How Bloodthirsty Conqueror Shapes MTG Canon Lore

How Bloodthirsty Conqueror Shapes MTG Canon Lore

In TCG Ā·

Bloodthirsty Conqueror card art, Foundations set

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Bloodthirsty Conqueror and the enduring pulse of MTG vampiric lore šŸ§™ā€ā™‚ļøšŸ”„

Vampires in Magic have always stalked the margins between glamour and menace, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror is a shining example of that duality. A black mana creature with the stat line to back up its ambitions, this 5/5 Mythic Vampire Knight isn’t just a solid beat on the battlefield—it’s a narrative engine. With flying and deathtouch, it can sculpt the skies into a personal corridor of dread, slipping past ground defenses that might otherwise dull a late game assault. When you pair that with the lifegain trigger, you’re not only pressing for damage; you’re gradually leaning into a life swing that can tilt the scales in your favor as the game drags on. And in the world of MTG, longer games often bend toward the vampires’ appetite for control and inevitability. šŸ§›ā€ā™‚ļøšŸ’Ž

ā€œThis town swims with such exquisite blood. I will take every drop for my own.ā€

Lore, flavor, and the heartbeat of the bite

The Foundations set has its own compact mythos, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror leans into the timeless vampire archetype that MTG players recognize across planes. The flavor text paints a vivid scene of aristocratic predation—the idea that vampires aren’t just monsters of chaos; they are surgical in their calculation, turning a besieged town into a throne room of shadows. Dmitry Burmak’s art, captured in this card’s imagery, underscores that sense of imperial hunger—the Conqueror surveying a coast of cities with night-dark eyes, forever craving the next life to claim. The card’s synergy with deathtouch ensures a death sentence for many would-be protectors, while the flying keyword grants reach that can reach past ground blockers and skew the late game in its favor. This is not mere stats; it’s a compact story of conquest wearing a cloak of midnight. šŸŽØāš”ļø

Power, strategy, and how to wield the Conqueror

With a mana cost of {3}{B}{B}, Bloodthirsty Conqueror sits at a comfortable 5-mana budget for a 5/5 flyer with deathtouch. That efficiency is what makes it so compelling in both competitive and casual games. In a world where lifeloss can be inflicted in waves, this card’s triggered life gainā€”ā€œWhenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much lifeā€ā€”turns opponent aggression into your resilience. It’s a textbook example of black’s asymmetry: you don’t need to match every threat with raw stats; you exploit your opponent’s bite to feed your own vitality. This creates a feedback loop where your board presence grows stronger as your foes bleed their own resources away. In Commander formats, its resilience is even more pronounced; a single attack can flip the balance toward a sweeping victory when allied with lifegain synergies or aristocrat-style sacrifice engines. šŸ§™ā€ā™‚ļøšŸ”„

From a deck-building perspective, Bloodthirsty Conqueror benefits from removal-heavy environments and lifegain-from-damage enablers. It rewards players who think a few steps ahead: you deploy it as a finisher, but you also leverage its evasion to pressure planeswalkers and priority targets. In formats where graveyards and reanimation matter, its 5/5 body plus flight ensures it remains a menace long after the first bite. The card’s mythic rarity underscores its role as a centerpiece piece—something you draft or sleeve with reverence, not as a throwaway beater. And yes, in formats where lifegain and drain can snowball, you’ll feel the thrill of watching the life totals swing as your vampiric champion drains your opponent’s strength while feeding your own. šŸŽ²šŸ’Ž

Design notes: how Bloodthirsty Conqueror fits MTG’s broader canon

From a design standpoint, Bloodthirsty Conqueror embodies the tight weave between mechanical payoff and narrative flavor that MTG enthusiasts cherish. Flying plus deathtouch forces decisions—attack or block with a plan, because a single stride can erase threats with a single, elegant stroke. The triggered lifegain anchor adds a thematic twist: blood isn’t just blood in this world; it’s currency, leverage, and potential. The card’s Foundations roots—kind of a ā€œcore set within a core setā€ flavor—tie back to a long-standing canon where vampires are not merely monsters but political players, warlords, and dynasty builders. In a sense, the Conqueror helps explain why black mana remains a perennial pillar of MTG’s saga: it’s the color of appetites with consequences, and Bloodthirsty Conqueror embodies that tension in full. šŸ”„šŸ§™ā€ā™‚ļø

Where to look next for fans and collectors

As a collectible, Bloodthirsty Conqueror sits among notable modern vampire cards that fans revisit for both thematic and gameplay value. Its art, its rule text, and its rarity combine to make it a memorable centerpiece at your table or display shelf. It’s one of those cards that prompts a smile from long-time players who remember the thrill of a well-executed lifegain drain play, or the satisfaction of flying over blockers to land the final blow. If you’re curating a black-dominant deck or simply exploring the vampire motif across MTG’s multiverse, this Conqueror is a reference point—a reminder that bloodlines, legacies, and legends all converge on the battlefield. šŸ§™ā€ā™‚ļøšŸŽØ

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Bloodthirsty Conqueror

Bloodthirsty Conqueror

{3}{B}{B}
Creature — Vampire Knight

Flying, deathtouch

Whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life. (Damage causes loss of life.)

"This town swims with such exquisite blood. I will take every drop for my own."

ID: ce860ed4-a5bd-4347-9eab-dd716ea84db1

Oracle ID: fd505c02-c59e-476d-8e88-35da862ddc23

Multiverse IDs: 679135

TCGPlayer ID: 589328

Cardmarket ID: 795105

Colors: B

Color Identity: B

Keywords: Deathtouch, Flying

Rarity: Mythic

Released: 2024-11-15

Artist: Dmitry Burmak

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 1256

Set: Foundations (fdn)

Collector #: 58

Legalities

  • Standard — legal
  • Future — legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 31.61
  • USD_FOIL: 33.51
  • EUR: 26.88
  • EUR_FOIL: 29.63
  • TIX: 0.10
Last updated: 2025-11-15