Oathsworn Vampire MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 2 |
Rarity | Uncommon |
Type | Creature — Vampire Knight |
Power | 2 |
Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
Oathsworn Vampire enters the battlefield tapped. You may cast Oathsworn Vampire from your graveyard if you gained life this turn.
"My conquistadors are never slain, merely laid to rest." —Queen Miralda the Pious
Cards like Oathsworn Vampire
Oathsworn Vampire is a unique creature card that has carved its own niche in MTG. Its closest competitors include cards such as Bloodghast and Gravecrawler, both of which also return from the graveyard to the battlefield. Bloodghast has the advantage of a landfall ability, allowing it to spring back without additional costs whenever a land enters under your control. Meanwhile, Gravecrawler can be cast from the graveyard provided you control a Zombie, making it versatile in undead-themed decks.
Comparatively, Oathsworn Vampire requires a successful life gain event to return—a condition that, while specific, integrates well in vampiric and lifelink-centric strategies. It has a sturdier body, which can be an asset in combat compared to Gravecrawler. On the other hand, Gifted Aetherborn, another vampire peer, doesn’t return from the graveyard but offers lifelink and deathtouch directly—a powerful combination for both offense and defense, aligning differently with deck strategies.
In looking at these similarities and differences, Oathsworn Vampire presents an interesting blend of resilience and synergy for decks exploiting life gain mechanics, marking its presence in the cluster of recursive black creature cards in Magic: The Gathering.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Oathsworn Vampire’s ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield can offer you multiple uses from a single card over the course of a game. This continuous reusability offers a strategic edge and endurance, especially in longer matches where resources can become stretched thin.
Resource Acceleration: When paired with cards that allow you to gain life, Oathsworn Vampire can be a keystone in an engine that accelerates your board state by consistently having a creature to play. This works well in strategies that revolve around sacrifice effects, essentially allowing you to exploit additional resources out of a single card.
Instant Speed: While Oathsworn Vampire itself isn’t an instant, it has synergies with instant speed interactions. For instance, you can return it to the battlefield at the end of your opponent’s turn after gaining life. This sequential play keeps your opponent guessing and maximizes the timing of your resources while enabling surprise blocks or other instant-speed tricks.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the setbacks when casting Oathsworn Vampire from the graveyard is that it obligates you to have gained life this turn. This conditional requirement can disrupt your strategy, especially if your deck lacks consistent life gain mechanisms.
Specific Mana Cost: This vampire comes with a black mana cost that can challenge the flexibility of your mana base. If you’re running a multi-colored deck, ensuring the accessibility of black mana at all times can be a dilemma, potentially stalling your gameplay.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering Oathsworn Vampire’s abilities and 2/2 stats, the two mana cost, one of which is specifically black, may not hold up as favorably against other creatures in your deck. Other vampires or creatures offer more impact on the board for a similar or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Oathsworn Vampire in Your Collection
Versatility: Oathsworn Vampire’s ability to return from the graveyard to the battlefield makes it a resilient component in a variety of decks, particularly those capitalizing on self-milling and graveyard manipulation tactics.
Combo Potential: With the right setup, this vampire works exceedingly well in synergies that exploit the lifegain and loss triggers, dovetailing seamlessly with revival mechanics and sacrifice strategies for repeated use.
Meta-Relevance: In metas where attrition and endurance are key, the Oathsworn Vampire shines. Its strengths bolster midrange and control archetypes, as it fosters a persistent board presence that can withstand and outlast removal-heavy matches.
How to beat
Oathsworn Vampire is a notable card that can return from your graveyard to the battlefield, adding a layer of resilience to decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its strength lies in its capacity for recursion, making typical removal spells less effective. To effectively counter this card, graveyard interaction becomes key. Cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void can prevent the vampire’s return by removing its access to the graveyard. Graveyard hate, as players refer to it, is a strategic inclusion against decks that rely on leveraging their graveyard for such repeated utility.
Moreover, another strategy is to prevent the lifegain that enables Oathsworn Vampire’s comeback. With tools that restrict or reverse lifegain such as Tainted Remedy or Erebos, God of the Dead, players can halt the card’s engine. Addressing the mechanics this creature depends on rather than repeatedly destroying it ensures a more permanent resolution to the Oathsworn Vampire challenge. Focusing on negating the lifegain or removing the graveyard synergy it relies on can be crucial for maintaining control of the game.
Understanding and anticipating the persistent nature of Oathsworn Vampire can prepare players to construct their decks with specific answers, thereby effectively neutralizing the card’s advantages and maintaining the upper hand in the match.
BurnMana Recommendations
MTG enthusiasts always seek new strategies to strengthen their gameplay, and Oathsworn Vampire offers just that, with its powers of recursion and potential to fuel multiple deck themes. Don’t miss the opportunity to integrate this versatile card into your arsenal, especially if your deck thrives on life gain and graveyard dynamics. Keep in mind its peculiarities and how it could fit into your current deck configuration to enhance its performance. Interested in discovering more ways to optimize your deck or counteract steadfast opponents? Delve deeper into the strategy with us and gain insights to outplay the competition both in and beyond the graveyard.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Oathsworn Vampire MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Oathsworn Vampire 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 Oathsworn Vampire Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-01-19 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2018-01-19 | Rivals of Ixalan | RIX | 80 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Greg Opalinski | |
2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 70 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Border | |
3 | 2023-11-17 | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander | LCC | 204 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Greg Opalinski |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Oathsworn Vampire has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Historicbrawl | Legal |
Historic | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Paupercommander | Restricted |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Gladiator | Legal |
Pioneer | Legal |
Commander | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Explorer | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Oathsworn Vampire card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2018-01-19 | Casting Oathsworn Vampire from your graveyard follows the normal rules for casting that card. You must pay its costs, and you must follow all applicable timing rules. |
2018-01-19 | Oathsworn Vampire's last ability cares only whether you gained life in the turn, even if Oathsworn Vampire wasn't in your graveyard when that happened. It doesn't care how much you gained, whether you also lost life, or even whether you lost more life than you gained. |