Aphetto Vulture MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Zombie Bird
Abilities	Flying
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	126
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Tony Szczudlo

Key Takeaways

Aphetto Vulture excels in granting card advantage through creature recursion during gameplay.
Despite the mana cost, its triggered ability at instant speed can turn tides mid-game.
Effective strategies against it include exile effects and graveyard disruption tactics.

Text of card

Flying When Aphetto Vulture is put into a graveyard from play, you may put target Zombie card from your graveyard on top of your library.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aphetto Vulture provides a strategic upside by returning another creature card from your graveyard to the top of your library when it dies. This recursion effect can be an excellent way to maintain momentum and card advantage throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Aphetto Vulture itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, its ability to recur key creatures can lead to indirect acceleration. By retrieving powerful or mana-generating creatures, it can bolster your board state and potential mana sources in the mid to late game.

Instant Speed: The vulture’s triggered ability operates at instant speed, which can be advantageous. This allows you to wait until the most opportune moment, such as in response to an opponent’s action, to strategically place a creature back on top of your library, ensuring you draw into a needed resource on your next turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: In the case of Aphetto Vulture, players must be aware there is no direct discard requirement. However, it’s important to have creatures in your graveyard to make the most of its ability, which could indirectly influence your strategy to discard creatures earlier in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Aphetto Vulture’s casting cost requires both black and generic mana, making it exclusive for decks that can reliably produce black mana. This can be a hindrance in multicolored decks that may not prioritize black mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its six-mana cost, Aphetto Vulture is on the higher end of the mana curve, especially considering its ability and power/toughness ratio. This can make it a less appealing choice in formats where lower-cost creatures can provide similar or greater value much sooner in the game.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aphetto Vulture brings a unique element to decks that focuses on creature recursion. Its ability to return another creature from your graveyard to the top of your library when it dies makes it an excellent addition to any deck that wants to reuse its creatures’ enter-the-battlefield effects or is built around a graveyard strategy.

Combo Potential: The flying vulture easily slots into combos that exploit death triggers or creature sacrifices. Pair it with cards that benefit from sacrificing creatures or that allows you to scry and manipulate the top of your library for an even bigger impact.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where graveyard interactions are prevalent and creature removal is common, Aphetto Vulture can maintain your board presence by ensuring you never run out of threats. Its synergy with various meta decks could make it an under-the-radar asset in the right build.

How to beat

Aphetto Vulture presents a challenging obstacle on the battlefield with its resurrection ability. It may not be as formidable as some powerhouse creatures in Magic: The Gathering, but its ability to return another creature to the top of your deck upon death gives it unique staying power. Tackling this bird requires a strategic approach.

Considering the Vulture’s reliance on its death trigger, one effective strategy is to utilize exile effects. Cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile can permanently remove the Vulture from play without triggering its ability. Alternatively, employing graveyard disruption, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void, can hinder or completely negate the recursive aspect of the Vulture’s death trigger. It’s crucial to manage your resources wisely and choose the right moment to strike, ensuring the Vulture doesn’t give your opponent a tactical advantage with its dying breath.

In essence, a well-timed exile removal or graveyard hate card can swiftly turn the tide of the game. By staying mindful of these strategies, you can neutralize Aphetto Vulture’s effect and minimize the impact of its presence on the game’s outcome.

Cards like Aphetto Vulture

The Aphetto Vulture is a unique creature card in the expansive universe of MTG. With its ability to return a creature card from your graveyard to the top of your library when it dies, it offers a strategic edge in the late game. This mechanic shares similarities with other graveyard interaction cards in the game, yet stands out with its bird-zombie creature type and flying ability.

Gravedigger is another card that echoes Aphetto Vulture’s graveyard recursion. Unlike the Vulture which triggers upon its own demise, Gravedigger allows you to return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand when it enters the battlefield. This provides more immediate utility, though without the flying capability. Phyrexian Reclamation offers a more sustainable loop of creature recovery, though it requires an investment of life and mana for each activation, presenting a different set of strategic considerations compared to the Vulture’s one-time effect.

Each of these cards has its strengths and weaknesses, with Aphetto Vulture offering a potent combination of evasion and self-recurring potential that can be valuable in decks that benefit from manipulating the top of the library or repeatedly using creature abilities that trigger on death or entering the battlefield.

Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Aphetto Vulture by color, type and mana cost

Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions

Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aphetto Vulture MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Aphetto Vulture and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aphetto Vulture has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aphetto Vulture card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.