The best vampires in Commander are an amazing place to start when building a new deck. Between the iconic heroes, cuddly characters, and mechanical masterpieces, players are really spoilt for choice. Sometimes, however, it’s just nice to play the villain as a classic evil monster, for a change. If you’re looking to do exactly that, then the best Vampires in Commander might just be the creature type and deck for you.
First appearing in 1995, Wizards has printed hundreds of Vampires over the 30-year lifespan of MTG. In that time, Wizards of the Coast has created plenty of powerful, even downright devastating cards, for players to enjoy. With so many cards to pick from, however, choosing the best cards for your deck can be somewhat difficult. Thankfully, we’re here to help with that very problem!
Whether you’re a newly turned Vampire convert or a longtime follower of Dracula we’ve got you covered. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the best Vampires in MTG for Commander!
Best Vampires in Commander: Honorable Mention | Dracula the Voyager
To kick things off, we have one of the most flavorful vampires on this list: literally Dracula. Hailing from Innistrad: Crimson Vow, technically there are four choices for the best Dracula card in MTG. That being said, however, only Dracula the Voyager is able to be your Commander, so they’re the best in our book.
Beyond just being a deeply flavorful Commander to lead your vampiric army, Dracula the Voyager is also a fantastic card. Typically appearing as Edgar, Charmed Groom, this card is incredibly difficult to get rid of. Even if you managed to kill Egar, you’re left with their coffin, which creatures Vampire Tokens.
While Edgar/Dracula does have the potential to be your Commander, admittedly, they’re not the best choice. That being said, however, they’re well worth including with the 99, as they’re also providing value, no matter which state they’re in.
11 | Anowon, the Ruin Sage
For five mana, Anowon, the Ruin Sage certainly doesn’t have the best stats in MTG. As a 4/3 with no evasion ability to speak of, they’re pretty naff, in fact. Thankfully, however, Vampires aren’t all about just whacking your opponent in the face. Instead, Vampire Typal decks are far more civilized, refined, and cunning.
To realize this cunning, Anowon, the Ruin Sage makes your opponents sacrifice a non-Vampire during your upkeep. As you can imagine, this gives your opponents a lot of difficult decisions, as you’ll rarely be in a mirror match. Obviously, this ability can be incredibly devastating, however, it’s not guaranteed to reach its amazing potential.
Should your opponents have plenty of tokens to spare, or even a smidgen of removal, Anowon is a bust. Alongside this, due to their ability only activating on your upkeep, they’re hardly the most oppressive sacrifice engine. Still, despite these drawbacks Anowon can cause some real havoc, which is always a lot of fun.
10 | Bloodsworn Steward
Considering they’re only red, Bloodsworn Steward is a rather unusual addition to this list of the best Vampires in Commander. That being said, however, they’re still very much deserving of their place. After all, this Vampire synergizes with a huge number of Commanders, especially within Partner decks.
While the +2/+2 buff isn’t to be dismissed, the Haste is the real draw. Allowing Commander creatures to swing in for damage immediately, typically activating their abilities too, Bloodsworn Steward is a great asset. After all, there are few things more annoying in Commander than your Commander being removed before you can use them.
9 | Drana, the Last Bloodchief
Much like Anowon, the Ruin Sage from a little earlier, Drana, the Last Bloodchief has absolutely immense potential. Actually realizing this potential during a highly contested Commander game, however, is a lot easier said than done. So much so, in fact, that we can’t place them all too highly on this list.
By forcing an opponent to pick a card for you to reanimate, Drana, the Last Bloodchief could be amazing. If you only have Order of Sacred Dusk, for instance, you suddenly get that card for free! Unfortunately, however, in Commander, it’s difficult to keep such strict control over your graveyard.
Beyond the difficult-to-control nature of a Commander game, Drana, the Last Bloodchief can also only target nonlegendary creatures. This means that most of your best cards will be forever languishing in the bin. While this is far from ideal, Drana still manages to provide a lot of potent value that is always useful.
8 | Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
While they are definitely a Vampire, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose’s main home isn’t Vampire Typal decks. Instead, this card is most commonly found within Lifegain decks. By turning all the life gained into flat damage, Vito is a potential win condition for many decks.
Due to the prevalence of Lifelink of Vampires, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose also works wonders with Vampire Typal. Effectively doubling the damage output of many cards, this unsuspecting Vampire is a real force to be reckoned with. They’ve also got their expensive activated ability if you want to devastate opponents with a massive swing.
7 | Cordial Vampire
Out of all the Vampires on this list, Cordial Vampire arguably has the best art Just look at them, so inviting and friendly, so long as you ignore the blood all over their body. How could you resist an invitation like that?
Beyond having great art and flavor text, Cordial Vampire is also an utterly fantastic card within this Typal archetype. Providing lasting buffs to your entire board, Cordial Vampire is a truly devastating force. That is, at least, so long as you can keep killing creatures in order to fuel their ability. Since Cordial Vampire’s ability doesn’t discriminate between your or your opponent’s creatures, thankfully, this isn’t hard to do.
6 | Drana and Linvala
Hailing from March of the Machine, Drana and Linvala is effectively two cards in one thanks to this unlikely team-up. As you might expect, this makes them a real force to be reckoned with, although, they’re not your usual Vampire. Rather than buffing your board, drinking blood, or sacrificing things, Drana and Linvala boasts a potent Stax effect.
Effectively stealing the activated effects of your opponent’s creatures, Drana and Linvala is an absolute nightmare to play against. This also makes them an incredibly valuable card to have on your side of the field. Against the right deck, Drana and Linvala can completely hose your opponents, while allowing you to get ahead.
While this ability is incredibly useful, they do paint a massive target on your back. So much so, in fact, that you may see Drana and Linvala being removed in an instant. Should you manage to protect them, however, they’re undoubtedly an incredibly potent force to be reckoned with.
5 | Charismatic Conqueror
One of the newest cards on this list of ours, Charismatic Conqueror hails from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Found within the new Blood Rites Commander deck, this new card is an absolute powerhouse. Capable of stalling your opponent or building a board, this card is cheap and efficient value.
Regardless of which option your opponents pick, Charismatic Conqueror always provides useful value. Alongside this, they’re also a 2/2 for 2, which, while not amazing, is at least on curve. Considering their ability is their main strength, however, you won’t really want to be attacking with this Vampire recklessly.
Beyond just being useful within a Vampire Typal deck for building a board, Charismatic Conqueror also has some strong cEHD potential. Whether or not this potential will be fully realized, however, remains to be seen.
4 | Captivating Vampire
At its worst, Captivating Vampire is one of the many Vampire lords that provide a healthy buff to your board at little cost. While this ability is always useful within themed Typal decks, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Once enough Vampires are in play, Captivating Vampire is able to steal your opponent’s creatures, turn after turn.
For the surprisingly low cost of tapping five Vampires, Captivating Vampire just steals an opponent’s creature. With no limit on what you can take, and no clause to give the creature back when Captivating Vampire dies, this is devastatingly powerful. Considering how easy it is to create Vampire Tokens, this ability is also a doddle to activate.
3 | Twilight Prophet
Regardless of whether you’re building a Vampire Typal deck or not, Twilight Prophet is simply a good MTG card. So long as you have the City’s Blessing Twilight Prophet provides extra draw and damage each turn. Within Commander, this is obviously a rather potent effect that should keep your hand stocked with gas.
As if their effect wasn’t good enough in Commander already, it’s very easy to activate. Due to the size of the typical Commander board, it’s honestly more difficult not to activate Ascend at some point. Thanks to this, Twilight Prophet is essentially just free value for very little cost and setup.
2 | Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
According to EDHREC’s data, Strefan, Maurer Progenitor is currently the number two choice when building a Vampire Commander deck. With this in mind, it’s only fitting that they’re on the number two spot on our list as well. Beyond just matching the data, however, Strefan, Maurer Progenitor is a seriously strong card that’s very deserving of this high position.
In ideal circumstances, Strefan, Maurer Progenitor allows you to cheat our two vampires every single turn. All you need to do this is damage each opponent once, and create an extra Blood Token from somewhere. After achieving this relatively easy feat, you just need to attack with Strefan and then the Vampires are yours.
While attacking does put Strefan, Maurer Progenitor at considerable risk, the reward is undoubtedly worth it. Should you manage to protect them, for instance, then Strefan is an insane value engine. The only problem then becomes keeping your hand stocked with enough cards to reliably cheat them out every turn.
1 | Edgar Markov
Last, but certainly no means least, we have the hands-down best Vampire in all of MTG; Edgar Markov. Hailing from Commander 2017, this Emminance card provides constant value, when they’re not on the battlefield. On its own, this steady stream of practically free 1/1 Vampires would also be more than strong enough, however, Edgar Markov doesn’t stop there.
By simply attacking, Edgar Markov provides a board-wide buff to all of your Vampires. Since this includes themselves, attacking with them each turn is actually a viable strategy for once. With little added protection, Edgar Markov can scale themselves, and your board, into an unstoppably powerful force.
As if their abilities weren’t good enough, Edgar Markov also offers a Mardu color identity. Allowing access to all of the best Vampires you’d ever need, it’s no wonder that Edgar is the most popular Commander by far. The only catch with them is that they’re also the most expensive Vampire by far, typically selling for over $100!
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