Vampire Bats MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bat
Abilities Flying
Power 0
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Low cost and flying make Vampire Bats a potent early game force, capable of pressuring opponents swiftly.
  2. Instant speed power adjustment provides unpredictability, serving as a flexible combatant or blocker.
  3. Despite its agility, the bats’ reliance on specific mana types and discard trade-offs may limit its utility.

Text of card

Flying, oo B +1/+0 until end of turn. No more than o Bo B may be spent in this way per turn.

"For something is amiss or out of place/ When mice with wings can wear a human face." —Theodore Roethke, "The Bat"


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vampire Bats offer a strategic advantage by enabling flexible mana expenditure, allowing you to invest unused mana at the end of your opponent’s turn, therefore optimizing your card usage.

Resource Acceleration: This card thrives in environments that benefit from creatures with a low casting cost. It can hit the battlefield early, influencing the game’s tempo and putting pressure on your opponent right from the onset.

Instant Speed: Its ability to adjust its power at instant speed lets you adapt to changing game states, making it a surprising blocker or an unexpected aggressor, all within the scope of combat or in response to your opponent’s actions.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Vampire Bats offer a flexible flying blocker, they come with a downside. Any advantage gained from its flying ability can quickly be negated if you find yourself having to discard other potentially key cards to keep it in play, leading to a loss in card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Vampire Bats require a specific swamp mana for activation, which may not always align with the broader strategies of decks that are not mono-black or black-heavy. Decks that don’t run a lot of black mana may find the bats less useful.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial low cost of the card is deceiving as investing additional mana into its activated abilities can add up. Considering the power and toughness boost is temporary, decks may find other creatures or spells that provide a better return on investment over time.


Reasons to Include Vampire Bats in Your Collection

Versatility: Vampire Bats offers a low-cost flying creature that can fit into a variety of decks, particularly those seeking to augment their early game presence or needing an inexpensive flyer. Its ability to gain a power boost at instant speed makes it a flexible defender or an unexpected aggressor.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks that capitalize on life loss or gain. Its adjustable power makes it a suitable companion for cards or abilities that trigger off dealing combat damage or having a certain number of creatures with flying.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where small, evasive creatures can tip the balance, Vampire Bats can be surprisingly effective. Its ability to dodge many common removal spells and chip in for damage regularly is particularly useful in a meta with fewer airborne defenders.


How to beat

Vampire Bats stand out in MTG as a pesky flying creature, capable of frustrating opponents by evading blockers and incrementally chipping away at life totals. To overcome these agile creatures, one should focus on spells that neutralize flying threats or use targeted removal to whisk them away before they take too much of a toll. Ground-based creatures may find themselves at a disadvantage, but reaching for your deck’s arsenal of “destroy target creature” or “deal damage to any target” spells can provide an immediate solution to the Vampire Bats menace.

Spells like Shock or Lightning Bolt are efficient ways to deal with these nocturnal nuisances, as they offer low-cost removal options that can disrupt your opponent’s early game strategy. Enchantments that restrict the abilities of flying creatures can also serve as a bane to Vampire Bats, preventing them from soaring over your defenses. By utilizing these strategies, you can clip the wings of your opponent’s strategy, ensuring these creatures become less of a hindrance and more of a fleeting nuisance on your path to victory.

It’s crucial to consider the timing and resource management when dealing with cards like Vampire Bats. Properly timing your spells and predicting your opponent’s moves can turn the tide of the game, allowing you to maintain control and eventually outmaneuver the bloodthirsty swarm.


Cards like Vampire Bats

Vampire Bats holds a unique place in the flying creature niche of Magic: The Gathering. Sharing similarities with other one-mana flying creatures like Spire Owl, these bats offer consistent early-game aerial offense. What sets Vampire Bats apart is their flexible ability to boost their power on demand, enabling dynamic combat strategies. In contrast, Spire Owl may offer a degree of deck manipulation but lacks the on-the-fly combat adaptability of the Bats.

Looking across other comparable cards, we find the likes of Thalakos Scout, which provides evasion through shadow. Though this skill ensures it is unblockable by creatures without shadow, it doesn’t offer the same power modification that Vampire Bats boasts. Further on the spectrum, there’s Carrier Pigeons. While arriving with a higher mana cost, it allows a one-time peek at the top card of your library, contrasting with the repeatable combat benefit of Vampire Bats.

In the realm of low-cost fliers, Vampire Bats stand out for their versatility and potential for increased damage output. They exemplify the kind of strategic card that can quietly control the early battlefield, making them a valued creature card among MTG players looking for an edge in aerial combat.

Spire Owl - MTG Card versions
Thalakos Scout - MTG Card versions
Carrier Pigeons - MTG Card versions
Spire Owl - Urza's Saga (USG)
Thalakos Scout - Exodus (EXO)
Carrier Pigeons - Alliances (ALL)

Cards similar to Vampire Bats by color, type and mana cost

Stone-Throwing Devils - MTG Card versions
Will-o'-the-Wisp - MTG Card versions
Bog Rats - MTG Card versions
Sewer Rats - MTG Card versions
Muck Rats - MTG Card versions
Vebulid - MTG Card versions
Urborg Skeleton - MTG Card versions
Carrion Rats - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Dark Supplicant - MTG Card versions
Bile Urchin - MTG Card versions
Rimebound Dead - MTG Card versions
Plague Beetle - MTG Card versions
Festering Goblin - MTG Card versions
Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Knucklebone Witch - MTG Card versions
Nightshade Stinger - MTG Card versions
Smolder Initiate - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Dead - MTG Card versions
Deathgreeter - MTG Card versions
Stone-Throwing Devils - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Will-o'-the-Wisp - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Bog Rats - Chronicles (CHR)
Sewer Rats - Mirage (MIR)
Muck Rats - Portal Second Age (P02)
Vebulid - Urza's Saga (USG)
Urborg Skeleton - Invasion (INV)
Carrion Rats - Torment (TOR)
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Dark Supplicant - Legions (LGN)
Bile Urchin - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Rimebound Dead - Coldsnap (CSP)
Plague Beetle - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Festering Goblin - Tenth Edition (10E)
Sleeper Agent - Tenth Edition (10E)
Knucklebone Witch - Lorwyn (LRW)
Nightshade Stinger - Lorwyn (LRW)
Smolder Initiate - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Kjeldoran Dead - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Deathgreeter - Shards of Alara (ALA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vampire Bats MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Fourth Edition, 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 Vampire Bats and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Vampire Bats Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2014-12-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11994-06-01LegendsLEG 1251993normalblackAnson Maddocks
21995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 1671993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
31995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 1671993normalblackAnson Maddocks
41995-08-01RenaissanceREN 671993normalblackAnson Maddocks
51996-07-01Rivals Quick Start SetRQS 251993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
61996-12-31Introductory Two-Player SetITP 261993normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
71997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 2021997normalwhiteAnson Maddocks
82007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 186★2003normalblackChippy
92007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 1862003normalblackChippy
102014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. LilianaGVL 352015normalblackChippy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vampire Bats has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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