I had never been interested in playing Vampires before, but between this and Bloodline Keeper, the Innistrad block has converted me. In fact, the entire Captain cycle is so beautifully designed that I can no longer resist the urge to make tribal decks.
phyrexiantrygon
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
@Templar314 I totally agree. Although in my case its more like making room in my Innistrad tribal decks...
JRE47
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I'm now out of excuses to keep my Vampire deck mono-black. This is fantastic. I will take four, please.
Axelle
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
I'll wait for my Stromspock in AVR now.
Paladin85
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Vampires fighting ghouls? Innistrad is a really strange place
Finally a good lord for a tribe that has seen many of its kind printed recently
lorendorky
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great synergy splashed in Mono Red hasty vamps or Mono Black sacrifical control vamps or in RB Proliferate. This cycle is so well made.
Tsuichoi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Tribal goodies, so sweet.
NinaNinja
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
My favorite card from the set. Vampires are my favorite tribe. Red is my favorite color. When I saw vamps in red I nearly peed myself and now that I have Olivia and this guy, I'm a happy camper. Giving Vamps first strike is gonna be out of control. At uncommon you don't have to spend lots of money to get him either. Think of all the lifelinkers and vamps who are big on attacks have small toughness. Markov Patrician is almost playable next to this guy. I might do it anyway just because it's sick.
Captain Kirk I love you!!! Smash that Sorin to dust the Humans must die!!!
Shadoflaam
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
: Captain Kirk deals 1 damage to target Viashino
God_Of_The_Smurfs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome flavor text and artwork, and the card itself is really well made, except for the fact that it's like the fifth 3-cmc vampire in standard. But still good.
jumpenrun
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It isn't rare?? Wow...And why is that captivating vampire is a rare card? I cant understand how magic makes cards. I'll construct an extended vampires just for casual play.lol vampire lacerator and stromkirk noble plus this one...sweet.
ZombieAssassin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great now they are printing vamps with knight abilities :P This is going to go right into my vampire deck along with bloodline keeper. 5/5 flying first strike vampires yes please. Along with an aether vial so I can play them for free :D
Avenged7fold
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This and Bloodline Keeper in a deck will just be epic!
Eicha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combine this and Vault of the Archangel with your vampire army for first strike deathtouch lifelinkers. Let the rapes begin ;D
5 Stars from me. He's incredibly useful to any vampire deck in either colour or both, and probably the second-best captain ability after spirits. All those fragile vamps are suddenly a lot harder to out-fight.
FIAmagic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One problem Vampires have is getting themselves blocked. This will at least make your opponents think twice whether to give you +1/+1 counter, or lose a creature.
Radagast
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Great card!
MagnaLynx21
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This guy just does so much right for what he is. Stick him back to back with Nocturnus and I'm pretty sure no one is getting through that gate.
Mike-C
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I love the card. But also love the flavor. Love to see unity formed between sworn enemies for a cause that threatens both of their existences. There is always hope! Even when and where you least expect it and sometimes through the experience, enough mutual respect is born that brotherhood is formed. I believe we as humans presently at war with ourselves will see this scenario come to pass before our time here on earth is up..
Well, he's really good but... The werewolves get to remove their drawback, the zombies get a jhonny-rific captain, spirits get a second-tier keyword (things like infect, double strike, indestructible, things you should pay more mana for than vigilance, first strike and trample), and vampires get... first strike. I mean, the spirit one I would also complain about if it wasn't so good, and it still takes blame for not being as interesting as the werewolf and zombie captain, but this is just so un-creative, I feel like they could have come up with something more clever... I kind of wonder if when they got this cycle going, they thought "aw hell... we already made Rakish Heir!! We'll just have to do.... first strike."
Because this should've had Rakish heirs ability, at least more than first strike.
SkaerKrow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Don't be deceived by the simplicity of First Strike, as this is exactly what tribal Vampires needed to make them viable. Suddenly you have things like Bloodcrazed Neonate, Vampire Interloper and Child of Night matching up favorably with your opponent's Toughness 3 blockers. Markov Patrician goes from being a serviceable 3-drop to a powerhouse that pushes out 4 points of First Strike/Lifelink damage. Combine the Captain with a Rakish Heir and you turn almost every attack into a lose/lose situation for your opponent. Vampiric Fury showed what vampires could do, but it was inconsistent. This card is what Innistrad's Vampires have needed this whole time.
Priz
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I'd love to comment on how useful this card is. Unfortunately I never seem to be able to keep him out for more than 2 turns. I suppose that alone speaks volumes of it's greatness.
4.25/5
Voldrin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@NinaNinja
By the flavortext I'd say this vampire would actually side with Sorin to save the humans.
SquareWhale
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
No. Whatever you just said, it is false. Talons of Falkenrath is the true meaning of this card.
Enemy_Tricolor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Helllllooooo Modern Vampires.
HowardTreesong
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think he's boss. First Strike on the vampires is great before you the +1/+1. If only there were more cheap vampires, most start at 3 mana which makes most builds a bit slow for me. Love my vampires in multiplayer though!
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Just because First Strike is as old as Magic doesn't make it simple. Giving all of your creatures +1/+1 and FS really changes the board state. It turns good blocks into bad blocks. And bad blocks are card advantage most of the time. Also, a team of first strikers can hold off gigantic beasts. Giving them First Strike is a flavorful way of showing that they can easily fight off the Kindercatches that wander into their domain.
Killer-B
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Very similar to the Field Marshall, so its kinda uncreative compared to the other Dark Ascension Captains, also this being about five bucks cheaper than Field Marshall at uncommon.
None the less First Strike is a sweet ability to have on all your creatures, finally a reason to add red in with my vampires alongside other Innistrad Vampire Tribe cards. 5/5
immelmann
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
@ Mike-C
uhmm....you forgot vampires feed on humans. They're just protecting their livestock. Don't make vampires into sparkling cuddly lovey dovey Twilight crap.
Tribal Support: Although Vampires may not have been the most bluntly pushed tribe on Innistrad, they're arguably the best supported. Between Bloodline Keeper, Vampire Nocturnus, and our captain here, Vampires have a ton of lords for keeping the team strong. Until recently, standard Vampires have suffered from a weakness in their 2-drops, but M14's Child Of Night has gone a long way to fixing this.
Buff Ability: First Strike is the most functional, synergistic ability that WotC could have possibly given standard vampires. Most Vampires in MTG are characterized as being powerful, but reckless. As a result, they tend to have more power than toughness, making them frail defenders and often creating the need for some sort of evasion in order to survive. First Strike fills this need in a flavourful way; although your Vampires aren't exactly bulky, they're just too fast for regular enemies to hit. A First Striking 3/2 Bloodcrazed Neonate is nearly unstoppable when it swings in on turn-3, and Vampire Nighthawk becomes a 3/4 Flying, Lifelinking, Deathtouching, First Striking monstrosity of a turn-4 play. Heck, you'll still have one mana left over to Faithless Looting your way into more lords.
Solo Ability: Unlike the other members of the captain cycle, Kirk here comes bundled with the same ability that he gives his tribe. While that may sound boring, it's actually very practical. Each captain is likely going to be coming into play without Haste, so they'll probably be left as blockers for a turn. However with 2/2 bear stats, the captains don't exactly make optimal blockers and will probably trade in most scenarios, leaving you without tribal support. All except Kirk, that is, whose First Striking allows him to become a very efficient blocker, especially early game when most creatures won't have more than 2 toughness.
Balanced, supported, and fun: 5/5
O0oze
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
a friend of mine kicks ass with this... he killed an attacking wurmcoil engine with a double block by two of these (the attacking friend was a good player, but not a careful one.)
captain kirk seriously does the job. probably not rare-worthy, i mean, he's no knight exemplar, but still great. 4.5/5.
SirLibraryEater
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best combos with Vampire Nighthawk. We were already saying "yes please" to a 2/3 for 3 with flying, deathtouch, and lifelink. With this, we have a 3/4 for 3(sorta) with flying, lifelink, and my favorite combo, deathtouch and first strike.
Comments (37)
I had never been interested in playing Vampires before, but between this and Bloodline Keeper, the Innistrad block has converted me. In fact, the entire Captain cycle is so beautifully designed that I can no longer resist the urge to make tribal decks.
I totally agree. Although in my case its more like making room in my Innistrad tribal decks...
Finally a good lord for a tribe that has seen many of its kind printed recently
Captain Kirk I love you!!! Smash that Sorin to dust the Humans must die!!!
I'll construct an extended vampires just for casual play.lol vampire lacerator and stromkirk noble plus this one...sweet.
Stick him back to back with Nocturnus and I'm pretty sure no one is getting through that gate.
Because this should've had Rakish heirs ability, at least more than first strike.
4.25/5
By the flavortext I'd say this vampire would actually side with Sorin to save the humans.
None the less First Strike is a sweet ability to have on all your creatures, finally a reason to add red in with my vampires alongside other Innistrad Vampire Tribe cards. 5/5
uhmm....you forgot vampires feed on humans. They're just protecting their livestock. Don't make vampires into sparkling cuddly lovey dovey Twilight crap.
Bloodline Keeper
Vampire Nighthawk
Pulse Tracker
Guul Draz Vampire
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth
Feast of Blood
Urge to Feed
Curse of the Stalked Prey
and some other burn spells. This deck has even won me against some of my tournament friends. XD
Stromkirk Captain
Immerwolf
Drogskol Captain
Diregraf Captain
Tribal Support: Although Vampires may not have been the most bluntly pushed tribe on Innistrad, they're arguably the best supported. Between Bloodline Keeper, Vampire Nocturnus, and our captain here, Vampires have a ton of lords for keeping the team strong. Until recently, standard Vampires have suffered from a weakness in their 2-drops, but M14's Child Of Night has gone a long way to fixing this.
Buff Ability: First Strike is the most functional, synergistic ability that WotC could have possibly given standard vampires. Most Vampires in MTG are characterized as being powerful, but reckless. As a result, they tend to have more power than toughness, making them frail defenders and often creating the need for some sort of evasion in order to survive. First Strike fills this need in a flavourful way; although your Vampires aren't exactly bulky, they're just too fast for regular enemies to hit. A First Striking 3/2 Bloodcrazed Neonate is nearly unstoppable when it swings in on turn-3, and Vampire Nighthawk becomes a 3/4 Flying, Lifelinking, Deathtouching, First Striking monstrosity of a turn-4 play. Heck, you'll still have one mana left over to Faithless Looting your way into more lords.
Solo Ability: Unlike the other members of the captain cycle, Kirk here comes bundled with the same ability that he gives his tribe. While that may sound boring, it's actually very practical. Each captain is likely going to be coming into play without Haste, so they'll probably be left as blockers for a turn. However with 2/2 bear stats, the captains don't exactly make optimal blockers and will probably trade in most scenarios, leaving you without tribal support. All except Kirk, that is, whose First Striking allows him to become a very efficient blocker, especially early game when most creatures won't have more than 2 toughness.
Balanced, supported, and fun: 5/5
captain kirk seriously does the job. probably not rare-worthy, i mean, he's no knight exemplar, but still great. 4.5/5.
We were already saying "yes please" to a 2/3 for 3 with flying, deathtouch, and lifelink. With this, we have a 3/4 for 3(sorta) with flying, lifelink, and my favorite combo, deathtouch and first strike.