Ascendant Evincar MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Vampire Noble
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Ascendant Evincar can result in card advantage by debilitating opponent creatures, fostering favorable combat.
  2. Despite its mana intensity, the payoff in board control and game tempo can be significant.
  3. Effective strategies against it include instant removal, enchantments, or tactical play adjustments.

Text of card

Flying Other black creatures get +1/+1. Nonblack creatures get -1/-1.

"Things are going to change around here." —Crovax


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ascendant Evincar is not only a menacing presence on the battlefield but also serves as a form of card advantage. By weakening your opponent’s creatures, you effectively diminish their options and presence, which can indirectly result in card advantage as your creatures likely become superior in combat, leading to more profitable exchanges for you.

Resource Acceleration: While the Ascendant Evincar itself does not directly accelerate your resources, it aids in maintaining your grip on the game. By having a consistent board presence that debilitates opposing creatures, you are less likely to need to spend additional resources to deal with threats, allowing you to allocate mana elsewhere and maintain resource parity or even superiority.

Instant Speed: Though the Ascendant Evincar is a creature card without instant speed, its relevance comes from the immediate impact it has once it hits the board. Opponents must respond to it right away, lest they suffer the consequences of a continuously dwindling creature base, pressuring them to use their instant-speed removal on your terms.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Ascendant Evincar requires players to sculpt their deck and hands with caution. Not having a discard outlet can turn its potential power boost into a pain point for those ill-prepared.

Specific Mana Cost: Ascendant Evincar comes with a steep demand of black mana. This can prove to be restrictive and sometimes a barrier for multicolor deck strategies that require a more diverse mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With six mana to bring Ascendant Evincar to the battlefield, it demands a significant investment. Even though it brings an intimidating presence, faster-paced matches could see this card as a liability rather than an asset.


Reasons to Include Ascendant Evincar in Your Collection

Versatility: Ascendant Evincar can serve as a powerful asset in a variety of deck archetypes, especially in mono-black control or Voltron strategies. Its ability to weaken enemy creatures makes it a game-changer on any battlefield, enhancing both defensive and offensive tactics.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with effects that punish diminished power creatures or capitalize on the increased strength of your own. Any strategy designed to break the symmetry of its global buff for black creatures and debuff for others can turn the tide of games.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta with many white weenie or token strategies, Ascendant Evincar’s static ability to give a -1/-1 to enemy creatures can be devastating. Its stronghold on board presence continues to make it a compelling choice for anyone looking to enhance their black-dominated decks.


How to beat

Ascendant Evincar is a formidable card that can quickly tip the scales in a Magic: The Gathering match. Its presence on the battlefield comes with a sweeping effect, bolstering your black creatures while simultaneously weakening those of other colors. To effectively counter this dread lord, one must include removal spells in their deck that can dispatch the Evincar instantly—spells like Murder or Path to Exile are ideal candidates, as they can target him directly, bypassing any potential increase in his toughness from his own ability or other buffs.

Enchantment-based answers such as Pacifism also serve well to neutralize him without triggering potential death-related abilities that might occur if destroyed. Board wipes like Wrath of God could clear the path too, but timing is crucial to avoid a swing back in your opponent’s favor. Additionally, playing around Ascendant Evincar calls for tactical shifts, like favoring colorless creatures or artifacts that remain unaffected by his weakening aura or emphasizing the control aspect to keep his threat at bay until a permanent solution is drawn.

Understanding the nuances of each matchup and the timing of your responses is key to overcoming the challenges posed by Ascendant Evincar, making for a thrilling strategic dynamic in your games of Magic: The Gathering.


Cards like Ascendant Evincar

The Ascendant Evincar card cuts an imposing figure among black creatures in MTG. It finds parallels in cards like Erebos, God of the Dead, which shares the trait of making life difficult for opponents by denying them life gain. However, Ascendant Evincar uniquely lowers the power of all creatures your opponents control, potentially turning the tide of battle. Erebos’s presence does not adjust enemy creatures’ power, yet it offers indestructibility and a steady source of card draw under certain conditions.

Grave Pact is another interesting card when compared with Ascendant Evincar. Not only does Grave Pact provides control over the battlefield by forcing opponents to sacrifice creatures whenever one of yours dies, but it also serves a very different role in control-type decks without directly altering stats as Ascendant Evincar does. Furthermore, Bad Moon is a similar enchantment that, rather than decreasing enemy power, it increases the strength of all black creatures for all players, which could inadvertently aid opponents who also utilize black creatures.

Nimbly shifting between weakening adversaries and commanding the board, Ascendant Evincar stands out for its blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. This complexity and the power to alter creature dynamics offer players a compelling strategy, securing its spot in the pantheon of impactful black creature cards.

Erebos, God of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Grave Pact - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Erebos, God of the Dead - Theros (THS)
Grave Pact - Stronghold (STH)
Bad Moon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Ascendant Evincar by color, type and mana cost

Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Bog Hoodlums - MTG Card versions
Helldozer - MTG Card versions
Geth, Lord of the Vault - MTG Card versions
Toxic Nim - MTG Card versions
Dark Hatchling - MTG Card versions
Pontiff of Blight - MTG Card versions
Nightmare - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Ihsan's Shade - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Necrosavant - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Face of Fear - Odyssey (ODY)
Wire Surgeons - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Grave Titan - Fallout (PIP)
Chittering Harvester - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Crossway Troublemakers - Crimson Vow Commander (VOC)
Anurid Murkdiver - Onslaught (ONS)
Gempalm Polluter - Legions (LGN)
Nefashu - Scourge (SCG)
Twisted Abomination - Scourge (SCG)
Iname, Death Aspect - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Yawgmoth Demon - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Bog Hoodlums - Lorwyn (LRW)
Helldozer - Planechase (HOP)
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Toxic Nim - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Dark Hatchling - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Pontiff of Blight - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ascendant Evincar MTG card by a specific set like Media Inserts and Nemesis, 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 Ascendant Evincar and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Ascendant Evincar Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2000-02-14 and 2010-06-04. Illustrated by Mark Zug.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-01-02Media InsertsPMEI 281997normalblackMark Zug
22000-02-14NemesisNEM 511997normalblackMark Zug
32007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 127★2003normalblackMark Zug
42007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1272003normalblackMark Zug
52009-09-04PlanechaseHOP 172003normalblackMark Zug
62010-06-04Duels of the PlaneswalkersDPA 192003normalblackMark Zug

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ascendant Evincar has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2007-07-15 If Ascendant Evincar stops being black, it gives itself -1/-1.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks