Crossway Troublemakers
Creature — Vampire
Attacking Vampires you control have deathtouch and lifelink. (Any amount of damage they deal to a creature is enough to destroy it. Damage dealt by those creatures also causes their controller to gain that much life.)
Whenever a Vampire you control dies, you may pay 2 life. If you do, draw a card.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #3489
Crossway Troublemakers enters and forces two opponents to sacrifice a non-Vampire, then sticks around as a 4/4 Vampire that makes each combat dangerous for anyone without a blocker — all for four mana. In Rakdos Vampire shells, and especially under Strefan, Maurer Progenitor, that forced sacrifice triggers blood token payoffs while simultaneously clearing the path for combat damage.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
Strefan, Maurer Progenitor needs opponents to take combat damage to load blood tokens onto him, and Crossway Troublemakers removes blockers on entry while threatening four power every attack — that's the exact one-two the engine wants.
Clavileño, First of the Blessed
Clavileño, First of the Blessed rewards you for attacking with non-token Vampires, and Crossway Troublemakers is a four-power threat that clears a blocker on the way in, making it easy to profitably swing and trigger Clavileño's draw-and-reanimate ability.
Olivia, Crimson Bride
Olivia, Crimson Bride reanimates Vampires and swings wide, so Crossway Troublemakers pulling a blocker off the board on entry directly enables more free attacks the turn Olivia comes down.
Olivia Voldaren
Olivia Voldaren wants to steal Vampires and dominate combat, and Crossway Troublemakers softens the board by forcing sacrifice before Olivia even swings — less blocking means more stolen creatures sticking around.
Evelyn, the Covetous
Evelyn, the Covetous runs a slower, value-oriented Vampire game where every card exiled from opponents matters, and Crossway Troublemakers buying tempo by removing a creature while adding a body keeps the board state manageable long enough to generate that advantage.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Crossway Troublemakers is legal across every major constructed format but is firmly a Commander card — a four-mana sorcery-speed effect that hits two opponents only makes sense at a multiplayer table. In one-on-one formats like Modern or Pioneer, forcing a single sacrifice for four mana is a bad rate when targeted removal or cheaper threats exist. Commander is where Crossway Troublemakers earns its slot: the two-target clause means it's never a dead draw against the table's biggest threat, and the 4/4 body that follows up is relevant in Vampire tribal where anthem effects and evasion are common.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Crossway Troublemakers isn't available in the current index, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number. Given its niche as a Vampire-tribal roleplayer with no competitive constructed demand, expect a budget-friendly tag — it's the kind of card worth grabbing a copy of without much hesitation.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
- Clavileño, First of the Blessed
- Olivia, Crimson Bride
- Olivia Voldaren
- Evelyn, the Covetous
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.