Rabid Bloodsucker MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Vampire
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Strategically advantageous, offering immediate opponent life loss and bolstering your life manipulation strategies.
  2. Demands careful play due to its creature sacrifice requirement and specific black mana cost.
  3. Its one-time effect and immediate impact make it valuable for swift game-changing plays.

Text of card

Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.) When Rabid Bloodsucker enters the battlefield, each player loses 2 life.

She haunts the streets, wings spread wide, with carrion on her breath and blood in her eyes.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Rabid Bloodsucker offers a strategic benefit by potentially causing your opponent to lose a card if they are forced to sacrifice an important creature in response to its enter-the-battlefield effect.

Resource Acceleration: Though not directly offering resource acceleration, the life loss inflicted on your opponent can indirectly hasten your victory, leveraging the resources you already have on the board more effectively.

Instant Speed: This vampire can’t hit the battlefield at instant speed, but its ability can be a surprise weapon, especially when combined with other cards that trigger off of life loss or gain, providing unexpected interactions during your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Rabid Bloodsucker demands the sacrifice of another creature upon entry, which could set you back if your board presence is already weak.

Specific Mana Cost: Locked into black mana with a cost of 3BB, Rabid Bloodsucker requires commitment to a specific mana base, reducing its flexibility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its five mana cost and life-draining ability, you might find other creatures or spells that provide more impact or versatility in a game, potentially making its mana investment less efficient.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Rabid Bloodsucker offers a dual benefit on casting, providing direct life loss for an opponent while granting you a notable amount of life gain, fitting well into black decks that thrive on life manipulation.

Combo Potential: This creature synergizes with strategies that capitalize on life total changes, such as triggering morbid abilities or powering up cards that scale with life differences.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where stabilizing your life total can turn the tide, Rabid Bloodsucker serves as a tool to disrupt opponent’s calculations and maintain pressure in both offense and defense.


How to beat

The card Rabid Bloodsucker presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This flying vampire leeches life from opponents with its ability, making it a nuisance in any match. But fear not, there are effective strategies to ground this pesky creature. Board control spells are your go-to solution for dealing with Rabid Bloodsucker. Cards like Doom Blade offer a straightforward answer, efficiently removing it from play. Another tactic is to trump the battlefield with creatures that outclass it in combat. Since it has a modest toughness, any creature with a power of three or higher can eliminate the Bloodsucker in a single skirmish.

Another angle to consider is disrupting the life-loss advantage it confers upon entering the battlefield. Lifegain spells or abilities can offset the initial damage dealt by the Bloodsucker, minimizing its impact. Additionally, countering the spell entirely circumvents the problem. Blue spells like Cancel can ensure that Rabid Bloodsucker never touches the field. Thus, while it might seem daunting at first, there are multiple ways to neuter the threat of Rabid Bloodsucker, ranging from direct removal to clever life management and counterspells.


Cards like Rabid Bloodsucker

Rabid Bloodsucker presents an intriguing dynamic to Magic: The Gathering’s array of creatures. Bearing similarities to Vampire Nighthawk, both creatures fly and have a direct impact on life totals. However, Rabid Bloodsucker stands distinct with its ability to cause immediate life loss to each player upon entering the battlefield, a feature Vampire Nighthawk lacks. Moreover, the Bloodsucker requires no further action to affect life totals, contrasting the Nighthawk’s need to engage in combat.

Comparable also is Falkenrath Noble, which shares the theme of life reduction. The Noble extends its influence over the game by triggering not only when it enters the battlefield but also whenever another creature dies. This can result in a larger cumulative change in life totals over time, transcending the one-time effect of the Rabid Bloodsucker. Nonetheless, the Noble has a higher mana cost and its ability relies on other creatures’ demise.

When assessing the strategic value of creature cards that manipulate life totals, Rabid Bloodsucker offers an immediate impact, suitable for decks aiming to swiftly alter life sums. Its entrance effect can be a pivotal moment in games, particularly when timed with precision to disrupt opponents or close out a match.

Vampire Nighthawk - MTG Card versions
Falkenrath Noble - MTG Card versions
Vampire Nighthawk - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)
Falkenrath Noble - Innistrad (ISD)

Cards similar to Rabid Bloodsucker by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Entropic Specter - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Hollow Dogs - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - Tempest (TMP)
Entropic Specter - Exodus (EXO)
Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Fallen Angel - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Sengir Vampire - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Hollow Dogs - Beatdown Box Set (BTD)
Grotesque Hybrid - Torment (TOR)
Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sootfeather Flock - Legions (LGN)
Zombie Cutthroat - Scourge (SCG)
Gluttonous Zombie - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Vermiculos - Mirrodin (MRD)
Woebearer - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Halo Hunter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Malakir Bloodwitch - Zendikar (ZEN)
Caustic Crawler - Worldwake (WWK)
Shriekmaw - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Rabid Bloodsucker MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Mystery Booster, 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 Rabid Bloodsucker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Rabid Bloodsucker Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Seb McKinnon.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 1132015normalblackSeb McKinnon
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 7422015normalblackSeb McKinnon
32020-09-26The ListPLST ORI-1132015normalblackSeb McKinnon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Rabid Bloodsucker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

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