Vigilante Justice MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Delivers damage with each new creature, favoring decks that rapidly expand their board presence.
  2. Demands careful resource management due to its discard clause and specific mana requirements.
  3. Benefits decks using Human creatures, adding a tactical edge in creature-centric metagames.

Text of card

Whenever a Human enters the battlefield under your control, Vigilante Justice deals 1 damage to target creature or player.

It begins as a whisper and ends with the red roar of fire.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vigilante Justice provides consistent damage to an opponent or their creatures, maintaining pressure and potentially disrupting their board without expending additional cards. This makes it an efficient tool for controlling the pace of the game while you build your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes excellently with decks that summon multiple creatures, effectively upgrading each play. With every creature entering the battlefield, it triggers Vigilante Justice’s ability to deal damage, indirectly accelerating your potential to end the game without committing extra resources.

Instant Speed: While Vigilante Justice is an enchantment, it offers a damage-dealing ability that operates at instant speed. Any creature entering the battlefield under your control can immediately trigger the ability, allowing you to respond to your opponent’s actions and alter the state of the board on the fly, even during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Among the challenges players face with Vigilante Justice is the necessity for a discard to unleash its potential. This can put a strain on your hand, especially if key cards are needed to maintain momentum or execute your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Vigilante Justice demands a strict mana arrangement, which includes Red mana. This builds a challenge for decks that tap into multiple colors or those that may not always have the required sources available at the crucial moment, therefore reducing its flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Another point to consider is its mana value. For the effect it offers, Vigilante Justice comes with a hefty price tag. Alternative cards might provide similar benefits for less investment, providing players with more efficient options within the same or lower mana bracket, making it essential to weigh its impact against its cost.


Reasons to Include Vigilante Justice in Your Collection

Versatility: Vigilante Justice is a unique enchantment that can seamlessly integrate into various decks, particularly those that frequently play creatures. Its ability to deal damage to any target simply by playing a Human offers flexibility in handling opponents’ threats or directly reducing their life total.

Combo Potential: This card shines in Human-centric decks, creating opportunities to pair with cards that allow for multiple creature deployment in a single turn. This can result in a sudden burst of damage, potentially swinging the game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-heavy decks prevail, Vigilante Justice can act as a powerful deterrent, discouraging opponents from playing smaller creatures and enabling you to maintain board control while chipping away at their life points with its triggered ability.


How to beat

Vigilante Justice is an intriguing enchantment card in Magic: The Gathering that can be rather vexing to face. The card capitalizes on your creatures entering the battlefield by inflicting damage on either your opponent or their creatures – a perfect fit for decks that frequently churn out tokens or have effects that trigger upon creatures entering the battlefield. While this ability can tip the scales in the favor of the player employing Vigilante Justice, effectively countering it can disrupt their gameplay strategy.

To counteract Vigilante Justice, focus on removing the enchantment from the battlefield or limiting the number of creatures your opponent can play. Cards that destroy or exile enchantments, like Disenchant or Mortify, are crucial as they directly address the problem. Alternatively, controlling the pace of the game with counter spells against creatures or limiting summoning spells can stem the tide of damage by reducing the number of triggers Vigilante Justice can capitalize on. Finally, cards that can shield you or your creatures from damage, such as The Wanderer, can neutralize the impact of Vigilante Justice, providing a buffer while you execute your own game plan.


Cards like Vigilante Justice

Vigilante Justice is a unique card that brings a special flavor to the realm of red enchantments within MTG. It shares some similarities with cards like Impact Tremors, which also deals damage to opponents whenever creatures enter the battlefield. Yet, Vigilante Justice has a distinctive twist requiring the creature to be a Human, which, while niche, can be a powerful focal point in a Human-centric deck.

Comparably, Raid Bombardment triggers whenever you attack with creatures with power 2 or less, dealing extra damage to opposing players. While not limited to a particular creature type, its activation depends on the aggression of your gameplay. Conversely, Vigilante Justice can be triggered by simply playing creatures, making it versatile in a defensive or a creature-heavy strategy.

Rounding up the comparison is Cavalcade of Calamity, an enchantment that activates when one-power creatures attack. It’s similar in speed to Vigilante Justice but more restricted in terms of the creature’s power. Thus, in a deck designed to capitalize on Human creatures, Vigilante Justice could provide an advantageous, targeted strategy over broader encompassing enchantments.

Impact Tremors - MTG Card versions
Raid Bombardment - MTG Card versions
Cavalcade of Calamity - MTG Card versions
Impact Tremors - Dragons of Tarkir (DTK)
Raid Bombardment - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Cavalcade of Calamity - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Vigilante Justice by color, type and mana cost

Manabarbs - MTG Card versions
Orcish Oriflamme - MTG Card versions
An-Zerrin Ruins - MTG Card versions
Lightning Cloud - MTG Card versions
Aether Flash - MTG Card versions
Heart of Bogardan - MTG Card versions
Furnace of Rath - MTG Card versions
No Quarter - MTG Card versions
Shiv's Embrace - MTG Card versions
Pyromancy - MTG Card versions
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Impulsive Maneuvers - MTG Card versions
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Pyrohemia - MTG Card versions
Uncontrollable Anger - MTG Card versions
Elemental Mastery - MTG Card versions
Splinter Twin - MTG Card versions
Stranglehold - MTG Card versions
Burning Earth - MTG Card versions
Manabarbs - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Orcish Oriflamme - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
An-Zerrin Ruins - Homelands (HML)
Lightning Cloud - Visions (VIS)
Aether Flash - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Heart of Bogardan - Weatherlight (WTH)
Furnace of Rath - Planechase (HOP)
No Quarter - Tempest (TMP)
Shiv's Embrace - Magic 2011 (M11)
Pyromancy - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Collapsing Borders - Invasion (INV)
Stand or Fall - Invasion (INV)
Impulsive Maneuvers - Odyssey (ODY)
Magmatic Core - Coldsnap (CSP)
Pyrohemia - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Uncontrollable Anger - Tenth Edition (10E)
Elemental Mastery - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
Splinter Twin - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Stranglehold - Commander 2011 (CMD)
Burning Earth - Magic 2014 (M14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vigilante Justice MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Commander 2020, 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 Vigilante Justice and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Vigilante Justice Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2020-04-17. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 1652003normalblackSteve Prescott
22020-04-17Commander 2020C20 1642015normalblackSteve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vigilante Justice has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

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