Village Cannibals MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human
Released	2011-09-30
Set symbol
Set name	Innistrad
Set code	ISD
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	125
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bud Cook

Key Takeaways

Village Cannibals gains power as your Humans perish, providing a strategic board advantage.
Restrictive mana and discard costs can limit deck-building flexibility and resource management.
With the right synergies and current meta, it can be a potent addition to your collection.

Text of card

Whenever another Human creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Village Cannibals.

Some have endured the horrors of Innistrad by becoming the worst monsters of all.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Village Cannibals becomes more powerful as other Humans you control perish, effectively turning a potential loss of resources into a strategic advantage. This can deter opponents from removing your creatures, netting you an implicit card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: While Village Cannibals doesn’t directly ramp your mana, the threat of its growing power can accelerate the rate at which you secure board presence by dissuading opponents from trading creatures or using removals, allowing your other creatures to thrive unchallenged.

Instant Speed: Village Cannibals doesn’t have any abilities that activate at instant speed, but its static ability that triggers whenever another Human dies can be utilized during your opponent’s turn. This can interact with other instant-speed effects you control that might sacrifice or cause the death of a Human creature, turning any moment into a potential power boost opportunity.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Village Cannibals requires a bit of a sacrifice. You’ll need to discard a card, which means losing a potentially valuable resource from your hand. This kind of cost can be especially detrimental when your hand size is dwindling, leaving you more vulnerable to your opponent’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: To summon Village Cannibals onto the battlefield, you must have access to not just any mana, but specifically black mana. This requirement can restrict your deck-building options and might not fit seamlessly into multi-colored deck strategies where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost that’s on the higher side, Village Cannibals might not always be the most efficient play. Savvy players might find themselves assessing whether the power and toughness provided justify the investment, especially considering that there exist other creatures that can be cast for less and still have a significant impact on the game.

Reasons to Include Village Cannibals in Your Collection

Versatility: Village Cannibals is a card that easily fits into human-themed or tribal decks. Thanks to its species flexibility, it can become a key part of any strategy that benefits from having a lot of creatures of the same type.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in setups where creatures are consistently put in the graveyard, as it gets stronger with each death. Pairing it with sacrifice mechanics or cards that kill creatures can make Village Cannibals a real threat on the board.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based decks are commonly played, Village Cannibals can be valuable. In environments where creatures frequently trade off in combat, it gains counters and becomes an unstoppable force, making it a fitting choice for current competitive play.

How to beat

Village Cannibals is an intriguing card to face in Magic: The Gathering, presenting a challenge with its ability to grow stronger with each human death. When up against this card, a key strategy involves limiting the number of human creatures that go to the graveyard. Tactics like graveyard hate, which exiles cards instead of letting them hit the graveyard, can effectively neutralize the Cannibals’ power-boosting ability. Additionally, employing removal spells that exile rather than destroy can prevent the ability from triggering altogether.

Control decks with counter spells can also shine here, negating the Cannibals before they ever hit the board. For those choosing to engage in battle, turning to indestructible or high-toughness creatures creates a wall that Village Cannibals cannot easily overpower. It’s essential to manage the board state and maintain pressure, reducing opportunities for your opponent to capitalize on their Cannibals. Remember, like with any enduring threat in Magic: The Gathering, pinpointing the right moment and method to dismantle your opponent’s game plan is crucial to securing victory.

While Village Cannibals may seem daunting at first glance, implementing these strategies can lead to a favorable outcome, demonstrating the depth and versatility of gameplay in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards like Village Cannibals

Village Cannibals is a unique piece in the complex puzzle of creature-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering. Standing side by side with cards like Blood Artist, Village Cannibals thrives in a board state marred by frequent creature deaths. Blood Artist reaps life advantage with each creature’s demise, whereas Village Cannibals become incrementally more robust, enhancing your offensive line-up.

Then there’s Falkenrath Noble, which, much like Village Cannibals, gains from creatures leaving the battlefield. While the Noble has the added benefit of flying and draining opponents, it does not share the Cannibals’ trait of growing stronger, a critical factor in prolonged matches. Tymaret, the Murder King presents another comparison, leveraging creature deaths for direct damage, positioning itself as a more aggressive option compared to the incremental buildup of Village Cannibals.

In the evaluation of cards focused on exploiting the death of creatures, Village Cannibals serves a valuable role. It promises a growing threat that may not immediately impact life totals like its counterparts, but under the right circumstances, it can turn into an insurmountable force on the field.

Tymaret, the Murder King - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Village Cannibals by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Village Cannibals MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad, 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 Village Cannibals and other MTG cards: