Famished Ghoul MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Zombie
Released	2001-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Odyssey
Set code	ODY
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	135
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Adam Rex

Key Takeaways

Deck interaction through sacrificing boosts resource maximization and offers surprise combat tactics.
Mana and card resource management are essential due to activation conditions and specific mana costs.
Its unique graveyard synergy makes it a formidable card in specific MTG deck strategies.

Text of card

o1o B, Sacrifice Famished Ghoul: Remove up to two target cards in a single graveyard from the game.

Memories have distinct tastes. Its favorites are the sickly sweetness of lost love and the bitter smokiness of cruel murder.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Famished Ghoul, players have a reliable way to sift through their deck. Its ability is activated when you sacrifice another creature or artifact, which can be particularly powerful in strategies built around token generation or recycle mechanics, ensuring that you are maximizing every card and turn.

Resource Acceleration: This creature can contribute to resource acceleration by unlocking synergies with graveyard mechanics. Sending creatures to the graveyard could potentially enable reanimation strategies or trigger abilities of other cards that benefit from such conditions, offering a form of acceleration that goes beyond simple mana production.

Instant Speed: Although Famished Ghoul itself does not operate at instant speed, it can benefit from instant-speed interactions. Sacrifice effects or creature abilities that work in the graveyard can be activated in response to your opponent’s moves, providing flexibility and surprise tactical advantages during gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Famished Ghoul’s activation ability hinges on a discard condition, often creating a drawback during gameplay when your hand might already be depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature card entails a mana combination that might not seamlessly fit into all deck strategies, thus potentially limiting its versatility in various builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a notable amount of mana, the Famished Ghoul might not be the most mana-efficient play, especially when alternatives exist that may provide similar or greater value for less investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Famished Ghoul offers a unique angle in decks that thrive on sacrifice mechanics or graveyard manipulation, providing a reliable option for recurring creature effects or enabling graveyard synergies.

Combo Potential: This creature complements strategies that revolve around +1/+1 counters or sacrifice for gain. Its ability to tap for an additional effect can serve as a key interaction point in well-crafted combos within these archetypes.

Meta-Relevance: As players constantly adapt to an evolving competitive scene, Famished Ghoul’s niche effect can surprise opponents by countering strategies reliant on graveyard resources or by accelerating your own graveyard-based tactics.

How to beat

Famished Ghoul is a crafty creature card in Magic: The Gathering that can pose a challenge to players with its unique ability to tap and untap during your upkeep. This can disrupt strategies dependent on keeping a creature tapped or capitalizing on summoning sickness. Overcoming this ghoul requires a keen understanding of timing and card selection.

To efficiently tackle Famished Ghoul, consider using removal spells that can eliminate the creature outright, bypassing its untapping ability. Cards like Murder, Path to Exile, or Doom Blade can serve as clean solutions. Additionally, employing graveyard disruption tactics such as Tormod’s Crypt or Rest in Peace can mitigate the advantage gained from any creature cards the ghoul targets. Utilizing instant speed removal or graveyard hate will prevent your opponent from gaining the upper hand Famished Ghoul promises.

With these strategies in play, you can transform what could be a formidable obstacle into an opportunity to outmaneuver your opponent, illustrating the importance of adaptability and foresight in Magic: The Gathering matches.

Cards like Famished Ghoul

Famished Ghoul brings a unique dynamic to the gameplay of Magic the Gathering. It takes its place among cards that interact with abilities triggered from discarding or sacrificing creatures. For instance, Nantuko Husk offers a similar sacrifice mechanic, allowing players to boost its power by sacrificing other creatures. However, Famished Ghoul specifically targets creatures put into a graveyard from the library, adding a layer of strategic planning to the mix.

Another card with comparable gameplay effects is Desecrated Tomb. While it doesn’t sacrifice creatures, it does create bat tokens when creatures leave your graveyard, aligning with Famished Ghoul’s graveyard interaction. Desecrated Tomb, however, leverages any creature’s exit, not just ones placed there from a library. Then there’s Wight of Precinct Six, gaining strength from the number of creature cards in your opponents’ graveyards. Famished Ghoul might not grow in power, but it can consistently leverage its effect whenever you mill.

Considering the synergy with graveyard-focused strategies and the capacity to trigger upon specific conditions, Famished Ghoul claims a spot for players crafting decks that take advantage of library-to-graveyard transitions, distinguishing itself within MTG’s vast card pool.

Wight of Precinct Six - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Famished Ghoul by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Famished Ghoul MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Famished Ghoul and other MTG cards: