & Tim Hildebrandt

Key Takeaways

Vodalian Zombie grants card advantage, disrupting opponents through graveyard-centric gameplay.
Its ability to affect resource acceleration without direct mana generation makes it a subtle game-changer.
Instant-speed synergy lets players adapt fast and maintain continuous pressure during gameplay.

Text of card

Protection from green

"Every last one of you will become my servant. It's a shame you won't live to see the irony." —Tsabo Tavoc, Phyrexian general

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Vodalian Zombie not only poses a double threat by being a creature but grants an upper hand by disrupting your opponent’s game through its graveyard interaction, ultimately offering you a tactical advantage on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Though not a direct provider of mana or treasure, the Vodalian Zombie can serve as a strategic piece that, through its removal abilities, accelerates your control over the game’s resources, tilting the resource balance in your favor.

Instant Speed: This creature is versatile with adept synergy in decks that operate at instant speed, allowing you to adapt swiftly to the evolving game state while keeping pressure on your opponent.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Activating the abilities of Vodalian Zombie may come at the cost of your hand advantage. This card might require you to discard cards, potentially draining valuable resources from your grip that could be crucial in the later stages of a match.

Specific Mana Cost: Vodalian Zombie demands a particular blend of mana colors to cast, which can pose a deck-building challenge. It necessitates both black and blue mana, making it less flexible and harder to play in a deck that doesn’t consistently generate both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though not exorbitant, the mana cost for Vodalian Zombie can seem steep compared to what it brings to the battlefield. For its mana value, players may expect a creature with more impact or additional abilities that could swing the game more decidedly in their favor.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Vodalian Zombie offers flexible gameplay as it suits multiple deck builds, particularly those that need a reliable blocker that can also deal with multicolored threats due to its protection abilities.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks that capitalize on graveyard interaction or require a creature type-specific synergy, as it is both a Zombie and a Merfolk, enhancing tribal-themed strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where multicolored creatures are dominant, Vodalian Zombie shines by providing a strategic edge as it cannot be easily removed or blocked by those creatures, thus making it an under-the-radar addition with significant impact.

How to beat

Vodalian Zombie is a card that poses a unique challenge on the battlefield. This multicolored creature comes with handy features, not least of which is being quite the resilient opponent due to its black zombie tribesman status. As a player, confronting a Vodalian Zombie demands strategic planning, considering that its blue attribute allows for potential deceptive plays and flexibility in control decks.

Success against this amphibious adversary often hinges on instant speed removal. Cards with the ability to eliminate creatures at instant speed can disrupt your opponent’s plans, giving you the upper hand during combat or in response to activating abilities. Direct damage spells or destroy effects that don’t rely on targeting can also bypass potential hexproof or shroud protections the Vodalian Zombie might acquire.

Ultimately, the key lies in being proactive and keeping a close watch on your own mana pool to ensure you are ready to respond at any given moment. Being able to remove Vodalian Zombie swiftly from the board can tilt the balance in your favor, ensuring your strategies remain unhampered by this persistent underwater threat.

Cards like Vodalian Zombie

The Vodalian Zombie might remind MTG players of other creatures that dabble in the space of multi-colored creature decks. A peer to consider is Putrid Leech, a card from the Alara Reborn set that shares the prowess of being a two-color creature with the ability to impact the board early in the game. While Putrid Leech offers the potential for a power boost at the cost of life, Vodalian Zombie provides a static defense with its addition of protection from green.

Moving into the realm of Zombies, the Diregraf Captain stands as a comparative card, which not only serves as a Zombie but also buffs others of its kind. It differs from the Vodalian Zombie as it offers an anthem effect, increasing the might of your undead army and dealing damage to your opponent whenever another Zombie you control dies. Unlike Vodalian Zombie’s straightforward protection feature, Diregraf Captain adds strategic layers to playing Zombies.

Lastly, the comparison wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Death Baron, another Zombie with synergy that champions the tribal theme and also provides a boon to fellow Zombies in the form of deathtouch. Unlike the static nature of Vodalian Zombie, Death Baron escalates the threat level of your undead horde. Nevertheless, Vodalian Zombie still holds its fort as a stalwart defender in the right deck construction.

Cards similar to Vodalian Zombie by color, type and mana cost

Sygg, River Cutthroat - MTG Card versions

Inkfathom Infiltrator - MTG Card versions

Krydle of Baldur's Gate - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vodalian Zombie MTG card by a specific set like Invasion, 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 Vodalian Zombie and other MTG cards: