Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Vanguard
Released	2003-01-01
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Online Avatars
Set code	PMOA
Number	48
Frame	2015
Layout	Vanguard
Border	Black
Illustred by	UDON

Key Takeaways

Grants card advantage by reanimating creatures and disrupting opponent’s potential plays in the game.
Enables swift board presence with creatures at instant speed without paying their mana costs.
Ink-Eyes’ reanimation demands specific battlefield conditions to be truly advantageous.

Text of card

At the beginning of the game, look at target opponent's hand and choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. , Pay X life: Put target creature card with converted mana cost X in an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability to reanimate creatures directly from an opponent’s graveyard not only offers you extra field presence but also depletes your opponent’s potential resources, providing you with a significant card advantage in longer matches.

Resource Acceleration: By putting creatures into play without paying their mana costs, you effectively bypass one of the game’s fundamental rules, allowing for a swift acceleration in your resource deployment, which can be game-changing.

Instant Speed: Ink-Eyes can be summoned at instant speed after a successful combat damage step, catching your opponents off guard and enabling responsive play to the ever-changing battlefield conditions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In order to capitalize on its reanimation ability, it obligates you to remove a creature card from an opponent’s graveyard, potentially leaving you vulnerable if there are no valuable targets or if graveyards are protected or empty.

Specific Mana Cost: Ink-Eyes requires a dedicated mana base with both black and generic mana, which could be a challenging fit outside of mono-black or heavily black-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a fairly steep mana cost at six, including five black mana symbols, it can be hard to cast Ink-Eyes within the early to mid-game phases, and its cost efficiency is lower compared to other creatures with similar or stronger combat abilities.

Reasons to Include Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar in Your Collection

Versatility: Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar can adapt to numerous playstyles, fitting well into control and aggro decks alike. Its ability to reanimate creatures from opponents’ graveyards gives players consistent utility in various game scenarios.

Combo Potential: With its potent ability to take control of opponents’ creatures, it synergizes with a range of strategies that exploit graveyard mechanics. Its Ninjutsu ability also allows for surprising plays that can pivot the state of the board in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Given that graveyard interaction often plays a key role in many competitive formats, having Ink-Eyes in your collection means you possess a tool that can disrupt many common strategies, making it a relevant addition to decks concerned with staying ahead of the competition.

How to beat

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni is a formidable ninja card that can create massive swings in advantage with its ability to reanimate creatures from an opponent’s graveyard. This stealthy creature can avoid direct combat through its ninjitsu ability, often catching opponents off guard and dealing damage when least expected.

To effectively counteract this card’s impact, removal spells are essential. Depending on your deck’s color scheme, options include Path to Exile or Go for the Throat, which can dispatch Ink-Eyes before it has a chance to utilize its abilities. Moreover, grave hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void can nullify the reanimation aspect completely, rendering the primary advantage of Ink-Eyes moot. Board wipes like Wrath of God are also effective as they clear the field regardless of Ink-Eyes’ evasion capabilities. Knowing that your opponent is playing Ink-Eyes, keeping mana open for instant-speed interaction can prevent a successful ninjitsu activation altogether.

Ultimately, Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni requires a strategic approach to overcome. By proactively managing your removal spells and anticipating the ninjitsu mechanic, you can shut down this powerful avatar and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni, holds a distinct place among legendary creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This powerful Ninja card is often weighed against Silent-Blade Oni due to their shared creature type and ability to manipulate opponents’ decks. Unlike Ink-Eyes, which can reanimate creatures from the opponent’s graveyard whenever it deals combat damage, Silent-Blade Oni permits a caster to play a spell from the opponent’s hand without paying its mana cost.

Another card to consider is Skullsnatcher, a more cost-efficient creature with a ninjutsu ability, though it sacrifices the impactful board presence and reanimation effect for graveyard disruption. Additionally, there’s Throat Slitter, a Ninja that, while not bringing other creatures back into play, offers a simple yet effective removal element to control the field. The latter can be vital in maintaining an edge over the opponent’s creatures.

When assessing the Ninja theme in a player’s deck, Ink-Eyes appeals not only for its flavor but also for its potential to tip the scales by reclaiming powerful creatures from the opponent, offering significant strategic advantages compared to other cards in its class.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Avatars, 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 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni Avatar and other MTG cards: