Duskmourn released roughly two weeks ago, and it’s become abundantly clear that the set is quite powerful. The Overlords are seeing consistent play from Standard down to Modern in a variety of archetypes. Meanwhile, build-around cards like Abhorrent Oculus and Leyline of Resonance have allowed unique archetypes to flourish.
While all these extremely flashy cards garner most of the attention from the player base, there are some more basic designs that have proven to be multi-format staples, too. One of them that has fallen under the radar is none other than Ghost Vacuum. It’s natural for players to not be super excited about sideboard upgrades, but Ghost Vacuum is a great piece of technology in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, and Legacy alike. As a graveyard hate card with lots of upside, there’s plenty to like about this card.
More Than Meets the Eye
- Mana Value: 1
- Rarity: Rare
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Tap: Exile target card from a graveyard. 6, tap, Sacrifice Ghost Vacuum: Put each creature card exiled with Ghost Vacuum onto the battlefield under your control with a flying counter on it. Each of them is a 1/1 Spirit in addition to its other types. Activate only as a sorcery.
On the surface, Ghost Vacuum may not look all that exciting. After all, only getting to exile one card at a time from a graveyard can be a bit slow. With cards like Relic of Progenitus and Soul-Guide Lantern already available, what could Ghost Vacuum bring to the table?
Part of the reason Ghost Vacuum is so appealing compared to the other two pieces of graveyard hate listed above is that it repeatedly exiles the specific card you want to get rid of turn after turn. Part of the problem with Soul-Guide Lantern or Relic is that you may be forced into a situation where you have to get rid of your graveyard hate piece to stop opposing shenanigans.
For instance, if your Modern Goryo’s Vengeance opponent goes to reanimate a threat, you’ll have no choice but to pop your Relic or Lantern. This gives the opponent the opportunity to rebuild. Ghost Vacuum, on the flip side, sits in play threatening to activate in response to a Goryo’s Vengeance.
Similarly, in Standard, Ghost Vacuum is a great tool versus Azorius Abhorrent Oculus shells. First of all, it keeps the opponent’s graveyard low on cards, making it tough to cast Abhorrent Oculus. On top of that, though, it completely blanks Helping Hand for the entire game until removed.
In this sense, Ghost Vacuum fills a similar role that Unlicensed Hearse does, but for half the mana cost. This is a huge deal in fast formats like Modern.
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A Scary Final Ability
- Mana Value: 1RW
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 6/6
- MTG Sets: Modern Horizons 3
- Card Text: When Phlage enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless it escaped. Whenever Phlage enters the battlefield or attacks, it deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life. Escape- RRWW, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)
Obviously, the primary usage for Ghost Vacuum is to exile potent cards from the opponent’s graveyard. Against Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury decks, Ghost Vacuum is a great way to keep the creature in check. The same is true for Izzet Arclight Phoenix decks in Pioneer.
Beyond that, though, Ghost Vacuum also has a super scary six-mana activated ability that can completely take over a game. Imagine you’re playing Dimir Murktide in Modern. If the game stalls out or you happen to flood a little bit, Ghost Vacuum can act as a win condition by itself.
Of course, you only get 1/1 copies of the creatures you exile, but if you manage to nab some creatures with strong enters-the-battlefield triggers (imagine putting into play an Atraxa, Grand Unifier), you should be in good shape.
Ghost Vacuum simply offers a lot for such a small price. So, if you’re in the market for this type of effect, Ghost Vacuum is as good as they come.
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