The Top 5 Vampires of 2024

While Magic sets in 2024 consistently focused on new and under-supported creature types like detectives, outlaws, assassins, mice, and otters, there were still plenty of new designs for the game's iconic creatures. Vampires in particular got a lot of love this year, and because I have three vampire typal decks in different color combinations and strategies, I was able to test these new bloodsuckers extensively. Based on their performance for me this year, these are my picks for the top 5 vampires of 2024:

5. Ruthless Lawbringer

The Orzhov color combination has always been known for having excellent removal, and this year there were a lot of good options. One that I've played a lot hails from Outlaws of Thunder Junction, and just so happens to also be a vampire. One of that set's two-color signpost uncommons, Ruthless Lawbringer is a 3-mana 3/2 with an enters ability that allows you to sacrifice a creature to destroy any nonland permanent an opponent controls. This effect isn't new, appearing on cards like Rite of Oblivion and Invasion of New Capenna // Holy Frazzle-Cannon, but there have only been a handful of creatures that do this. Being attached to a creature opens the door for blink and reanimation shenanigans, the assassin creature type is relevant for other typal decks, and the 3/2 stat line isn't bad for a three-drop. Ruthless Lawbringer may not be flashy, but it is flexible and plays into the strengths of vampire decks, which always seem to have expendable vampire tokens lying around waiting to be sacrificed in some way.

4. High-Society Hunter

Foundations was designed to be a pure distillation of the spirit of Magic, so of course the set had to feature one of the game's most iconic creature types! There were a lot of good vampires in the set, and High-Society Hunter is more than deserving of a top spot for the year. For five mana, you get a 5/3 vampire noble with flying with two abilities: one that lets you sacrifice a creature when it attacks to put a +1/+1 counter on it and a static ability that lets you draw a card whenever a nontoken creature dies. As an evasive threat and a sacrifice outlet, High-Society Hunter is just okay, but the static ability is what makes the card shine. It triggers off any nontoken creatures dying, not just your own, and isn't limited to once per turn like other similar cards that have been printed in recent years, which means you'll be drawing a lot of cards if it survives for a few turns.

3. Vengeful Bloodwitch

Blood Artist is one of the most iconic vampires in Magic, and its impact on the game has led to many imitators over the years. This year, we got two new Blood Artist-adjacent cards, and they're both on this list. The first is Vengeful Bloodwitch, a 1/1 for two mana from Foundations that drains an opponent for one life whenever a creature you control dies. The card has a few limitations keeping it from being the best Blood Artist effect, like only caring about your creatures dying and only damaging one opponent at a time, but the strength of these effects is in their redundancy. Dedicated aristocrats decks are more than happy to play five or even more of these effects, and while Vengeful Bloodwitch is not quite as good as the original or Zulaport Cutthroat, being the third or fourth best version still ensures that it will see a lot of play.

2. Bloodthirsty Conqueror

In my article on the best new Foundations cards, I wrote quite a bit about Bloodthirsty Conqueror, and my opinions on this card have not changed at all. It is a five mana 5/5 with flying, deathtouch, and an ability that gains you life whenever your opponents lose life. It is essentially a vampire version of commander all-star Exquisite Blood, going infinite with the same cards and being just as good at bolstering your life total while getting into the red zone itself. It also works perfectly with many vampire staples, being cheated into play with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, doubling the life gain off effects like Blood Artist, or going infinite with fellow vampire and lifegain staple Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. This card is incredible as both a combo piece and a splashy bomb, making it one of the best vampires of the year even outside of vampire typal decks.

1. Vein Ripper

If you've played Pioneer this year, you're probably very familiar with Vein Ripper. For three generic and three black mana, Vein Ripper is a 6/5 flying vampire with the steep ward cost of sacrificing a creature and a static ability that drains an opponent for two life whenever a creature dies. This beefy Blood Artist is a perfect bomb for ramp and reanimator decks and a great top-end for aristocrats decks, and it sees a ton of play in commander for this reason. Where it really shined, however, was Pioneer midrange decks like the infamous Rakdos Vampires. The problem wasn't so much Vein Ripper itself, but rather its back-breaking interaction with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, first printed into the format back in 2019. By using Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord's -3 ability to put a vampire from your hand into play, you could consistently cheat Vein Ripper into play on turn three (or turn two with the help of a Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic). From there, its large, evasive body and brutal ward cost did a pretty good job closing games quickly while stacking up damage as creatures died. The interaction between these two cards ended up warping the entire Pioneer meta for almost the entirety of 2024, with its play rate consistently staying in the top 3 up until Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord got banned in August. With impressive tournament results and heavy commander play, Vein Ripper was an easy choice for the best vampire of 2024.