Ghost Hounds MTG Card


Ghost Hounds - Homelands
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dog Spirit
Abilities Vigilance
Released1995-10-01
Set symbol
Set nameHomelands
Set codeHML
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number49
Frame1993
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJeff A. Menges

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card draw upon dealing combat damage, enhancing hand superiority and in-game maneuvering.
  2. Instant speed summoning allows for agile plays and surprise disruptions during opponents’ turns.
  3. Demands specific mana for casting, can be restrictive in multicolored deck construction.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Attacking does not cause Ghost Hounds to tap. If assigned to block any white creatures or any white creatures are assigned to block it, Ghost Hounds gains first strike until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ghost Hounds has a lurking presence that haunts opponents, challenging the norm by providing repeatable card draw. Each time it deals combat damage to a player, its effect triggers, allowing you to peel back cover and uncover more of your library and options, essential for outmaneuvering opponents and maintaining hand superiority.

Resource Acceleration: Crafted with darkness and speed, Ghost Hounds has an uncanny ability to bend the mana curve in your favor. The spectral canines rip through dimensions, sometimes entering the battlefield with an eerie swiftness that propels your game state forward, leaving opponents panting behind the curve.

Instant Speed: With reflexes sharp as moonlight, Ghost Hounds can materialize at instant speed, disrupting the best-laid plans. This quality allows you to adapt with agility, pouncing on the end step of an adversary’s turn or responding with supernatural timing to the unfolding game, turning the tide in your favor under cloak of night.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides to Ghost Hounds is the necessity to discard a card to utilize its full potential. This can be particularly taxing when you’re already contending with a depleted hand, making it challenging to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Ghost Hounds demands a specific combination of mana to cast. This specificity can be limiting and potentially awkward in multi-colored decks, where mana flexibility is key to a seamless play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In a game where efficiency can dictate the pace and outcome, the casting cost of Ghost Hounds is on the higher side. Players may find that other creatures or spells offer more strategic utility and board presence for the same, or even lower, mana investment.


Reasons to Include Ghost Hounds in Your Collection

Versatility: Ghost Hounds offer a unique blend as they function efficiently in aggression-based decks. Their spectral nature often means they can evade common forms of removal, slipping through defenses to pressure your opponent.

Combo Potential: These spirit canines synergize well with cards that capitalize on graveyard mechanics. Whether it’s returning from the graveyard to the battlefield or enabling discard strategies for a bigger payoff, their presence can be the linchpin in a potent deck combo.

Meta-Relevance: Ghost Hounds can have a significant impact in games where creature-based strategies are prevalent. Their ability to often come back from the graveyard or interact with death triggers means they remain a relevant and enduring threat in various metagame scenarios.


How to beat

Ghost Hounds in MTG presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This creature card brings a degree of menace to the game, forcing opponents to strategize differently due to its ability to become unblockable. It’s important to recognize that while Ghost Hounds can pose a threat, there are effective methods to neutralize this spectral menace.

Key tactics involve using removal spells that can target and eliminate Ghost Hounds regardless of its unblockable status. Consider cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile, which can dispatch creatures at a low mana cost. Moreover, counterspells are invaluable for preventing Ghost Hounds from hitting the field in the first place, so having a Mana Leak or Counterspell ready can be critical.

Another strategy is to limit the card’s strength by managing your opponent’s graveyard. Since Ghost Hounds’ potency might hinge on graveyard interactions, incorporating cards that exile graveyards such as Rest in Peace or Tormod’s Crypt can significantly weaken its impact. Furthermore, board wipes like Wrath of God can clear the field of Ghost Hounds and other creatures, giving you a clean slate.

In essence, confronting Ghost Hounds successfully in MTG hinges on preemptive control, targeted removal, and graveyard management, ensuring that this ethereal threat does not dominate the game.


Cards like Ghost Hounds

In the dynamic realm of creature cards within MTG, Ghost Hound boasts an intriguing space. It is often compared to fellow canines such as Pack Mastiff. Both cards depict the bond between man and beast but they differ in abilities and mana value. While Pack Mastiff allows for an increase in power with each additional mana spent, Ghost Hounds provide a more defensive option with its capacity to regenerate.

Another card that emerges in conversation is Howling Banshee. Though not a hound in type, it shares the Ghost Hounds’ spectral qualities and an impact on life totals. Howling Banshee affects all players when it enters the battlefield, which is a crucial difference from the selective targeting ability of Ghost Hounds. Lastly, the Nether Spirit stands out with its persistent return from the graveyard tactic, a unique characteristic that isn’t shared by Ghost Hounds but is a powerful tool in any player’s arsenal, ensuring resilience throughout the match.

Carefully weighing these comparisons, Ghost Hounds finds its strength in its regenerative niche. This provides a reliable defensive option for MTG players crafting a strategy around endurance and board presence.

Pack Mastiff - MTG Card versions
Howling Banshee - MTG Card versions
Nether Spirit - MTG Card versions
Pack Mastiff - MTG Card versions
Howling Banshee - MTG Card versions
Nether Spirit - MTG Card versions

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Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
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Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
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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

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ghost Hounds MTG card by a specific set like Homelands, 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 Ghost Hounds and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ghost Hounds has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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