Guul Draz Overseer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Vampire
Abilities Flying,Landfall
Power 3
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances board strength with a landfall-triggered boost, optimizing creature power without extra cards.
  2. Demands a creature-heavy board and a deep commitment to black mana, potentially limiting deck flexibility.
  3. Powerful in landfall-centric decks, yet vulnerable to instant-speed removal and aggressive playstyles.

Text of card

Flying Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, other creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn. If that land is a Swamp, those creatures get +2/+0 until end of turn instead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Guul Draz Overseer, whenever you play a land, you boost your creatures’ power, effectively strengthening your battlefield presence without the need for additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: By giving a +1/+1 counter to your creatures with landfall, you’re accelerating your resources by enhancing what you already have on the board, not just building up your mana base.

Instant Speed: Although Guul Draz Overseer doesn’t operate at instant speed, its landfall ability is triggered instantly with every land drop providing immediate value and potentially altering the state of the game each turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Guul Draz Overseer’s ability can be potent, but it requires you to have other creatures on the battlefield, potentially leaving you vulnerable if you’re forced to discard cards to maintain its landfall trigger.

Specific Mana Cost: With a specific mana requirement of two black and four other, this card demands high commitment to black mana, which may not always synergize well with multicolored decks that need a more flexible mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Carrying a total casting cost of six mana, Guul Draz Overseer competes with other formidable creatures and spells. This cost can be a stumbling block, especially when faster, lower-cost creatures can impact the board sooner.


Reasons to Include Guul Draz Overseer in Your Collection

Versatility: Guul Draz Overseer offers adaptability to various deck themes, particularly those emphasizing landfall mechanics. As a creature card, it can be a key player in strategies that benefit from repeatedly playing lands.

Combo Potential: The power to grant deathtouch to other creatures with its landfall ability means it pairs well with cards that allow multiple land drops per turn or with strategies that increase creature counts, multiplying its effectiveness across the board.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where aggro decks are prevalent, Guul Draz Overseer can shift the tide of battle by empowering your creatures each turn. Its ability to consistently enhance your field presence makes it a formidable addition against control-heavy opponents as well.


How to beat

Guul Draz Overseer can be a game changer in MTG with its formidable ability to bolster your creatures as you drain your opponent’s life. Understanding how to dismantle the strategies surrounding this card is key to defeating an opponent who plays it. The Overseer thrives on a board state that favors its landfall ability, so one effective tactic is to restrict your opponent’s land plays. Cards like Ghost Quarter can disrupt their mana base, limiting the Overseer’s potential impact.

Alternatively, focus on removing the Overseer before its effects can swing the game. Instant-speed removal spells are crucial; having one ready when your opponent plays the Overseer can be essential. A well-timed Path to Exile or a Frostbite when you have the requisite snow lands can ensure that Guul Draz Overseer leaves the battlefield as quickly as it arrives—before its ability becomes a concern. Another angle is to simply outpace the deck that houses it. Play an aggressive strategy that puts pressure on your opponent, reducing the relevance of the Overseer’s incremental advantage.

Whether it’s through strategic land destruction, pointed removal, or an overwhelming offense, negating the Guul Draz Overseer’s influence on the field can be the pivot point toward your victory in the game.


Cards like Guul Draz Overseer

Guul Draz Overseer presents unique advantages for landfall strategies in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering. Similar to the card Drana, Liberator of Malakir, both are part of the Vampire tribe and have fly ability, proving lethal to opponents when aerial attacks are a game plan. Yet, Guul Draz Overseer’s landfall ability, which grants +1/+1 to attacking creatures with flying until end of turn, differs from Drana’s first strike ability that buffs creatures permanently.

Another card worth mentioning is the Akoum Hellkite. This dragon also harnesses landfall, dealing damage to any target rather than boosting creatures. Though both cards depend on the landfall mechanic, the Overseer is more focused on empowering an already established board presence. Then there’s Rampaging Baloths, a behemoth that capitalizes on landfall by creating 4/4 beast tokens. Unlike the incremental advantage provided by Guul Draz Overseer, Rampaging Baloths thrives on sheer power and the immediacy of token generation.

Considering these comparisons, Guul Draz Overseer occupies a niche for those who favor a more aggressive and synergistic approach to landfall, enhancing a battle-ready squad of aerial units in MTG.

Drana, Liberator of Malakir - MTG Card versions
Akoum Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Rampaging Baloths - MTG Card versions
Drana, Liberator of Malakir - MTG Card versions
Akoum Hellkite - MTG Card versions
Rampaging Baloths - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Guul Draz Overseer by color, type and mana cost

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Nightmare - MTG Card versions
Demonic Hordes - MTG Card versions
Ihsan's Shade - MTG Card versions
Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Cateran Slaver - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Lancer - 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
Deathcurse Ogre - MTG Card versions
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
Ascendant Evincar - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Guul Draz Overseer MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar Promos and Battle for Zendikar, 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 Guul Draz Overseer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Guul Draz Overseer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 112s2015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
22015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 1122015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Guul Draz Overseer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2015-08-25 A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2015-08-25 If the ability has an additional or replacement effect that depends on the land having a certain basic land type, the ability will check that land’s type as the ability resolves. If, at that time, the land that entered the battlefield is no longer on the battlefield, use its types when it left the battlefield to determine what happens.
2015-08-25 When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.

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