MagicTheGathering.fyi

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Legendary Creature — Vampire Cleric

Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.
{3}{B}{B}: Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Magic Online Promos
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#489
Buy on TCGplayer
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose card art
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose converts every point of life you gain into damage dealt directly to opponents — a three-mana body that makes lifegain immediately threatening rather than merely defensive. The combo ceiling with Exquisite Blood is the headline, but even without it, Vito punishes Sheoldred, the Apocalypse triggers, mass-gain spells, and incidental life bumps in a way opponents have to respect or die to.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

68.1% of decks · synergy 0.57

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse drains opponents whenever they draw, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose doubles down on that punishment — every point of life Sheoldred generates from your own draws becomes a direct damage trigger, turning a control engine into a clock opponents can't ignore.

02
Edgar Markov

Edgar Markov

64.6% of decks · synergy 0.55

Edgar Markov builds a wide vampire board that enables repeated lifelink attacks, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose turns each swing that gains life into an additional burn salvo — the combination can close games in a single combat step that would otherwise just pad your total.

03
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

61.8% of decks · synergy 0.54

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic generates life from the command zone every upkeep, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose converts those passive triggers into passive damage — opponents facing Oloro already have to manage a slow drain, and Vito accelerates that clock without requiring any additional setup.

04
Licia, Sanguine Tribune

Licia, Sanguine Tribune

62.4% of decks · synergy 0.52

Licia, Sanguine Tribune wants to gain as much life as possible to reduce her own commander tax, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose ensures that same lifegain investment is also threatening opponents — every activation that cheaps out Licia is also pinging the table.

05

Sorin of House Markov

70.5% of decks · synergy 0.50

Sorin of House Markov leans into lifelink as a core tribal mechanic, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose ensures that lifelink damage doesn't just sustain you — it kills the table, making every combat with a lifelink creature a two-pronged threat that forces opponents to block or chump on multiple axes.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose does its best work — three players to drain means triple the damage output from a single lifegain trigger, and the Exquisite Blood two-card instant-win is one of the most popular combo lines in the format. In Pioneer and Modern, Vito sees occasional fringe play in dedicated lifegain or drain shells, but at three mana with no immediate board impact it's too slow to compete with the format's removal density. Legacy and Vintage are theoretically legal but irrelevant in practice — the effect isn't powerful enough to carve space in those formats. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home for the same reasons as Commander, compressed into a faster game.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

16,075 decks
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseBlood Tribute

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseBlood Tribute

Target opponent loses the game; Infinite lifeloss for target opponent

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Price data for Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose isn't available in the current feed, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying. Historically it's floated in the $2–5 range — high enough to reflect real Commander demand, low enough that it's never a budget obstacle for the decks that want it.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

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