Mark of the Vampire MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Lifelink ability with Mark of the Vampire aids survival by boosting life total with each creature attack.
  2. Enchantment’s timing can disrupt opponents, turning the tide during crucial combat phases.
  3. At four mana, it’s a strategic investment in decks where black mana is readily available.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has lifelink. (Damage dealt by the creature also causes its controller to gain that much life.)

"My 'condition' is a trial. The weak are consumed by it. The strong transcend it." —Sorin Markov


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you cast Mark of the Vampire on a creature, it not only boosts that creature’s power and toughness but also grants you a significant advantage with its lifelink ability. This can help you outlast your opponent by increasing your life total every time the enchanted creature deals damage.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or tokens, Mark of the Vampire can be considered a form of resource acceleration. By enhancing a creature, it allows for more potent attacks which can lead to quicker victories, effectively accelerating your win condition.

Instant Speed: Although Mark of the Vampire is an aura with enchantment speed, the strategic depth it introduces behaves similarly to playing at instant speed. By waiting for the right moment to enchant a creature, you can surprise an opponent during combat or in response to removal, potentially disrupting their strategy.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Mark of the Vampire does not have a discard requirement, it’s essential to acknowledge that enchantment removal in a player’s hand can be rendered useless if there’s no appropriate target, effectively becoming a dead card.

Specific Mana Cost: Mark of the Vampire requires both black mana and generic mana, potentially limiting its inclusion only to decks that can produce black mana reliably.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two black, some players might find Mark of the Vampire on the more expensive side for aura buffs, which might deter its use in faster, more aggressive decks.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mark of the Vampire is an adaptable aura that can turn any creature into a significant threat. It’s suitable for various strategies, especially in decks that aim to stabilize life totals while applying pressure on opponents.

Combo Potential: This card offers excellent synergy with creatures that have lifelink or those that benefit from gaining life. When paired with creatures that have effects triggered by life gain, it can create powerful interactions and swing games in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where aggressive strategies prevail, Mark of the Vampire can be a game-changer. It grants creatures the ability to survive combat and outpace opposing threats, making it a valuable addition in the current competitive scene.


How to Beat

Mark of the Vampire is a powerful aura that can quickly turn the tide of a game by providing a creature with both a significant boost in power and the lifelink ability. This card is capable of generating a considerable life advantage for the player controlling the enchanted creature. However, there are strategies to counteract the power of this enchantment. Firstly, removal spells that can destroy or exile the enchanted creature will nullify the benefits of Mark of the Vampire. Cards like Murder or Path to Exile prove to be essential in these situations.

Taking a preventive approach, counterspells such as Cancel or Negate can stop the enchantment before it even hits the battlefield. Additionally, enchantment removal like Disenchant or Naturalize can strip the aura away after it’s been played, which is particularly effective as it often leads to a two-for-one trade, where you can remove two of your opponent’s cards with only one of yours. Ultimately, fast reaction with the correct spells is key in mitigating the impact that Mark of the Vampire may have on the game’s outcome.


Cards like Mark of the Vampire

Mark of the Vampire stands out as a solid choice for players seeking to boost their creatures in MTG. It shares certain similarities with cards like Sanguine Bond, which also capitalizes on the game’s life-gain strategy. Mark of the Vampire, much like Sanguine Bond, offers an aura of resilience and strength to creatures with its combination of power increase and life-link ability. However, Mark of the Vampire’s immediate creature enhancement contrasts with Sanguine Bond’s reliance on the condition that the player must gain life for it to cause loss of life to the opponent.

Analogous to Mark of the Vampire, we have Spirit Link, another aura that provides a life-gain effect. Though Spirit Link doesn’t offer the bonus to power that Mark of the Vampire does, its unique ability allows the life-gain to trigger even if the enchanted creature is not under your control. And then there is Lifelink, a simpler enchantment that shares the life-link effect without the additional power boost. It’s more cost-efficient and thus can be a better choice in decks where mana conservation is crucial.

In evaluating various enchantments, Mark of the Vampire proves its value by delivering both a considerable increase in power and the advantageous life-gain mechanic, making creatures more formidable on the battlefield.

Sanguine Bond - MTG Card versions
Spirit Link - MTG Card versions
Lifelink - MTG Card versions
Sanguine Bond - Magic 2010 (M10)
Spirit Link - Legends (LEG)
Lifelink - Magic 2010 (M10)

Cards similar to Mark of the Vampire by color, type and mana cost

Pestilence - MTG Card versions
Lich - MTG Card versions
Cursed Land - MTG Card versions
Nether Void - MTG Card versions
Breeding Pit - MTG Card versions
Greed - MTG Card versions
Feast of the Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Koskun Falls - MTG Card versions
Grave Pact - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Servitude - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Embrace - MTG Card versions
Vile Requiem - MTG Card versions
Parasitic Bond - MTG Card versions
Brink of Madness - MTG Card versions
Death Pit Offering - MTG Card versions
Tainted Aether - MTG Card versions
Strands of Night - MTG Card versions
Patriarch's Desire - MTG Card versions
Nefarious Lich - MTG Card versions
Last Laugh - MTG Card versions
Pestilence - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Lich - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Cursed Land - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Nether Void - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Breeding Pit - The List (PLST)
Greed - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Feast of the Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Koskun Falls - Homelands (HML)
Grave Pact - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Diabolic Servitude - Urza's Saga (USG)
Vampiric Embrace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Vile Requiem - The List (PLST)
Parasitic Bond - Urza's Saga (USG)
Brink of Madness - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Death Pit Offering - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Tainted Aether - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Strands of Night - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Patriarch's Desire - Odyssey (ODY)
Nefarious Lich - Odyssey (ODY)
Last Laugh - Torment (TOR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mark of the Vampire MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2013 and Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt, 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 Mark of the Vampire and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mark of the Vampire Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2012-07-13 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-07-13Magic 2013M13 992003normalblackWinona Nelson
22013-03-15Duel Decks: Sorin vs. TibaltDDK 292003normalblackWinona Nelson
32013-07-19Magic 2014M14 1052003normalblackWinona Nelson
42017-09-29IxalanXLN 1132015normalblackYongjae Choi
52018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 1052015normalblackWinona Nelson
62019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 7072015normalblackWinona Nelson
72020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2542015normalblackWinona Nelson
82020-09-26The ListPLST UMA-1052015normalblackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mark of the Vampire has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-09-29 Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.

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