Kalastria Highborn MTG Card
2006-01-02 - Number 39
2010-02-05 - Number 59
2002-06-24 - Number 43552
2020-09-26 - Number WWK-59
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Vampire Shaman |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
Whenever Kalastria Highborn or another Vampire you control dies, you may pay . If you do, target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Cards like Kalastria Highborn
Kalastria Highborn holds a unique position among vampire tribal cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its vampiric lineage can be likened to Blood Artist, which also capitalizes on creatures dying. Yet, Kalastria Highborn stands out by offering direct life payment and life gain. Where Blood Artist requires a broader death trigger, Kalastria Highborn focuses on vampires, making it a strategic fit for vampire decks.
Examining Vampire Nighthawk, another staple in vampire arsenals, provides contrast. Although Nighthawk doesn’t possess the same direct drain ability, it compensates with deathtouch and lifelink, which add both offense and defense dynamics. Then there is Drana, Liberator of Malakir, who forgoes life manipulation for combat enhancement, allowing players to aggressively alter combat outcomes.
In essence, while evaluating Kalastria Highborn relative to its peers reveals a potent combination of aggressive lifegain strategy well suited for vampire-themed decks. Its precise synergy ensures that it remains a respected and often fearsome card for any opponent facing the might of the night’s children.
Cards similar to Kalastria Highborn by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Kalastria Highborn’s ability to return value from your creatures’ death keeps your opponent wary of how they deal with your board, adding a layer of strategic advantage. Each time a vampire you control dies, you have the ability to gain life and cause your opponent to lose life. This consistent drain effect can shift the game’s momentum in your favor and maintain pressure, especially in a vampire-themed deck.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly ramping your mana resources, Kalastria Highborn’s ability to use the death of your creatures as a resource translates to an indirect form of acceleration. By draining your opponents for each vampire loss, you stay ahead in life totals, which in turn frees up your mana for aggressive tactics rather than defensive maneuvers, keeping up the pace of resource deployment.
Instant Speed: Kalastria Highborn’s triggered ability can be activated at instant speed, offering versatility in response to battlefield changes. Whether it’s during combat or in reaction to a board wipe, this timing ensures that you can maximize its effect by choosing the most opportune moment. This grants you a dynamic play style, being able to adapt to the ever-changing state of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Kalastria Highborn’s abilities don’t require discarding cards, so this point isn’t applicable to the card’s performance in gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: Its casting requirement of two black mana can be restrictive for multicolored decks, limiting its inclusion to mostly mono-black or decks that can reliably generate black mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a 2/2 creature, a converted mana cost of two black mana may be seen as high, especially when compared to other creatures with additional upsides at the same or lower cost threshold.
Reasons to Include Kalastria Highborn in Your Collection
Versatility: Kalastria Highborn is a multi-faceted card that can be slotted into various deck archetypes. Its ability to both impact the life totals directly and serve as a source of card advantage makes it a worthy addition to not only vampire-themed decks but any black-centered builds looking for resilience and reach.
Combo Potential: This card shines in tandem with sacrificial strategies and recursive creatures. The life-gain and loss aspect can be compounded with effects that trigger off of death or life changes, enabling it to be at the heart of powerful combos.
Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based strategies cyclically return to prominence in various meta environments, having Kalastria Highborn in your arsenal ensures you’re equipped with a card that can turn the tide of player life totals in your favor, especially critical in tight match-ups.
How to beat
Kalastria Highborn presents a unique challenge on the battlefield with its life-draining abilities. This formidable vampire ally can quickly turn the tide of a game by providing a steady flow of life-point transactions. Dealing with this card requires a strategy that minimizes the occurrence of death triggers it capitalizes on. Removal spells that exile, such as Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze’s ability to remove creatures from graveyards, can be highly effective in shutting down its abilities. Additionally, employing graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace can prevent the Kalastria Highborn from ever taking effect.
Maintaining a robust board presence is another way to ward off the pressures from Kalastria Highborn. By avoiding trades and unfavorable blocks, you reduce the opportunities for your opponent to gain advantage from its passive ability. Moreover, cards that can bypass the creature’s abilities, such as those with hexproof or protection from black, can be instrumental in your strategy as they remain unaffected by its deathtouch ability.
Ultimately, prompt recognition and strategic play are key against the Kalastria Highborn. Neutralizing it quickly or enacting a game plan that dilutes its effectiveness can ensure that this highborn’s reign on the board is short-lived.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Kalastria Highborn MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and DCI Promos, 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 Kalastria Highborn 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
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Printings
The Kalastria Highborn Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2006-01-02 and 2010-02-05. Illustrated by D. Alexander Gregory.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 43552 | 2003 | Normal | Black | D. Alexander Gregory | ||
| 2 | 2006-01-02 | DCI Promos | PDCI | 39 | 2003 | Normal | Black | D. Alexander Gregory | |
| 3 | 2010-02-05 | Worldwake | WWK | 59 | 2003 | Normal | Black | D. Alexander Gregory | |
| 4 | The List | PLST | WWK-59 | 2003 | Normal | Black | D. Alexander Gregory |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Kalastria Highborn has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Kalastria Highborn card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2010-03-01 | If multiple Vampires you control (possibly including Kalastria Highborn itself) are put into their owners’ graveyards at the same time, Kalastria Highborn’s ability triggers that many times. |
| 2010-03-01 | If the targeted player is an illegal target by the time the ability resolves (for example, if that player has left a multiplayer game), the entire ability doesn’t resolve. You can’t pay and you don’t gain life. |
| 2010-03-01 | You target a player when the ability triggers. You choose whether to pay as the ability resolves. You may pay only once per resolution. |