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Shadowcloak Vampire

Creature — Vampire

Pay 2 life: This creature gains flying until end of turn. (It can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.)

CMC
5
Mana cost
{4}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
common
Set
The List
Price
$0.36
EDHREC rank
#25356
Buy on TCGplayer
Shadowcloak Vampire card art
Shadowcloak Vampire gives you a repeatable pay-life-for-flying engine on a 4/3 body — the on-board effect is real, but five mana for a vanilla-statted creature with an activated ability is a steep ask in most powered tables. Where it actually earns its slot is alongside Rowan, Scion of War, where every life paid to grow wings translates directly into cost reduction on your spells.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Shadowcloak Vampire is legal across Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but competitive Constructed formats have zero interest in a five-mana creature this underpowered. Pauper is the only non-Commander format worth a second look — flying is at a premium at common, and the activated ability is a genuine late-game mana sink in slower games. Commander is where Shadowcloak Vampire actually finds a home, specifically in life-payment and Vampire tribal builds that can make the activation cost feel like upside rather than overhead.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.36 bulk tier

At $0.36, Shadowcloak Vampire is firmly bulk — you're paying for a slot, not a card. Bulk commons and uncommons with narrow applications don't tend to move unless a commander spike drives sudden tribal demand, so don't expect that price to change.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.