Blood Artist MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 13 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Vampire
Power 0
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Blood Artist effects turn creature deaths into life gains and opponent damage, offering card advantage.
  2. Its ability to impact the game at instant speed interactions makes it a versatile battlefield tool.
  3. Discarding cards to optimize Blood Artist’s effect may limit its potential if not strategized well.

Text of card

Whenever Blood Artist or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

"Great art can never be created without great suffering."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Blood Artist turns each creature’s death into an opportunity, granting you incremental life gain and dealing damage to your opponents. This transforms the battlefield into a resource for potential card advantage, as even the loss of your own creatures can be beneficial.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana acceleration, Blood Artist can pressure your opponent’s life total effectively. This indirect resource acceleration forces opponents to deal with the card quickly, often at the expense of their own plays and tempo.

Instant Speed: While Blood Artist itself is a creature that doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability triggers whenever any creature dies. This includes during the instant speed interaction that commonly occurs in MTG, such as during combat or in response to removal spells, enhancing the versatility of your instant speed plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the mechanics of Blood Artist can turn the tide in games, one limitation players face is the discard requirement of complementary cards needed to leverage its abilities effectively. Without a satisfactory pool of creatures to sacrifice or lose in battle, its potential diminishes.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Blood Artist restricts it mainly to black or black-inclusive decks. For players looking to integrate it into a multicolored deck, its black mana necessity may complicate the mana base, thereby influencing the deck’s consistency and speed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although the mana cost of Blood Artist may seem low, when compared to other cards with a similar vein of effect, it might seem less efficient. For decks that rely on a faster tempo, dedicating two mana for a non-aggressive creature may be less than ideal, especially when the board presence is more critical in the early stages of a game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Blood Artist is a staple card that fits seamlessly into a variety of decks, shining in ones focused on creature sacrifice and aristocrat strategies. Its ability to whittle down an opponent’s life total while bolstering your own makes it a powerful addition across multiple formats.

Combo Potential: This card’s capability to trigger whenever any creature dies creates numerous opportunities to combo with other cards. It can be a linchpin in engines that loop creature deaths for infinite damage, exemplified by its synergy with cards like Gravecrawler and Phyrexian Altar.

Meta-Relevance: As the game’s meta evolves to include decks that rely on creature-based strategies, Blood Artist remains consistently relevant. It acts as a deterrent against mass removal spells, ensuring that each creature your opponent destroys advances your game state, often turning the tide in your favor.


How to beat Blood Artist

Blood Artist is a key card in many MTG decks, known for its subtle yet potent ability to turn creature deaths into a life-sapping engine. Successfully navigating the battlefield against this card involves a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, consider using removal spells that exile instead of destroy, preventing the trigger of Blood Artist’s ability. Cards such as Path to Exile or Scavenging Ooze work well by cleanly removing creatures without triggering undesirable effects.

Another effective tactic is to limit creature combat, thereby reducing the chances of creatures dying. Employ creature-tapping spells or abilities to keep potential victims safely out of combat. Alternatively, make use of board wipes that are symmetrical, like Wrath of God, ensuring you sweep the battlefield at a moment that is least advantageous for the Blood Artist owner. Less direct but effective is the strategy of deploying cards that grant you hexproof, such as Leyline of Sanctity, which shield you from the life loss effect.

Finally, proactive counterspells or hand disruption can preemptively deal with Blood Artist before it can establish control over the game. In sum, while Blood Artist can dominate a game if left unchecked, strategic removal, combat control, and protective measures can keep its influence at bay.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unraveling the potential of Blood Artist in MTG can give your deck a competitive edge. This card thrives in environments where creatures frequently perish, making it an asset in strategies centered around sacrifice and control. Using our insights on this card’s pros and cons, as well as similar cards and strategies to counter it, you can refine your deckbuilding and in-game decisions. If you’re keen to harness the tactical advantage Blood Artist offers, visit us to explore deeper strategies, clever deck synergies, and more ways to capitalize on this potent card’s abilities, ensuring each game you play is a step towards absolute mastery.


Cards like Blood Artist

Blood Artist has carved a niche within the pantheon of MTG cards that focus on leveraging death for an advantage. It stands out in its ability to turn losing creatures into a resource, draining opponents and padding your life total. But Blood Artist isn’t alone in its approach to utilizing inevitable demise; Zulaport Cutthroat also thrives on creature death but is less selective, triggering from your creatures only, and affecting all opponents rather than a chosen target.

Then there’s Falkenrath Noble, which mirrors Blood Artist’s function, affecting all players, yet this flyer is sturdier at a higher casting cost. Both Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble offer strategic depth but at varied mana curves. Pawn of Ulamog, although more indirectly, converts creature death into an economy of Eldrazi spawn tokens, providing another layer to consider for those building around the theme of sacrifice and death triggers.

Comparatively, Blood Artist’s low mana value, targeting flexibility, and combo potential with various other cards secure its place as a preferred choice for players building themes around sacrificial synergy in their decks. Its impact on board state and player life totals, even in small increments, can quickly escalate, showcasing its deceptive strength.

Zulaport Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Falkenrath Noble - MTG Card versions
Pawn of Ulamog - MTG Card versions
Zulaport Cutthroat - Battle for Zendikar (BFZ)
Falkenrath Noble - Innistrad (ISD)
Pawn of Ulamog - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Cards similar to Blood Artist by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Chronicles (CHR)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Skullsnatcher - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Cutthroat - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Blood Artist MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Avacyn Restored, 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 Blood Artist and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Blood Artist Magic the Gathering card was released in 12 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1022452015normalblackCarl Critchlow
22012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 862003normalblackJohannes Voss
32016-06-10Eternal MastersEMA 812015normalblackJohannes Voss
42017-08-25Commander 2017C17 992015normalblackJohannes Voss
52019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 5812015normalblackJohannes Voss
62019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 422015normalblackJoshua Howard
72020-07-17JumpstartJMP 2062015normalblackJohannes Voss
82020-09-26The ListPLST C17-992015normalblackJohannes Voss
92021-11-19Crimson Vow CommanderVOC 1192015normalblackJohannes Voss
102022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 3522015normalborderlessCarl Critchlow
112022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 702015normalblackLA Draws
122022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 1172015normalblackJulie Dillon
132023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 1822015normalblackLA Draws

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Blood Artist has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2016-06-08 If Blood Artist and one or more other creatures die at the same time, its ability will trigger for each of those creatures.

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