Dread Defiler MTG Card
2016-01-22 - Number 68
2016-01-22 - Number 68
2016-01-22 - Number 68s
2002-06-24 - Number 59665
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Eldrazi |
| Abilities | Devoid |
| Power | 6 |
| Toughness | 8 |
Key Takeaways
- Transforms graveyard creatures into direct opponent damage, maximizing your card resources.
- The activated ability can be used strategically at the end of your opponent’s turn.
- Exile effect supports Eldrazi synergies and accelerates resource management.
Text of card
Devoid (This card has no color.) , Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Target opponent loses life equal to the exiled card's power. ( represents colorless mana.)
It left behind an echoing emptiness more horrible than the grave.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Dread Defiler offers a distinctive edge by turning creatures in your graveyard into direct damage against opponents, effectively allowing you to use your graveyard as an extension of your hand.
Resource Acceleration: This Eldrazi creature, with its ability to exile another creature card from your graveyard, paves the way for it to fuel your other Eldrazi spells or abilities that synergize with exile effects, enhancing your overall resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: While Dread Defiler itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its activated ability can be used at the end of your opponent’s turn, allowing you to keep up the pressure even when it’s not your turn to play, therefore keeping your tactical options open while managing your resources effectively.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The ability to exile a creature card from your graveyard comes at the cost of discarding a card. This can be particularly punishing if you’re running low on hand resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Dread Defiler has a specific mana cost that includes black mana, which may not seamlessly fit into all deck archetypes, especially those not focused on black mana resources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Dread Defiler’s seven mana cost is substantial, making it a late-game play. There are other creatures and spells that offer more immediate board presence or impact at a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Dread Defiler brings adaptability to your deck, slotting seamlessly into Eldrazi strategies or any builds that capitalize on graveyard play. Its ability to exile a creature card from your graveyard for a direct life-total assault gives it a role in multiple game scenarios.
Combo Potential: This creature has intrinsic synergy with cards that fill the graveyard, making it a lynchpin in strategies that recycle or benefit from robust graveyard mechanics to whittle down an opponent’s life.
Meta-Relevance: Given its sturdy stat line and impactful late-game presence, Dread Defiler has the chops to swing the battlefield in your favor, particularly in a meta where long games are common, and graveyard resources are key. Its ability to bypass defensive lines can turn the tide even against formidable board states.
How to beat
Dread Defiler is one of those formidable Eldrazi creatures in MTG that can easily become a thorn in an opponent’s side. Its capability to exile a card from its owner’s graveyard and give it life loss equal to the exiled card’s power adds a late-game threat that requires immediate attention. But how do you effectively deal with this menace?
Direct removal spells are typically the most effective way to deal with impactful creatures such as Dread Defiler. Cards like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider can swiftly take it off the battlefield. Countering it with spells like Negate or Essence Scatter also prevents it from entering play in the first instance. Additionally, graveyard hate cards, such as Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus, can nullify the Dread Defiler’s ability by keeping graveyards clean, stripping it of ammunition. Lastly, playing aggressively to diminish your opponent’s life total before they can utilize such a high-cost creature is a proactive way to mitigate the threat.
Ensuring that you have these responses in your deck strategy can keep a Dread Defiler from dominating the late game, allowing you to maintain control over the match and emerge victorious.
Cards like Dread Defiler
Dread Defiler serves as a powerful creature in Magic: The Gathering, occupying a unique role within the Eldrazi arsenal. When analyzing creatures with comparable functionalities, Oblivion Sower comes to mind. Both cards manipulate exile, but the Sower fetches lands from exile to ramp up your mana base. In contrast, Dread Defiler leverages exile to deal direct damage to opponents, showcasing its offensive capabilities.
Another relation is found in the form of Bane of Bala Ged. The Bane demands immediate answers from your opponent as it exiles two permanents each time it attacks. Though lacking the ability to excavate cards from exile for direct damage, it compensates by decimating opponent’s board presence. Lastly, we have Ulamog’s Despoiler, which pulls power from cards placed in exile to bulk up its own stats. However, unlike Dread Defiler, the Despoiler doesn’t offer a mechanism to actively use those exiled cards as a resource for damage.
Assessing the usability and roles of these Eldrazi, it becomes clear that while they share a thematic connection to exile, Dread Defiler’s distinctive ability to turn exiled cards into a tool for victory cements its place as a notable choice amongst its kin in MTG decks.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Dread Defiler MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Oath of the Gatewatch 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 Dread Defiler and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Dread Defiler Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-01-22 and 2016-01-22. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 59665 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan | ||
| 2 | 2016-01-22 | Oath of the Gatewatch Promos | POGW | 68 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan | |
| 3 | 2016-01-22 | Oath of the Gatewatch | OGW | 68 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 4 | 2016-01-22 | Oath of the Gatewatch Promos | POGW | 68s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Dread Defiler has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Dread Defiler card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-01-22 | A creature token is not a creature card. Although a token does go to the graveyard briefly if it dies, it ceases to exist before you have the opportunity to do anything. |
| 2016-01-22 | Use the card’s power as it last existed in your graveyard to determine how much life is lost. |
