Kalastria Nightwatch MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Vampire Warrior Ally
Power 4
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Kalastria Nightwatch excels in transforming into a formidable 4/5 flyer following life gain, significantly influencing board dynamics.
  2. Integrates seamlessly with vampire and lifelink decks, leveraging life gain mechanics for swift resource advantage and synergy.
  3. Instantaneous life gain interactions activate its flight ability, providing strategic combat surprises and adaptable battlefield control.

Text of card

Whenever you gain life, Kalastria Nightwatch gains flying until end of turn.

"Kalitas may have returned to mindless servitude beneath the Eldrazi, but we say never again." —Drana, Kalastria bloodchief


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kalastria Nightwatch can become an efficient beatstick, especially in decks that incorporate life gain. Its ability to become a 4/5 flyer after you gain life provides both a defensive and offensive advantage, making it a handicap for your opponent and a treat for your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: This card fits well in a vampire or lifelink-centric deck, which often includes mechanics to gain life quickly. Thus, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by quickly turning on its own ability and synergizing with other cards that benefit from life gain.

Instant Speed: While Kalastria Nightwatch itself does not have instant speed, it benefits enormously from instant-speed life-gain spells that can trigger its transformation into a flyer unexpectedly during combat. This inherent synergy with instant-speed interactions can turn the tides of battle by providing a sudden airborne blocker or attacker that the opponent may not have accounted for.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Kalastria Nightwatch doesn’t have a discard requirement itself. However, to truly leverage its lifelink ability, you may need to pair it with other cards that enable life gain, potentially at the cost of discarding valuable cards from your hand. This indirect requirement can be a downside in scenarios where your hand size is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Kalastria Nightwatch has a mana cost that includes black mana symbol, which means it will fit primarily into black or multi-color decks. This specific requirement can restrict your deck-building options, limiting the card’s versatility across various MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two generic and two black, Kalastria Nightwatch can be considered a steep investment in the early to middle stages of the game. Considering its 4/5 stats, there are alternative creatures that may offer more impactful abilities or synergies for a similar or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Kalastria Nightwatch Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Kalastria Nightwatch can be a flexible addition to any black-centered deck, especially those that harness life-gain mechanics. Its ability to become a flyer upon gaining life can be beneficial in evasion tactics.

Combo Potential: In decks that consistently gain life each turn, this card transforms into a reliable threat in the air. Pair it with cards that offer life on each turn or as part of an enter-the-battlefield effect to fully exploit its potential.

Meta-Relevance: With many decks aiming to win quickly or control the pace, having a card like Kalastria Nightwatch which can both swing for considerable damage and block when necessary, adapts well within varied metagames. Its presence can influence opponents’ combat decisions, making it a noteworthy contender.


How to overcome Kalastria Nightwatch

Kalastria Nightwatch can be a tricky adversary on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to become a flying threat whenever you gain life makes it an asset in any deck focusing on life gain strategies. But how do you handle this bat-winged horror? It’s simpler than you might think.

Direct removal spells are the bane of creatures like Kalastria Nightwatch. Cards like Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, or Path to Exile dispatch it quickly and efficiently. Spot removal will always be your best bet when dealing with singular troublesome creatures. Alternatively, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear Kalastria Nightwatch along with any other threats your opponent has amassed.

Countering life gain mechanics can also render Kalastria Nightwatch less threatening. Tainted Remedy turns its lifelink ability into a liability, while Erebos, God of the Dead prevents opponents from gaining life at all. And don’t forget, creatures with sufficient power and toughness to block and eliminate Kalastria Nightwatch without triggering its ability can also effectively neutralize it.

Planning and keeping the right answers in your deck ensures that creatures like Kalastria Nightwatch won’t stall your path to victory. Reacting appropriately and managing threats efficiently often spells the difference between triumph and defeat in the intricate dance of MTG matches.


Cards like Kalastria Nightwatch

The Kalastria Nightwatch stands as an intriguing creature in the MTG universe, bearing resemblance to other cards with lifelink potential. Like the Vampire Nighthawk, Kalastria Nightwatch provides a clear advantage when gaining life, although the Nighthawk offers additional deathtouch and flying abilities, making it a more versatile defender and attacker. The Nightwatch, however, compensates with a higher toughness, suggesting a better survivability in combat situations.

Another card of note is the Cliffhaven Vampire, which also benefits from your life gain, dealing damage to your opponent whenever you gain life. While not boosting its own power like the Kalastria Nightwatch, it affects the game with consistent damage, thereby offering a different strategic angle. Aerial Responder is a dwarf soldier that, like the Nightwatch, holds the vaunted lifelink ability, coupled with flying and vigilance. It offers a more aggressive stance, enabling both attack and defense without tapping.

Reflecting on these comparisons, the Kalastria Nightwatch has its niche, especially within decks centered around life gain strategies where its power can become a formidable force on the battlefield.

Vampire Nighthawk - MTG Card versions
Cliffhaven Vampire - MTG Card versions
Aerial Responder - MTG Card versions
Vampire Nighthawk - Wizards Play Network 2009 (PWP09)
Cliffhaven Vampire - Oath of the Gatewatch (OGW)
Aerial Responder - Kaladesh (KLD)

Cards similar to Kalastria Nightwatch 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 - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kalastria Nightwatch MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar 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 Kalastria Nightwatch and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Kalastria Nightwatch Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Jama Jurabaev.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 1152015normalblackJama Jurabaev
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 6962015normalblackJama Jurabaev
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2452015normalblackJama Jurabaev
42020-09-26The ListPLST BFZ-1152015normalblackJama Jurabaev
52022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 4292015normalblackJama Jurabaev

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kalastria Nightwatch 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 Kalastria Nightwatch card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2015-08-25 A creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, the ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
2015-08-25 In a Two-Headed Giant game, life gained by your teammate won’t cause the ability to trigger, even though it causes your team’s life total to increase.
2015-08-25 The ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it’s 1 life from Drana’s Emissary or 7 life from Nissa’s Renewal.

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