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Vampires have been trendy for awhile now. Whether it was the advent of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, or whether you trace this trendiness even farther back to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there’s no denying vampiric cultural influence.
It’s not surprising that vampires have made an appearance in Magic: the Gathering at all. They’re actually one of the oldest and most powerful tribes in the game.
So if you’ve been drawn in by their dark allure, you might want to know which are the best MTG sets for vampires. We’ve got you covered there, and will be showing you the best options in this list.
The Vampiric Profile
As we mentioned previously, vampires are one of the oldest and most powerful tribes in the entirety of Magic: the Gathering. They made their first appearance in Alpha with Sengir Vampire, who’s pictured above.
Lore-wise, they’re incredibly interesting. They’re native to a number of planes, and depending on the plane they’re from, they’re different.
Vampires from Zendikar, for example, are very tribal and primal in nature. Innistrad vampires, in comparison, are what many people think of when they picture vampires: dark, elegant, and decadent.
In terms of gameplay, vampires usually are aggro. They tend to be low in mana cost, which allows players to get tons of them out onto the battlefield quickly. With vampires, you can hit hard and fast, making them a wonderful tribe for beginners.
Best MTG Sets for Vampires
Dark Ascension
It’s not even slightly surprising that a set called Dark Ascension would have a number of vampires in it. With several different decent vampires to choose from, you’ll have a few powerful options to add to your growing deck.
This set was designed from the top down, which means that it began with a concept. All mechanics in that set were created to suit that concept, which in this case was horror.
Because of its emphasis on horror, it features a lot of the creepiest tribes. Aside from vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and zombies all make abundant appearances in this set. It’s a must-have for Magic players who love horror.
Pros:
- Includes ten different vampires.
- Fun and grisly horror theme.
- Has a few cards with vampire support, strengthening vampire tribal possibilities.
Cons:
- Fans of werewolves will be disappointed to find that the tribe remains weak in this set, although Immerwolf helped fix that a little.
- Some have said that it’s just a smaller version of Innistrad.
Most Notable Vampire: Stromkirk Captain
Eldritch Moon
We don’t know about you, but themes matter to us a lot. That’s why one of the most interesting things about Eldritch Moon was its focus on Lovecraftian horror. For that reason, there are a lot of cosmic-scale monstrosities in the set that lend it an alien and dark tone.
It makes perfect sense that the slogan for the set was, “Take on the darkness.” Darkness was everywhere in it.
Of course, it also included a large number of vampires, as well as a decent number of cards supporting them. Furthermore, it’s held its value fairly well over the years since its release, making it a set worth grabbing for your own collection.
Pros:
- Has an awesome Lovecraftian horror theme.
- Includes Eldrazi in addition to vampires.
- The set has fourteen different vampire cards.
- Introduced three entirely new mechanics: emerge, escalate, and meld.
Cons:
- Despite being a new mechanic introduced in the set, meld was only ever included on six cards (three if you want to get technical, because they were double-sided).
- The other two mechanics introduced in Eldritch Moon, emerge and escalate, don’t really see play all that often anymore.
- Sealed and draft formats were not as good in this set, because they were hugely dependent on your pulls.
Most Notable Vampire: Bloodhall Priest
Innistrad
It’s impossible to discuss vampires in Magic without bringing up the Innistrad set. This is the holy grail of sets when it comes all things gothic in the game, including vampires.
Like many of the other sets on this list, it was designed from the top down. The theme in mind was an intense horror flavor that screams out of the artwork on just about every single card.
It doesn’t hurt (or perhaps it does, if you’re playing against someone with a lot of Innistrad cards) that this was an incredibly powerful set overall. Vampires and zombies as tribes really shone here.
Pros:
- Has held its value extremely well over the years.
- Contains thirteen different vampires.
- High overall power level.
- Beautiful gothic theme.
Cons:
- Its heavy tribal theme means you almost have to play a tribal deck to make a viable Innistrad deck. If you were drafting an Innistrad box, you’d pretty much need to pick a tribe.
- Can be hard to find boxes or packs for.
- Introduced curses, but the cards were weak and no one really used them.
Most Notable Vampire: Olivia Voldaren
Ixalan
If you weren’t very familiar with the set, you might assume that Ixalan is out of place on this list. At a glance, it looks like a tropical theme with dinosaurs.
Oddly enough, though, vampires featured very prominently as one of the main tribes in the set. Why they thought it made sense thematically to combine dinosaurs, pirates, merfolk, and vampires is beyond us, but it happened, anyway.
This set also made all planeswalkers past and present legendary. It’s a move that made a lot of sense in retrospect.
Pros:
- Featured pirates, dinosaurs, merfolk, and vampire tribes.
- Contains a whopping twenty vampire cards.
- Despite coming out a few years ago, it’s still fairly affordable.
- Introduced the explore and enrage mechanics.
- Brought vehicles back as fun ships.
Cons:
- The theme and tribes of the set do not mesh well together as far as flavor goes. (We’re still amazed that someone thought to combine dinosaurs, vampires, and pirates!)
- Has not held its value very well.
- If you’re drafting it, you have to settle on a tribe and hope you get the cards you need.
Most Notable Vampire: Vona, Butcher of Magan
M20
Core Set 2020, aka M20, had to make an appearance on this list. Although it doesn’t have the most vampires, its inclusion of two different Sorin planeswalkers makes it a requirement for vampire fans.
Unlike many other core sets, M20 got interesting by featuring multicolored and legendary cards. It also included Field of the Dead, an incredibly powerful card that was eventually banned in multiple formats.
Another benefit to M20 is that, like its name says, it’s a core set. That means it’s remarkably beginner-friendly, and perfect for introducing new players to the game.
Pros:
- Pretty powerful core set.
- Beginner-friendly.
- Still pretty affordable at the time of writing this.
- Has ten vampires.
Cons:
- Thus far, its value has not been increasing by much.
- Many players are sick of temple cards, which are featured in this set.
Most Notable Vampire: Knight of the Ebon Legion
Rivals of Ixalan
In Rivals of Ixalan, we see the strangely clashing themes of Ixalan continued. The set centers on the legendary city of Orazca and the Immortal Sun.
We also see the return of vampires, merfolk, pirates, and dinosaurs here. There’s also a new mechanic: ascend. If you have ten or more permanents, you get the city’s blessing for the duration of the game.
If you liked Ixalan, you’ll enjoy Rivals of Ixalan, as it’s a continuation of the same things.
Pros:
- Has twenty vampires.
- So far, it has held its financial value better than Ixalan.
- Brings back the enrage, explore, and raid mechanics.
- Features the brand-new ascend mechanic.
Cons:
- If you disliked the themes of Ixalan, you won’t like how they simply continue in Rivals of Ixalan.
Most Notable Vampire: Elenda, the Dusk Rose
Shadows over Innistrad
Those who loved the Innistrad set (and trust us when we say it had many fans) were excited for its return in Shadows of Innistrad. Horror-themed sets have been consistently popular in MTG, and have held a place of high regard in fans’ hearts.
In Shadows over Innistrad, you get to experiment with mechanics from Innistrad, such as transform. It also goes without saying that it features a decent number of vampires in it – one of the highest on this list, actually.
Pros:
- Includes seventeen vampires.
- Brings back the transform mechanic.
- Lovable horror theme.
- Has Triskaidekaphobia, which provides players with another way to make opponents lose.
Cons:
- Many felt that, in terms of power, Shadows over Innistrad was just an average set.
- It hasn’t held its value so well over time.
Most Notable Vampire: Olivia, Mobilized for War
Zendikar
Like Innistrad, Zendikar is a classic set beloved by MTG fans everywhere. There are many who will tell you that it comes from one of Magic’s greatest heights.
It was particularly well-known for its contribution to elven tribal, which is why we featured it in our list of the best MTG sets for elves.
And truthfully, it doesn’t have a lot of vampires in it. But the vampires it does have are incredibly powerful, so we felt it needed to be included here.
Pros:
- Has nine vampires.
- You can pull other valuable cards from this set, like fetch lands.
- Brought out the strong landfall mechanic.
- Overall high power level.
- Very popular set with dedicated Magic players.
Cons:
- Can be hard to find booster packs or boxes for.
- Generally, the cards in this set were faster, which made it more difficult to have slower-paced games.
Most Notable Vampire: Bloodghast
Honorable Mentions
As a tribe, vampires have been pretty popular from the very beginning of Magic. It’s only to be expected, then, that there’s been a pre-constructed Commander deck centered on vampire tribal.
Because it’s not a set, we couldn’t put it elsewhere in this list, but we had to mention it somewhere. This deck is Vampiric Bloodlust, which we’ll discuss briefly below.
Vampiric Bloodlust (C17)
This is a deck that we personally own, and for that reason, we can tell you it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re addicted to vampires. Right out of the box, it’s a powerful deck.
That’s what makes it perfect for those who aren’t so confident in their deck-building skills yet. Without making any modifications to it, you’ll have access to powerful vampires such as Blood Artist, Butcher of Malakir, and Sangromancer.
There are even alternative commanders if you’re not a fan of Edgar Markov. You can try out Licia, Sanguine Tribune or Mathas, Fiend Seeker as commanders to give the deck a whole new feel.
Wrap Up
The sets on this list get included here for a good reason. They’ll all help you expand your collection of vampires, if that’s your end goal.
But if you’re feeling particularly bloodthirsty, Innistrad is the lord of vampire sets. If you can get your hands on an unopened box, you’ll have added one of Magic’s most historical and popular sets to your Magic collection.
Want to learn more about another of our favorite tribes? Read our article about the best MTG sets for angels.