Nightsoil Kami MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Spirit
Abilities	Soulshift
Released	2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Saviors of Kamigawa
Set code	SOK
Power	6
Toughness	4
Number	139
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jim Nelson

Key Takeaways

Nightsoil Kami excels in creating card advantage by recycling creatures from the graveyard.
With instant speed activation, it offers strategic flexibility during gameplay.
Despite its mana cost, it can be instrumental in token-based strategies.

Text of card

Soulshift 5 (When this is put into a graveyard from play, you may return target Spirit card with converted mana cost 5 or less from your graveyard to your hand.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Nightsoil Kami offers a unique approach to card advantage by utilizing your graveyard. Through its ability to sacrifice a creature and dredge back from your graveyard, it effectively recycles resources and provides a consistent flow of creatures to utilize.

Resource Acceleration: This card contributes to resource acceleration by providing you an expendable creature token each turn. These tokens can be utilized as fodder for various abilities or could contribute to ramp strategies which are dependent on creature count.

Instant Speed: Nightsoil Kami’s activated ability can be used at instant speed, offering a significant strategic edge. This allows for pivotal plays during your opponent’s turn or in response to actions that would otherwise leave you with untapped resources or vulnerable creatures.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Nightsoil Kami requires the player to discard a card for its soulshift ability. This could be a setback for those running low on hand resources, potentially depleting valuable assets needed for subsequent plays or strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s casting requirement demands both generic and green mana, meaning it might not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks. Players must ensure they have the appropriate mana sources to harness the Nightsoil Kami’s potential, which can be restrictive.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to get Nightsoil Kami into play is significant, especially when compared to other creature cards that may offer similar or more impactful abilities for a lower mana investment. This can make it less appealing when constructing decks that require a competitive mana curve.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Nightsoil Kami offers a flexible role in decks focused on sacrificing creatures or utilizing graveyard synergies. Its ability to remove cards from graveyards and create Saproling tokens provides players with both offensive and defensive options, seamlessly fitting into various strategies.

Combo Potential: This card excels when paired with strategies that capitalize on token generation or death triggers. The Saprolings it creates can be used to fuel powerful sacrifice combos or amplify the effects of cards that benefit from creatures dying or entering the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where graveyard decks are prevalent, Nightsoil Kami becomes an essential tool. Its capacity to disrupt opponents’ graveyard-related plans while advancing your board presence makes it a strong sideboard or even main deck consideration, depending on the environment.

How to beat

Nightsoil Kami is a unique creature card that can significantly impact the game in Magic: The Gathering. With an ability that allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on it each time a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, it can grow to be a colossal threat. To successfully navigate against this card, players must minimize creatures going to graveyards or employ removals that do not require killing, such as exile or bounce spells. Additionally, it’s advantageous to adjust your playstyle by using non-creature spells or focusing on battlefield control tactics.

One effective strategy could involve leveraging graveyard hate cards that can remove creature cards from graveyards, thus halting the growth of Nightsoil Kami. Sport removal cards like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares offer an exile option rather than letting creatures hit the graveyard, ensuring Nightsoil Kami doesn’t get an opportunity to swell in power. Timing is also crucial; choosing to act when your opponent is low on mana or unable to leverage the regrowth ability of Nightsoil Kami can prove beneficial.

Controlling the pace and the flow of creatures in the game can make all the difference when facing down a card with the potential for exponential growth like Nightsoil Kami. Careful planning and strategic plays will help to keep this creature in check.

Cards like Nightsoil Kami

Nightsoil Kami emerges as a green contender in MTG’s expansive array of graveyard-interacting creatures. Its similarities with Satyr Wayfinder are evident as both delve into the library and directly impact the graveyard’s composition. Where Satyr Wayfinder allows for land retrieval and supplies graveyard fodder, Nightsoil Kami takes this dynamic a notch higher by offering the versatility of token creation.

Delving further into the realm of the grave, creatures like Golgari Brownscale also share the spotlight. It grants a life gain each time it’s dredged back, while our spectral newcomer instead provides consistent token generation, a trade-off that can yield a bolstered board presence over time. Comparably, Moldgraf Monstrosity delivers on the theme of graveyard utilization but swaps incremental advantage for an explosive return of creatures upon its death, establishing a different strategic avenue.

In essence, Nightsoil Kami opens up a new strategic dimension as it bridges library manipulation, graveyard synergy, and token creation. Its uniqueness in recurrently fortifying the battlefield with spirits makes it a card worth considering in decks that capitalize on sacrificing creatures and graveyard interactions.

Moldgraf Monstrosity - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Nightsoil Kami by color, type and mana cost

Verdeloth the Ancient - MTG Card versions

Nemata, Grove Guardian - MTG Card versions

Kodama of the East Tree - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Nightsoil Kami MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Nightsoil Kami and other MTG cards: