Vampire Champion MTG Card
2018-01-19 - Number 198
2019-11-07 - Number 809
2020-09-26 - Number RIX-198
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Vampire Soldier |
| Abilities | Deathtouch |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
"These pirates must answer for their ancestors, who renounced the Church of Dusk and sailed from Torrezon as heretics."
Cards like Vampire Champion
Within the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering, the Vampire Champion stands out as a notable creature card for its intriguing blend of tribal synergy and combat prowess. Its parallels to cards like Vampire Nighthawk are evident, as both serve as valuable vampire tribe members with deathtouch, bolstering their respective decks’ control over the battlefield. However, Vampire Nighthawk offers an additional ability of lifelink, enhancing its sustainability and appeal in vampiric strategies.
Comparatively, Child of Night is another card that shares traits with Vampire Champion, boasting the vampiric touch and the potential to drain life. Despite this, it falls short in raw power, making Vampire Champion a superior choice in terms of board presence. Bloodthirsty Aerialist also emerges as a kin, with the potential to grow stronger as you gain life, rewarding a more interactive style of play. Yet, it doesn’t impact the board immediately like the steadfast Vampire Champion.
Overall, Vampire Champion carries a straightforward yet effective role in vampire-themed decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its immediacy and solid stats make it a consistent threat and a dependable inclusion for players aiming to dominate with undead prowess.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Vampire Champion brings its own unique blend of prowess by presenting formidable card advantage. The card’s ability to potentially decimate an opponent’s life while granting you valuable card draw is essential for outpacing your opponent and keeping your hand flush with options.
Resource Acceleration: This card does more than just pose a threat on the battlefield; it accelerates your resources, allowing for more strategic and potentially game-changing plays. With this vampire on your side, you’re able to muster your forces more efficiently, paving the way for a strengthened board presence in the blink of an eye.
Instant Speed: The versatility of instant speed cannot be overstated. Having the ability to summon the Vampire Champion at the end of an opponent’s turn or in response to certain actions keeps the element of surprise firmly in your corner. This opens up the field for more dynamic play, giving you the upper hand in the complex strategic dance that is a round of MTG.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: In the case of the Vampire Champion card, one notable drawback is that it may force the player to part with valuable cards in hand. This can be detrimental in situations where maintaining card advantage is crucial to the game’s strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: This card comes with a non-generic mana requirement, meaning it demands a specific type of mana to cast. This characteristic could potentially restrict it to vampire-themed or black-aligned decks, thereby reducing its flexibility in deck building.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Additionally, its mana cost is on the higher side when compared to other creatures with similar stats or abilities. Players might opt for more cost-effective alternatives that allow for a faster or more efficient game-play experience.
Reasons to Include Vampire Champion in Your Collection
Versatility: Vampire Champion is a versatile addition to any black-centered deck, sliding seamlessly into tribal vampire builds and any strategy looking to leverage robust creature types.
Combo Potential: As a vampire, it works well with cards that synergize with this creature type, potentially unlocking powerful on-board synergies or enabling devastating combo finishes with lifelink, +1/+1 counters, and sacrifice effects.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where small creatures are ubiquitous, the deathtouch ability of Vampire Champion can act as a powerful deterrent, making it a worthwhile consideration for decks that aim to control the board and maintain presence.
How to Beat
Vampire Champion presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, demanding a distinct approach to counter it effectively. Its deathtouch ability allows it to destroy any creature it touches, turning what seems a simple combat interaction into a potential threat for your creatures. The key to overcoming the Vampire Champion lies in using removal spells that can target and eliminate creatures without entering combat. Consider cards like Murder or Cast Down, which can dispatch the creature outright, bypassing its hazardous deathtouch.
Alternatively, for those who lean towards control strategies, spells like Pacifism restrain the Vampire Champion, nullifying its power to engage in combat entirely. This way, even though the creature remains on the field, its ability becomes moot. Another effective technique is to deploy creatures with higher toughness. They can take a hit from the Vampire Champion and survive, ideally deterring the opponent from attacking. Remember, evasive creatures with flying or unblockable can also bypass the challenge posed by ground-based deathtouch creatures, maintaining pressure on your opponent without risking valuable creatures in battle.
While Vampire Champion can be a formidable asset, your deck’s design can provide the tools needed to counteract this threat consistently. Each game’s context will guide the choice of the most suitable strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Vampire Champion MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan and Mystery Booster, 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 Champion and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Vampire Champion Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-01-19 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Craig J Spearing.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-01-19 | Rivals of Ixalan | RIX | 198 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Craig J Spearing | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 809 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Craig J Spearing | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | RIX-198 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Craig J Spearing |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Vampire Champion has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |