Vampire Lacerator MTG Card
2009-10-02 - Number 115
2013-03-15 - Number 3
2015-05-22 - Number 101
2018-03-16 - Number 114
2019-11-07 - Number 812
2020-09-26 - Number A25-114
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Vampire Warrior |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- An effective turn-one play, it pressures opponents, potentially leading to card advantage through resource strain.
- It is best suited for monoblack or vampire-centric aggressive decks, limiting its versatility.
- Inclusion in your collection offers aggressive potential, fitting well in fast-paced metagames to outpace opponents.
Text of card
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life unless an opponent has 10 or less life.
The lacerators cut themselves before each hunt. They must feed before the sun rises or bleed to death.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Vampire Lacerator, you have a low cost creature that can put early pressure on your opponent. Although it doesn’t directly provide card advantage, its aggressive presence can force your opponent to use resources to deal with it, potentially leading to card advantage on your side.
Resource Acceleration: Vampire Lacerator itself doesn’t accelerate your resources in the form of mana or tokens, but as a one-mana creature, it’s an efficient way to start your curve and apply pressure, leaving your other mana open for further board development.
Instant Speed: While Vampire Lacerator doesn’t operate at instant speed, its swift deployment ensures you are threatening from turn one. This immediacy can shift the tempo of the game early in your favor, forcing opponents to respond quicker than they might want to.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Vampire Lacerator demands a performance cost. If you happen to be at a higher life total than your opponent, its upkeep can quickly turn into a liability as you bleed life. This can strain your resources in the early game when you’re trying to establish board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: The presence of a single black mana in its casting cost makes it a poor fit for multi-colored decks not heavily invested in black mana sources. This can limit its inclusion to primarily monoblack aggro or black-heavy aggressive decks, reducing its flexibility.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Vampire Lacerator itself is quite efficient at one black mana for a 2/2, its true cost includes maintaining a lower life total than your opponent. In aggro versus aggro matchups, the life loss can backfire, giving it a hidden drawback that sometimes outweighs its aggressive stat line.
Reasons to Include Vampire Lacerator in Your Collection
Versatility: Vampire Lacerator is an excellent addition to any aggressive deck, owing to its low mana cost and high damage output. This card can quickly apply pressure in the early game, making it a threat that must be answered by your opponent regardless of the deck archetype they are playing.
Combo Potential: As a vampire, Lacerator synergizes well with other vampire-themed cards. It can often enable powerful interactions with cards that benefit from having vampires on the battlefield or that increase the damage output of vampire creatures, making it a staple in vampire builds.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors fast-paced play, Vampire Lacerator can excel. Its quick damage-dealing ability helps to shorten the game against slower, more control-oriented decks, establishing it as a formidable component in your arsenal to influence the pace of the match.
How to Beat
Vampire Lacerator stands as an aggressive early game creature in Magic: The Gathering. Commended for its strong attack value relative to its low-cost, this card can deal damage quickly. With a 2/2 body for a single black mana, it fulfills the role of a reliable aggressor in any vampire-themed deck. Nonetheless, its downside is the life loss to its controller each turn if they have 10 or more life. To counter it, prioritizing the removal of this creature before your life total dips below 10 is crucial.
High-efficiency removal spells are your best bet. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispatch the Vampire Lacerator with minimal investment and disrupt your opponent’s aggressive game plan. Similarly, prioritizing creatures with toughness higher than two can ensure a favorable block, halting the Lacerator’s offensive stride. Employing early game creatures that can trade with Vampire Lacerator or control spells to mitigate damage should be included in any strategic approach. This lets you stabilize the board and take the offensive away from vampire decks.
Managing a game against Vampire Lacerator involves early interaction and control over the board state, ensuring your life total is secure from the rapid strikes of such low-cost, high-power creatures.
Cards like Vampire Lacerator
Vampire Lacerator stands out as a low-cost, aggressive option for players looking to build a quick and efficient creature-based strategy in MTG. Much like its cousin, Pulse Tracker, it has the potential to deal quick damage to opponents early in the game. However, Vampire Lacerator takes a slightly different approach by offering a solid 2/2 body for just one mana, at the expense of the player’s life if the opponent has a high life total.
Vampire Lacerator’s competitive edge is evident when compared to another one-drop, Ruthless Cullblade. While the Cullblade can grow stronger under certain conditions, it starts as a less threatening 1/1 creature. Vampire Lacerator, on the other hand, consistently applies pressure right from the early turns of the game. Similarly, when measured against Vicious Conquistador, it becomes clear that Lacerator appeals to those who prefer a straightforward damage dealer, as Conquistador’s effect spreads damage across each opponent, potentially serving better in multiplayer formats.
Therefore, Vampire Lacerator is a card with a straightforward mission—deal damage fast. For players looking for an aggressive one-drop creature that can hit hard right out of the gate, the Lacerator cuts a notch above the rest in its category in MTG.
Cards similar to Vampire Lacerator by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Vampire Lacerator MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar and Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt, 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 Vampire Lacerator 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
Printings
The Vampire Lacerator Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2009-10-02 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Steve Argyle.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009-10-02 | Zendikar | ZEN | 115 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle | |
| 2 | 2013-03-15 | Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt | DDK | 3 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle | |
| 3 | 2015-05-22 | Modern Masters 2015 | MM2 | 101 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle | |
| 4 | 2018-03-16 | Masters 25 | A25 | 114 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle | |
| 5 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 812 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle | |
| 6 | The List | PLST | A25-114 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Steve Argyle |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Vampire Lacerator has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Vampire Lacerator card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-03-16 | Whether an opponent has 10 or less life is checked only as Vampire Lacerator’s ability resolves. |
