The Haunt of Hightower MTG Card


The Haunt of Hightower - Ravnica Allegiance
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Vampire
Abilities Flying,Lifelink
Released2019-01-25
Set symbol
Set nameRavnica Allegiance
Set codeRNA
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number273
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byLius Lasahido

Key Takeaways

  1. Thrives on opponent’s discards, powering up while depleting their resources, making it a significant threat.
  2. Demand for black mana and late game entry may limit deck versatility and affect game tempo.
  3. Evolves into a major battlefield force, synergizing well with discard-inducing cards and strategies.

Text of card

Flying, lifelink Whenever The Haunt of Hightower attacks, defending player discards a card. Whenever a card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, put a +1/+1 counter on The Haunt of Hightower.

It drains vitality from those it touches.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Haunt of Hightower possesses a powerful ability to grow stronger whenever an opponent discards a card, thus not only depleting your opponent’s resources but also significantly enhancing your own board state. Each discard fuels its ascent to a formidable threat, often forcing opponents to deal with it or face overwhelming pressure.

Resource Acceleration: This card directly benefits from the disposal of your opponent’s cards. Although it doesn’t provide traditional mana acceleration, its ability to capitalize on discard mechanisms can indirectly speed up your winning potential by escalating the threat level far quicker than your opponent can handle.

Instant Speed: While The Haunt of Hightower itself is not an instant, it does have lifelink and the capability to interact favorably during combat on either turn. This gives it a versatile edge, as it can impact the game state significantly when blocking or attacking, thereby creating immediate value from its presence on the battlefield.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While The Haunt of Hightower gains power from your opponents discarding cards, this condition may not always be consistently met, especially if you face a strategy that benefits from a full hand or utilizes graveyard synergies.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a strict commitment to black mana with its BB in the casting cost, potentially restricting its inclusion to mono-black or heavy black decks and hindering its versatility in multi-colored deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing six mana to cast, The Haunt of Hightower comes into play relatively late. There are lower-cost creatures or spells that affect the board earlier in the game, which might be preferable for maintaining tempo and control.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Haunt of Hightower offers a flexible role in black-based decks, thriving in discard strategies while also serving as a formidable threat. Its ability to grow with each card discarded by opponents makes it adaptable to various playstyles.

Combo Potential: With its lifelink and ability to gain +1/+1 counters, The Haunt of Hightower synergizes well with cards that force discard or mill, allowing it to become a dominant creature on the battlefield quickly. This scalability makes it a powerful component in combos.

Meta-Relevance: As graveyard manipulation and resource denial strategies remain prevalent, this card’s capacity to benefit from forced discards and self-mill can prove invaluable in disrupting opponents while getting stronger each turn.


How to beat

The Haunt of Hightower strikes an imposing figure on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, beckoning players to devise strategies to neutralize its relentless growth and life-draining abilities. Unlike other creatures, The Haunt of Hightower has the unique trait of getting stronger with each card that hits an opponent’s graveyard, in addition to causing life-loss to the player. A seemingly straightforward tactic against it is to employ instant-speed removal spells prior to the accumulation of a significant graveyard. Cards like Murder, Path to Exile, or the conditional but highly efficient Fatal Push can cleanly handle the threat before it spirals out of control.

Another effective method is employing graveyard manipulation. By utilizing cards that exile graveyards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus, you can remove the feedstock that powers The Haunt of Hightower’s growth. Moreover, strategies focusing on Enchantment-based removals like Banishing Light or Oblivion Ring can sideline The Haunt without triggering its ability. It’s crucial to preemptively manage potential threats and adapt your removal suite to counter The Haunt of Hightower, ensuring you can continue to dictate the pace and strategy of the game.

Ultimately, by integrating a timely and diverse removal strategy into your game plan, The Haunt of Hightower, despite its potential for dominance, can be consistently subdued, allowing players to tilt the battlefield in their favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Building your MTG deck repertoire can be as intriguing as it is strategic. The Haunt of Hightower card is a notable contender, boasting abilities that can shape the tide of battle. Its power to escalate through opponent discards and its lifelink trait offer robust support in discard-centric decks. Yet, maneuvering this card requires finesse, as it shines in specific game scenarios. For players who seek to harness its full potential, understanding its tactical use is key. Dive deeper with us and uncover how The Haunt of Hightower can be a game-changer in your next MTG showdown.


Cards like The Haunt of Hightower

The Haunt of Hightower introduces a unique dynamic to the intricate world of MTG with its blend of life drain and card disruption abilities. It draws parallels with cards like Sangromancer, which also thrives in a strategy centered around your opponents discarding cards. However, The Haunt of Hightower takes it a step further by not only gaining life but also beefing itself up with additional power and toughness for each card discarded.

Shadows of the Past is another card that benefits from creatures dying, similar to the way The Haunt of Hightower capitalizes on discard. While Shadows of the Past scrys instead of bolstering a creature, it still harmonizes with the theme of using opponents’ losses to your advantage. Additionally, we cannot ignore the likeness to Hypnotic Specter, a classic MTG piece that forces every hit to the opponent to be accompanied by a discard, although it doesn’t grow in size as The Haunt does.

Examining gameplay strategies, The Haunt of Hightower stands out through its aggressive scaling potential and intimidation factor. For players who enjoy seeing their creatures evolve into major threats while debilitating opponents, The Haunt of Hightower is a card that certainly commands respect on the battlefield.

Sangromancer - MTG Card versions
Shadows of the Past - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Sangromancer - MTG Card versions
Shadows of the Past - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase The Haunt of Hightower MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance, 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 The Haunt of Hightower and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where The Haunt of Hightower has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2019-01-25 If The Haunt of Hightower is attacking a planeswalker, the controller of the planeswalker is the defending player.
2019-01-25 The Haunt of Hightower’s last ability won’t trigger when a token is put into an opponent’s graveyard.