<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodbond Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodbond Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.annasteinbauer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Steinbauer</a> | <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furyblade Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Furyblade Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lius Lasahido</a> | Edgar Markov | Art by <a href="https://baga.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Volkan Baga</a></em></span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/vampires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vampires</a> are one of the staple creature types in Commander. They show up everywhere! But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Vampires? And how do Vampires win in Commander?</p>
<p>This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Vampire-Guide-textless.png

<p>Having haunted the night since the days of <em>Alpha,</em> Vampires are a regular sight in any black deck. Which makes sense, given they're a characteristic creature of the color.</p>
<p>Historically, they've run the gambit across all Mardu colors <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> with an anchor in black <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Each different color's Vampires has a difference specialty to reflect their color while retaining the same basic traits.</p>
<p>Black <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires tend to have flying and sacrifice your own creatures. Red <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires tend to have madness and deal with Blood tokens. White <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires most often have lifegain, usually via lifelink.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Markov Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forerunner of the Legion"></div></div>
<p>Vampires across all colors possess flying and +1/+1 counter generation, and a fair few are transformation cards. And while most of them have middling stat lines, particularly for their cost, there are some incredible heavy-hitters among them.</p>


<h2>You Have Options With Vampires</h2>
<p>In no small part due to their prominence across all of <em>Magic's</em> sets and planes, Vampires have a fantastic range of options available to them.</p>
<p>You'll have large beatsticks that can deal big damage, utility pieces that change the way the game is played, solid commanders, and fearsome planeswalkers.</p>
<p>Vampires can't support every playstyle, though they can do most of them very well. And even if you aren't running a Vampire deck, including even a few will rarely not work out for you. There's even a large overlap with other creature types, like Knights, Clerics, and Demons that can lead to interesting strategies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sengir Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Henrika Domnathi"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Rebirth"></div></div>
<p>That's due to the fact that, while Vampires do support one another, they are quite comfortable as solitary pieces. Many Vampires increase the power and toughness of your other Vampires or can interact with specifically other Vampires, though many others still are agnostic on creature type interactions, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bishop of Rebirth" href="#" target="_blank">Bishop of Rebirth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Making More "Vampires"</h2>
<p>As befits their folkloric origins, Vampires have multiple ways of inflicting vampire-like traits on other creatures you control. This can manifest in something as simple as converting its creature type to Vampire or something more roundabout.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mark of the Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Mark of the Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for instance, doesn't actually turn a creature into a Vampire. Just a vampire-like.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mark of the Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captivating Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mephidross Vampire"></div></div>
<p>There are many ways for this to happen, meaning what in-type support Vampires do have for one another will be able to spread to other creatures. And this also allows for non-Vampire creatures that remain non-Vampires to gain keywords or abilities that help them fit mechanically or narratively into your deck.</p>
<h2>Sustain</h2>
<p>It's actually quite difficult to remove Vampires.</p>
<p>Their lifegain makes it so that anyone playing Vampires will be around for a while. Vampires are sometimes cheap enough and often numerous enough you can field them faster than your opponents can rush you. Even sacrificing Vampires tends to give you some recursion or benefit from returning them to the field.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichor Drinker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vampire Nighthawk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodsworn Squire"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichor Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Ichor Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such example. It's cheap, it has lifelink, and you can exile it from your graveyard to gain an Incubator token. That means you have a cheap blocker that can gain you some life, act as sacrifice-fodder, and then come back as a small artifact creature.</p>


<h2>Relying On Abilities</h2>
<p>Many Vampires fail the "vanilla test," which is a benchmark of quality to judge a card's value. It's a quick assessment to see if a card's power and toughness are equal to or greater than its cost.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timothar, Baron of Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Timothar, Baron of Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fails the test as a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> 4/4. Assuming this card was "vanilla" and had no abilities or keywords, it would need to be a 6/6 to be worth considering in most decks due to its costs.</p>
<p>However, due to its ward and Bat summoning ability, Timothar can be a worthwhile inclusion in Vampire decks despite not passing the test.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timothar, Baron of Bats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mathas, Fiend Seeker"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mathas, Fiend Seeker" href="#" target="_blank">Mathas, Fiend Seeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> passes the test. As a 3/3, that's equal to the cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and therefore would be worth considering without its keywords and abilities. But on top of that, Mathas also has menace and its bounty counters, meaning it has additional value atop its stats.</p>
<p>Many Vampires don't make the vanilla test, though they usually have flying, lifelink, or some ability to make up for it. The vanilla test is just a brief, easy way to appraise a card's general value. Failing it doesn't make a card bad, particularly with some of the abilities Vampires have.</p>
<p>But just be aware, many Vampires need a bit of work to see their full potential.</p>
<h2>Spread Too Thin?</h2>
<p>Though this may be "suffering from success," Vampires aren't particularly focused as a creature type. They're incredibly numerous, meaning there are many fantastic Vampires, but many more that fail to meet the mark.</p>
<p>Vampires from <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Ixalan_(plane)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ixalan</a> focus on white-aligned lifegain and teamwork. <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Innistrad_(plane)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Innistrad</a> Vampires tend more towards black and thereby engage in sacrificing and creature destruction.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar, Charmed Groom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div></div>
<p>These differing focuses compliment one another when used in tandem, but Vampires aren't close to a monolith. They are fractured across various sets and planes, with their strategies being idiosyncratic to wherever they find themselves.</p>
<p>You can reliably get a +1/+1 to all of your Vampires almost anywhere, so you at least have cohesion.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar Markov"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second most played commander in the game</a> at the time of this guide's writing.</p>
<p>A 4/4 with first strike and haste who puts a +1/+1 on each of your Vampires after he attacks? That's good. But his <em>eminence</em> ability is why he's one of the most played commanders out there.</p>
<p>Eminence as a keyword means that the ability still is active even if the card it's tied to is in the command zone. That means that whenever you cast another Vampire spell, even if you've never cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the game, you create a 1/1 black Vampire token.</p>
<p>If you're playing Vampires, that gives you more Vampires. If you're casting Edgar, his haste allows him to attack and strengthen your Vampires. It feeds both into itself as well as into the archetype, which is why it's so commonly played!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clavileño, First of the Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Clavileño, First of the Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clavileño, First of the Blessed"></div></div>
<p>This commander turns your Vampires into Demon Vampires, which, aside from being cool, also gives them a death trigger to draw a card and create a 4/3 flying Vampire Demon.</p>
<p>This isn't quite as reliant on having a Demon subtheme as you might expect, given card draw is always useful and 4/3 flyers are nice to have. Even in a strictly Vampire deck, this just gives you some extra coverage on flyers and allows for your dead Vampires to get another enter-the-battlefield (ETB) trigger with their Demon.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> enjoys poking and pinging opponents, which red has in spades. At the end of your turn, create a Blood token for each player who lost life. Including you! So if you ping all of your opponents with a red spell and then spend some life on something black, you're creating four Blood tokens.</p>
<p>Next turn, you can sacrifice two of them to get a free Vampire from your hand tapped and attacking with temporary indestructability. This is the main reason you'll play Strefan, as Blood tokens aren't really useful enough to invest in on their own. They provide card draw at the cost of discarding a card, but both red and black have better ways to access cards than that.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda, the Dusk Rose"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rides a nice line between being required to grow over time and being a threat on her own. She will grow quickly and even provide value when destroyed, even if her initial cost seems a bit steep.</p>
<p>Elenda's largest weakness is being taken out early, as focusing on her before destroying any other creature will allow opponents to stop any +1/+1 counters on her. Luckily, Elenda creates Vampires equal to her power, so there will almost always be at least one. But she'll need some protection, either in the form of white protection or black creature destruction.</p>
<p>After all, she gains counters whenever <em>any</em> other creature dies! Not just yours.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div></div>
<p>Despite his high cost, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is flexible enough to make up for it. Boasting both deathtouch and lifelink, he'll scare larger attackers away while being able to get extra value from blocking smaller attackers. Then at your end step, you get to either force an opponent to lose life or you can gain life.</p>
<p>Depending on what your deck is built around, this can be quite oppressive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a rush of tokens can easily get into the double digits of life gained, not to mention lifelink on your Vampires.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia Voldaren" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia Voldaren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Olivia Voldaren"></div></div>
<p>The ability to convert creatures into Vampires is always fun, as it allows you to slot in some creatures into your Vampire deck that otherwise wouldn't fit the synergies. The fact it makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia Voldaren" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia Voldaren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gain a +1/+1 counter just adds to her strength, primarily due to the fact it helps her not die. If you have the mana to spare, you can cast her and then use her first ability multiple times to pump her stats.</p>
<p>But the fun starts when you convert your opponents' creatures to Vampires and then take control of them. The creature doesn't need to take damage to become a Vampire, meaning Olivia can steal some absolutely heinous creatures that <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> ago were a threat to you.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda and Azor" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda and Azor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda and Azor"></div></div>
<p>Depending on your mana production, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda and Azor" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda and Azor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant you some explosive potential. Not only does it have fair stats with ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to keep it on the field, but you can get scaling card draw. Then after that, you can use the cards you drew to create 1/1 Vampire Knights.</p>
<p>It isn't the most complicated commander, but a solid means of getting card advantage as well as board advantage is rarely a bad thing. And if you have a board wipe or two, you'll find it quick enough and be able to occupy the now empty battlefield.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Dark Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Dark Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Master of Dark Rites"></div></div>
<p>With how expensive many Vampires are and how easy it is to get tokens of them, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Dark Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Dark Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic inclusion. It's classic black, with short-term gains at the expense of burning through your resources. But that's exactly what Vampires need: a jumpstart to help them fill out their board and set up their plans.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malakir Bloodwitch" href="#" target="_blank">Malakir Bloodwitch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malakir Bloodwitch"></div></div>
<p>A great way to drain the life of your opponents and keep yourself alive, this is made even more powerful if you have the ability to bring it back from the graveyard. With flickering and recursion, you could set <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malakir Bloodwitch" href="#" target="_blank">Malakir Bloodwitch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> up to win you the game. Though that would take quite a few spells and many Vampires.</p>
<p>Still, even just dropping it down when you have a handful of Vampires will give you a vitality boost and a deceptively durable blocker.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div></div>
<p>Your Vampires are going to die a lot, usually self-inflicted by sacrifice effects. Therefore, draining opponents' life while healing yourself is just an efficient use of your time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is cheap and convenient to just throw down behind a wall of Vampires, though it's likely going to be targeted quite quickly.</p>
<p>It's a part of multiple three-card infinite combos, meaning cautious players might not allow it to stay out for long.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Fountain"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap, disposable artifact meant to assist Rakdos <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks to build up their Blood token supply and ensure the value of their creatures. It's a useful boost to decks that care about Blood tokens and the ability to return some creature cards to your hand is quite nice.</p>
<p>It won't win games, but it has its place.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glass-Cast Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Glass-Cast Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glass-Cast Heart"></div></div>
<p>Creating even more Blood tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glass-Cast Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Glass-Cast Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> actually gives you something to do with all this blood. While it does allow you to create tokens with lifelink, which, due to requiring tapping, is a bit slow but not unwelcome, its main feature is its third ability.</p>
<p>Will you regularly achieve thirteen or more Blood tokens? Probably not, unless your deck is built around them. And even then, thirteen life is good but needs support to finish the job. That being said, as a late-game strike or in a deck already generating many Blood tokens, this gives some minor token generation and an explosive finish in your back pocket.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of the Bloodchief" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of the Bloodchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of the Bloodchief"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of the Bloodchief" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of the Bloodchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is good on non-Vampires, but even better on Vampires, allowing continuous growth on specific creatures you control. It's cheap enough you can swap it around easily, meaning you can either invest heavily in a single striker or divide the growth between multiple different Vampires..</p>
<p>With how many creatures will be dying, the counters will add up faster than you'd think. Particularly when you start sacrificing your own.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div></div>
<p>Vampires have so many ways of gaining life that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just adds some punch to what you're already good at. Many Vampires even already drain opponents while gaining life. This just enhances that further, ensuring you're an active participant in the match.</p>
<p>Also, it makes a two-card combo with cards that gain you life when opponents lose life, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stensia Masquerade" href="#" target="_blank">Stensia Masquerade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stensia Masquerade"></div></div>
<p>Giving your creatures first strike is good; your Vampires gaining +1/+1 counters upon dealing damage to an opponent is great! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stensia Masquerade" href="#" target="_blank">Stensia Masquerade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some nice buffs, with the added benefit that you can cast it when it gets discarded.</p>
<p>First strike and deathtouch is an evergreen combo, meaning some Vampires will be even better fits for this enchantment than others. And if you have any support for +1/+1 counters on your Vampires, this also feeds into that further.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="March of the Canonized" href="#" target="_blank">March of the Canonized</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="March of the Canonized"></div></div>
<p>Spawning in a mass of tokens gives great potential for explosive damage or life gain, alongside the fact the tokens created by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="March of the Canonized" href="#" target="_blank">March of the Canonized</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have lifelink. The Vampire Demons don't, though a passive creation of a flying 4/3 each turn isn't bad by any means.</p>
<p>This card supports a more aggressive, assertive style of play. Vampires like draining, pinging, and building before striking, whereas this card is played before a rushdown. It might not be at the end of the game, but it's certainly not something to play and let the moment pass.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Blood" href="#" target="_blank">New Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p>Another means of converting creatures into Vampires, just in a different way than the rest. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Blood" href="#" target="_blank">New Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains control of a creature and replaces all instances of one creature type with "Vampire."</p>
<p>It's not the same as just making a creature into a Vampire, as it also impacts what abilities they have, leading to some incredibly powerful interactions if used on the right creature.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an effective ping of damage whose primary value comes from forcing each opponent to sacrifice their most powerful creatures. Vampires innately don't have many ways to deal with threats they aren't more powerful than, outside of those with deathtouch. And even then, many Vampires have flying and may be unable to take out a cautious player's biggest creature.</p>
<p>The ability to remove the biggest threats your opponents have available frees you up to either counterattack or continue building your forces to hide behind while draining your opponents.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruinous Ultimatum"></div></div>
<p>An expensive, simple one-sided board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is devastating if not countered, and you'll be set up in a strong position after playing it not simply due to clearing the opponents' boards.</p>
<p>Playing Vampires, you'll have both numbers and strength. You may not have the ability to finish off every opponent, depending on when you play the Ultimatum. However, you can consistently remove one or even two players should you have a developed board state. That means it will be one or two players rebuilding their board as your tokens with +1/+1 counters, flying, and/or lifelink prepare for another attack.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p><a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Sorin_Markov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sorin</a> has many cards depicting him as a planeswalker, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is useful in a facilitative sense. Its first ability not only grants temporary deathtouch and lifelink to a creature, but also gives it a +1/+1 counter if it's a Vampire. And sacrificing a Vampire to deal three damage to any target and gain three life isn't bad either, considering the benefits you can get from death triggers and recursion.</p>
<p>Being able to play a Vampire for free is the kicker, though. Vampires are generally expensive, and black's mana production isn't very sustainable. Neither is red's or even white's.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Lord of Innistrad" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Lord of Innistrad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p>Creating lifelink Vampires with an emblem that's a flat +1/+0 are both good. Neither are gamebreaking, but neither are going to hurt you, either. Being able to destroy up to three target creatures and potentially gain control of them is nice, but it's fairly expensive what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Lord of Innistrad" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Lord of Innistrad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can achieve.</p>
<p>This incarnation of Sorin is most valuable as just a token generator, with the ticking clock of destroying your opponents' creatures pressuring them to devote resources to taking him out. Vampires don't quite swarm, though they do hunt in packs, so any bit helps.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Grim Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Grim Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Grim Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Grim Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some free, revealed card draw that also drains life from your opponents based on its mana cost. And based on the cost of some of your Vampires, that's not something to ignore!</p>
<p>This Sorin can then deal however much damage you need to a creature or planeswalker and get you some life or spam the field with as many creatures as your opponents have life. Potentially even more than that, assuming you'd been gaining life yourself.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Duneyard" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Duneyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Accursed Duneyard"></div></div>
<p>The ability to regenerate your Vampires can be incredibly powerful, particularly considering how much Vampires enjoy +1/+1 counters. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Duneyard" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Duneyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should only be used on your most important Vampires, as black has enough means of returning creatures from the graveyard and white has enough ETB effects that most other Vampires simply aren't worth the trouble.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vault of the Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Vault of the Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
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<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vault of the Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Vault of the Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another example of a land reinforcing what Vampires are good at, rather than adding a new mechanic. Some of them have deathtouch while many have lifelink. This means that, outside of being thematic, adding these keywords to other Vampires that don't have them will allow them to engage with in-type support.</p>
<p>Plenty of Vampires already give benefits from gaining life, meaning granting lifelink to one that doesn't already have it will perpetuate the Vampire strategy further.</p>


<p>Vampires are mid-range creatures that are good in numbers, clusters, and when supported by external spells. A lot of Vampire tactics will involve sustaining themselves by doing drain damage, gaining life, and building up a force of +1/+1 boosted tokens.</p>
<p>However, most Vampires have an end goal of just poking at their opponents until they keel over.</p>
<p>The tokens and +1/+1 counters, even with how many flying Vampires there are, just don't compare to how much support there is for ability-oriented methods of taking down your opponents. They can still absolutely win via traditional swinging for direct attacks, but that's not the Vampire's preferred strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin of House Markov"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an example of how you can turn life gain into life loss, which is not hard to get into lethal or near-lethal levels. Vampires excel at doing direct life loss to your opponents while gaining life for a long enough time that they just outlast everyone.</p>


<p>Vampires have a few 2-3 card combos, whose validity and efficacy will change dependent on which <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bracket</a> you're playing in.</p>
<p>Something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> requires a single point of life to be gained or lost and suddenly you win the game. Combos oriented around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tend to take more cards that involve destroying a creature that can freely come back or come back at the cost of life, which is regained by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Then, of course, there's winning via stampeding your opponents with an army of flying tokens saddled with lifelink and +1/+1 counters, though that feels a bit improper to classify as an alternate win condition to their normal strategy. It is viable, though!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exquisite Blood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div></div>


orzhov vampires

EDHREC Guide to Vampires in Commander