Gutless Ghoul MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Snow Creature — Zombie
Released	2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set name	Coldsnap
Set code	CSP
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	60
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Kensuke Okabayashi

Key Takeaways

Transform creatures into life points, enhancing survival and utilizing creature tokens with Gutless Ghoul’s ability.
While restrictive in mana color and demanding sacrifices, it fits well in black mana decks and recursion strategies.
Combines with other cards for powerful combos, making the Ghoul a meta-adaptable and versatile collection addition.

Text of card

, Sacrifice a creature: You gain 2 life.

"Make sure those wretches feed only upon the plagued. The blood of the healthy is reserved for me alone." —Garza Zol, plague queen

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Gutless Ghoul offers a unique way to convert creatures on the battlefield into card advantage. By sacrificing a creature, it allows you to gain life, effectively turning excess or expendable creatures into a resource that can help sustain you throughout the game. This is particularly useful in decks that focus on creature recursion or those that generate a lot of creature tokens.

Resource Acceleration: While the Gutless Ghoul itself doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in terms of mana, it synergizes with strategies that benefit from creatures entering the graveyard. These strategies can then lead to indirect resource acceleration by unlocking graveyard mechanics or triggering abilities of other cards that provide mana or other advantages.

Instant Speed: Gutless Ghoul can use its ability at instant speed, allowing you to wait until the most opportune moment to sacrifice a creature for life. This not only maximizes strategic flexibility but also enables surprise interactions during your opponent’s turn, which can disrupt their plans or save you from potentially game-ending damage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gutless Ghoul demands a creature card be discarded to activate its ability. For players with a thin hand or those looking to maintain board presence, this requirement can be a significant drawback, leading to loss of valuable resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires two generic and one black mana, which restricts its integration to decks that include black mana sources. For decks not aligned with black mana, Gutless Ghoul becomes a challenging fit and often a dead draw.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a cost of three mana, Gutless Ghoul stands at a higher threshold for its effect. Many other creatures in the game offer more impactful abilities or better stats for the same or a lower mana investment, making the Ghoul less appealing in competitive play.

Reasons to Include Gutless Ghoul Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Gutless Ghoul is a flexible card that can be easily integrated into various deck archetypes. With its ability to convert creatures to life points, it offers a safety valve in decks that need to stabilize their life total or recycle utility creatures for benefit.

Combo Potential: Its sacrifice outlet opens up combo possibilities with cards that trigger upon a creature’s death or generate benefits from sacrificing other permanents. This makes it a niche but a strong inclusion in decks focused on these synergies.

Meta-Relevance: As the game evolves, certain formats may see the metagame shift towards strategies where life totals are aggressively pressured. In such an environment, Gutless Ghoul can provide crucial lifegain, making it a potentially impactful sideboard or main deck card.

How to beat

Confronting a Gutless Ghoul on the battlefield can present a unique set of challenges in MTG gameplay. As a creature card that allows a player to gain life by sacrificing another creature, it has the potential to stall the game and bolster your opponent’s defenses. To effectively overcome this, it’s essential to be strategic about removal spells or effects that can bypass its ability.

Spot removal spells are highly effective tools against Gutless Ghoul. Cast cards like Path to Exile or Doom Blade that can target and exile or destroy the creature before your opponent can make use of its sacrificial ability. Alternatively, employ board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation to reset the field, ensuring that no creatures are left for the ghoul to consume.

Another strategy involves restricting your opponent’s access to creatures that can be sacrificed. This can be achieved through cards that control the battlefield and limit creature spawns or through continuous removal that keeps their side of the board clear. By cutting off the supply, you diminish the Gutless Ghoul’s value and ultimately your opponent’s lifeline in the match.

Cards like Gutless Ghoul

Gutless Ghoul offers a unique dynamic to the world of sacrificial creatures within MTG. This card shares similarities with creatures like Carrion Feeder, another creature well-known for gaining strength from sacrificing others. The distinction lies in the payoff—Gutless Ghoul provides a life gain aspect, whereas Carrion Feeder accrues +1/+1 counters. Gutless Ghoul’s ability to convert creatures into life points can be a game-changer in decks that rely on creature control.

Another card that echoes this theme of sacrificing creatures is Bloodthrone Vampire. While it doesn’t offer the life gain bonus, it shares the same converted mana cost and also benefits from creature sacrifice by getting a temporary power boost. Meanwhile, Nantuko Husk operates similarly, providing a power and toughness increase. Both these cards, unlike Gutless Ghoul, can swing in for potentially massive damage after sacrifices are made.

Ultimately, Gutless Ghoul finds its niche as a defensive tool, synergizing with strategies that look to stabilize the board with its life-gaining capabilities. While not as aggressive as its counterparts, it can be crucial in extending the game and turning the tide in your favor.

Cards similar to Gutless Ghoul by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gutless Ghoul MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Gutless Ghoul and other MTG cards: