Vaultbreaker MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Orc Rogue |
| Abilities | Dash |
| Released | 2015-01-23 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Fate Reforged |
| Set code | FRF |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 117 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Wayne Reynolds |
Key Takeaways
- Enhances deck cycling and offers potential to cast spells from discarded cards, enriching strategic options.
- Generates mana for flexible gameplay, allowing impactful spells to be cast earlier than usual.
- Instant speed dash grants tactical surprise, adapting to the battlefield with unforeseen actions.
Text of card
Whenever Vaultbreaker attacks, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. Dash (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Vaultbreaker not only helps you cycle through your deck with its discard and draw ability, but it also enables you to potentially cast another card with the discarded one if it’s of smaller size, keeping your hand and plays rich with options.
Resource Acceleration: By producing mana of any color when you attack with Vaultbreaker, you’re essentially ramping up your resources, paving the way for casting more influential spells earlier in the match, or allowing for more flexible turn structures.
Instant Speed: Its dash ability can be activated at instant speed which offers surprise and tactical flexibility, enabling you to adapt to the battlefield and make unexpected plays that keep your opponents on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Vaultbreaker necessitates a card to be discarded for its dash cost, potentially depleting valuable hand options.
Specific Mana Cost: With a cost integrating red mana, its utility is predominantly aligned with red-centric or compatible multicolored decks, limiting its flexibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of four mana, Vaultbreaker arrives at a threshold where players may compare it against other four-mana creatures or spells that could impact the board state more significantly upon casting.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Vaultbreaker offers a dynamic presence in decks that appreciate discard and draw mechanics, opening up strategic plays for both aggro and midrange builds.
Combo Potential: Upon attacking, Vaultbreaker allows you to not only cycle through your deck but synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on discarding or playing cards from the graveyard.
Meta-Relevance: With its ability to quickly cycle through cards and maintain hand advantage, Vaultbreaker is well-positioned in a meta where keeping a full hand is crucial for outpacing opponents.
How to beat
Vaultbreaker offers a unique deck-building challenge in Magic: The Gathering, presenting a formidable blend of direct card advantage and selective graveyard filling. This card’s ability to discard at your upkeep symbolizes more than just a simple card exchange, often signaling a strategic dive into a larger pool of graveyard-centered mechanics. It considerably strengths itself each time it triggers, setting the scene for an explosive culmination of value.
To counter the escalating threat of a Vaultbreaker, the key lies in nullifying its advantages. Graveyard hate cards, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus, are prime tools, instantly neutering the payoff that Vaultbreaker seeks. Additionally, denying the Vaultbreaker engagements through counterspells or instant removal before it can establish cumulative value is essential. With proper mana management and anticipation of your opponent’s graveyard synergy, the rising tide of Vaultbreaker can be effectively mitigated, maintaining your position of control on the battlefield.
Ultimately, facing Vaultbreaker in MTG requires a mix of preemptive disruption and proactive graveyard control. Ensuring these elements in your deck composition can significantly diminish Vaultbreaker’s impact, helping you maintain the upper hand in matches where it poses a potential threat.
Cards like Vaultbreaker
Vaultbreaker is an intriguing option for players looking to fortify their strategies with consistent card draw and graveyard synergy in their MTG decks. When examining cards with a parallel design, we notice an interesting comparison with something like Bazaar Trademage. Bazaar Trademage allows a player to draw two cards and then discard three, boldly focusing on fueling graveyard mechanics. Although it does not direct interaction with the library like Vaultbreaker, the intent to modify hand and graveyard contents is shared.
Another comparable card in this sphere is Magmatic Insight. This card has the player discard a land card in order to draw two new cards. While the draw is immediate and the cost is lower, Vaultbreaker offers a repeatable effect that can be harnessed each turn, providing a longer-term value. Furthermore, Fact or Fiction is a staple that lets players reveal the top five cards of their library, potentially drawing multiple cards out of that selection. However, unlike Fact or Fiction’s one-time deeper look into the library, Vaultbreaker’s ability is less potent but repeatable, offering incremental advantages throughout the game.
Ultimately, MTG enthusiasts who weigh the pros and cons will appreciate Vaultbreaker for its reliable utility in strategies that value sustained draw and graveyard interactions. Its place among similar cards is marked by its ability to offer a steady hand refresh turn over turn.
Cards similar to Vaultbreaker by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Vaultbreaker MTG card by a specific set like Fate Reforged, 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 Vaultbreaker and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Vaultbreaker has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Vaultbreaker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-11-24 | If a creature enters the battlefield as a copy of or becomes a copy of a creature whose dash cost was paid, the copy won’t have haste and won’t be returned to its owner’s hand. |
| 2014-11-24 | If you choose to pay the dash cost rather than the mana cost, you’re still casting the spell. It goes on the stack and can be responded to and countered. You can cast a creature spell for its dash cost only when you otherwise could cast that creature spell. Most of the time, this means during your main phase when the stack is empty. |
| 2014-11-24 | If you pay the dash cost to cast a creature spell, that card will be returned to its owner’s hand only if it’s still on the battlefield when its triggered ability resolves. If it dies or goes to another zone before then, it will stay where it is. |
| 2014-11-24 | You don’t have to attack with the creature with dash unless another ability says you do. |
