Herald of the Dreadhorde MTG Card

Herald of the Dreadhorde - War of the Spark

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Zombie Warrior
Abilities	Amass
Released	2019-05-03
Set symbol
Set name	War of the Spark
Set code	WAR
Power	3
Toughness	2
Number	93
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Heonhwa Choe

Key Takeaways

Zombie token generation from Herald offers board control through incremental advantage and potential synergy with other cards.
Demands specific mana and has a higher casting cost, which may limit its versatility and compete with more impactful plays.
Its death-triggered prowess caters to diverse decks, notably those employing +1/+1 counters or attrition strategies in the meta.

Text of card

When Herald of the Dreadhorde dies, amass Zombies 2. (Put two +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also a Zombie. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)

Amonkhet's dead flowed into a new world in service to their God-Pharaoh.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Embracing the darker side of MTG, Herald of the Dreadhorde allows you to benefit from its demise by amassing a Zombie token onto the battlefield upon its death. This token generation provides incremental advantage, translating to potential board dominance.

Resource Acceleration: While the Herald of the Dreadhorde itself doesn’t directly provide mana acceleration, the Zombie token it creates upon death can pave the way to recur other creatures or synergize with mechanics that feed off token creation, indirectly accelerating your resource development.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, the Herald’s afterlife ability can create a chain reaction of instant-speed interactions with other cards. Once the Herald falls, the newly spawned Zombie can be a catalyst at instant speed for effects that hinge on creature death or token presence, turning your demise into opportunity.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although not applicable to Herald of the Dreadhorde directly, players should be mindful of interactions with discard mechanics. Cards requiring a discard as part of their cost can pair unfavorably with this creature, especially when aiming to capitalize on its death-triggered ability without losing strategic hand advantages.

Specific Mana Cost: Herald of the Dreadhorde demands both generic and black mana for casting. This specific mana requirement potentially restricts it to black-focused or dual-color decks, reducing its versatility across the broader spectrum of MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two black, Herald of the Dreadhorde enters the battlefield at a point when players could be deploying more impactful cards. Considering the aggressive pacing of many MTG formats, the mana investment may yield insufficient returns, especially when evaluated against other options available at this cost tier.

Reasons to Include Herald of the Dreadhorde in Your Collection

Versatility: Herald of the Dreadhorde can be a key component in various deck archetypes, particularly those harnessing the power of +1/+1 counters or leveraging creature sacrifice for greater gains.

Combo Potential: Upon death, this card can proliferate counters across your board, synergizing well with cards that benefit from, or contribute to, this mechanic. It’s an asset in strategies focused on accumulating incremental advantages.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where small creature strategies are prevalent, Herald of the Dreadhorde can be a game-changer. Its ability to leave a lasting impact post-mortem makes it a tactical inclusion when anticipating attrition-based matchups.

How to Beat

Herald of the Dreadhorde enters the battlefield as a seemingly modest creature, but its true potential is unleashed upon death. The card’s ability to amass adds extra pressure on opponents by potentially leaving behind a stronger token. To effectively counter this menace, players need to consider strategies that negate its death-triggered ability or remove it from play without it dying.

One method is to use exile effects that bypass the graveyard, such as with Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. Control decks often pack these kinds of answers, maintaining a clean board. Players can also turn to enchantments that prevent abilities from triggering or nullify creature effects, like Hushbringer or Tocatli Honor Guard. Another angle involves manipulating combat by utilizing creatures with deathtouch to make attacks less favorable or employ spells that can prevent combat damage and mitigate the advantage Herald seeks to create.

Mastery of these tactics can help maintain dominance over Herald of the Dreadhorde and similar threats. Playing smart, taking advantage of available resources, and anticipating your opponent’s moves are your clearest paths to victory against this formidable adversary.

Cards like Herald of the Dreadhorde

Herald of the Dreadhorde holds its own in the realm of impactful creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. Nestled among other cards with death-trigger abilities, it shares similarities with creatures like Carrier Thrall, which also provides additional value upon leaving the battlefield. While Carrier Thrall leaves behind a Scion token that can be sacrificed for mana, Herald of the Dreadhorde goes a step further by amassing a +1/+1 counter on another target creature you control when it dies.

Comparatively, Falkenrath Noble brings to the table a different aspect of death-activated abilities. This card grants you life gain and deals damage to any opponent each time any creature dies. While Herald of the Dreadhorde focuses on strengthening your board presence post-mortem, Falkenrath Noble affects life totals directly, a distinction worth noting when selecting your deck’s strategic components.

Therefore, Herald of the Dreadhorde stands out by enhancing your creatures, offering a strategic advantage in creature-centric decks. It proves to be a worthy inclusion that can shift the tides of combat by bolstering your forces substantially after its demise.

Cards similar to Herald of the Dreadhorde by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Herald of the Dreadhorde MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark, 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 Herald of the Dreadhorde and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Herald of the Dreadhorde 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
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-05-03	Army is a new creature type. It’s possible to control a nontoken Army (perhaps a creature with the changeling ability) and, through combinations of other cards, it’s possible to control multiple Army tokens. When instructed to amass, you may put +1/+1 counters on any of your Army creatures, and you may choose a different one each time.
2019-05-03	If you don’t control an Army, the Zombie Army token that you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.