Viscera Seer MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Vampire Wizard
Abilities Scry
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Scry ability of Viscera Seer ensures better draw quality and game flow through strategic deck sifting.
  2. Sacrifice utility aids in enabling graveyard strategies and enhancing creature death synergies in play.
  3. Instant speed sacrifice offers flexible response potential during pivotal gameplay moments for players.

Text of card

Sacrifice a creature: Scry 1. (To scry 1, look at the top card of your library, then you may put that card on the bottom of your library.)

In matters of life and death, he trusts his gut.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Viscera Seer enables you to scry when you sacrifice a creature, smoothly sifting through your deck to draw into needed spells or land, thus ensuring that your upcoming draws are more impactful and you maintain card flow.

Resource Acceleration: The sacrificial synergy of Viscera Seer can function as a form of resource acceleration, by utilizing the death of your own creatures to pave the way for flourishing graveyard strategies or powering up other creatures and effects that benefit from creatures dying.

Instant Speed: While Viscera Seer’s ability is not an instant, it can be used at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s actions by strategically sacrificing creatures anytime you have priority, keeping you one step ahead during crucial moments of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Viscera Seer itself doesn’t have a discard requirement, it does necessitate the sacrificing of a creature. This requirement can be restrictive, especially in decks that do not effectively leverage creature death or lack creature redundancy.

Specific Mana Cost: Viscera Seer requires black mana for casting. Although its mana cost is minimal, it can still limit its inclusion to decks that operate within or can accommodate a black mana base, potentially excluding it from mono-color decks without black.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite being a one-cost creature, the mana cost might seem disproportionally high considering it’s a 1/1 creature without inherent abilities to protect itself or impact the board immediately. Other one-drop creatures could offer more utility or a stronger board presence straight away.


Reasons to Include Viscera Seer in Your Collection

Versatility: Viscera Seer is a card that can seamlessly integrate into a variety of decks. Its ability to sacrifice a creature at any time gives it immense strategic flexibility, allowing you to manipulate the top card of your library or pave the way for graveyard-based strategies.

Combo Potential: With the Seer’s scry ability, it pairs excellently with other cards to create powerful combos, giving you control over your upcoming draws and synergizing well with recursive creatures or those that have dying effects.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where knowing your next move can be crucial for victory, Viscera Seer holds a significant place. Particularly in formats where sacrifice-based strategies are prevalent, it offers essential scry utility that can give players an edge over their opponents.


How to beat Viscera Seer

Viscera Seer is a potent creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering, often used in strategies revolving around sacrificing creatures for value. This one-drop creature can quickly become a headache, especially if the opponent has a board filled with creatures they don’t mind losing. To beat a deck utilizing Viscera Seer, it’s essential to limit their resources and apply pressure.

One effective strategy is to use targeted removal to keep their creature count low, therefore minimizing the Seer’s impact. If the Seer is already on the board, graveyard hate cards can prevent the opponent from capitalizing on their sacrifices. Cards like Scavenging Ooze can be particularly effective against such strategies as they can consume the creatures in the graveyard, rendering Viscera Seer’s ability less impactful.

Furthermore, instant-speed removal can disrupt the combo in response to the sacrifice, leaving the opponent with fewer creatures and no scry benefit. By prioritizing the control of the board state and denying the Viscera Seer’s utility, the path to victory can become significantly clearer.


BurnMana Recommendations

For MTG aficionados looking to fine-tune their strategies, Viscera Seer remains a valuable asset. Its ability to scry as you sacrifice creatures aligns perfectly with graveyard-centric decks, ensuring your next draw keeps you in the driver’s seat. Though it shines in black mana settings, its potential hinges on having creatures to spare. If your deck thrives on such mechanics, the Seer is indispensable. Still hesitant on how to harness its power? Dive deeper with us, discover deck-building insights, and find out how Viscera Seer can be the linchpin in turning the tides of your matches in your favor. The road to victory is paved with knowledge—let’s embark on that journey together.


Cards like Viscera Seer

Viscera Seer serves a pivotal role in Magic: The Gathering as a low-cost creature that offers a repeatable scrying ability. Comparable to Viscera Seer is Carrion Feeder, another one-mana creature, but instead of scrying, it grows stronger each time you sacrifice a creature. Both creatures enable strategic plays, but Viscera Seer focuses more on manipulating upcoming draws, whereas Carrion Feeder bolsters your offensive capabilities.

Exploring further, we find Bloodthrone Vampire, a creature that also provides a sacrifice outlet. Though it costs one more mana than Viscera Seer, it offers a temporary power and toughness boost with each sacrifice. However, it lacks the crucial feature that Viscera Seer boasts – the ability to sift through your deck for the next pivotal card.

Ultimately, while each of these cards has its unique advantages in creature-based strategies, Viscera Seer stands out for enabling deck manipulation. This often proves invaluable in MTG for setting up the right draws and finding the key pieces for victory in the intricate dance of strategic gameplay.

Carrion Feeder - MTG Card versions
Bloodthrone Vampire - MTG Card versions
Carrion Feeder - Scourge (SCG)
Bloodthrone Vampire - URL/Convention Promos (PURL)

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Champion of the Perished - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Dark Supplicant - Legions (LGN)
Bile Urchin - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Nezumi Shadow-Watcher - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Rimebound Dead - Coldsnap (CSP)
Mindlash Sliver - Time Spiral (TSP)
Plague Beetle - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Festering Goblin - Modern Masters (MMA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Viscera Seer MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic 2011, 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 Viscera Seer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Viscera Seer Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 2010-07-16 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by John Stanko.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 861062015normalblackJohn Stanko
22010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1202003normalblackJohn Stanko
32013-11-01Commander 2013C13 992003normalblackJohn Stanko
42015-11-18Legendary Cube Prize PackPZ1 502015normalblackJohn Stanko
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD VS2003normalblackJohn Stanko
62020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 452003normalblackJohn Stanko
72020-09-26The ListPLST M11-1202003normalblackJohn Stanko
82020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 6582015normalblackJohn Stanko
92020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 1582015normalblackJohn Stanko
102023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2132015normalblackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Viscera Seer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-08-15 If you sacrifice an attacking or blocking creature during the declare blockers step, it won't deal combat damage. If you wait until the combat damage step, but that creature is dealt lethal damage, it'll be destroyed before you get a chance to sacrifice it.
2010-08-15 You can sacrifice Viscera Seer to activate its own ability.

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