Cryptborn Horror MTG Card


Cryptborn Horror grows with opponent’s life loss, potentially creating a massive board presence after combat. It demands specific mana and requires pre-combat damage, which can limit deck-building flexibility. Integrates well in aggressive strategies, punishing opponents fast and turning tides in your favor.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Horror
Abilities Trample
Power 0
Toughness 0

Text of card

Trample Cryptborn Horror enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the total life lost by your opponents this turn.

Although Cryptwitch Merree vanished after a spat with Rakdos, her playthings lingered.


Cards like Cryptborn Horror

Cryptborn Horror enters the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering’s Rakdos cards with an intriguing mechanic which parallels Nightmare Shepherd. Both creatures harness the power of sacrificed or dying creatures, but Cryptborn Horror specifically thrives in the aftermath of combat, requiring damage dealt to an opponent to dictate its size when it hits the battlefield. In contrast, Nightmare Shepherd can use any nontoken creature’s demise to create a copy token.

Creature comparisons reveal Nighthowler as another card with a penchant for growth depending on graveyard creature counts—although its boost benefits from the total creatures in all graveyards, not just combat damage like Cryptborn Horror. The difference in these growth triggers is key for deck synergy. Then there’s Craterhoof Behemoth, which amplifies creatures based on the number of creatures you control upon entry, offering a massive, potentially game-ending boost, albeit at a significantly higher mana cost than Cryptborn Horror.

In essence, Cryptborn Horror invites players to lean into aggressive playstyles, incentivizing early damage for a cost-efficient creature payoff, a unique position that enables it to see play in damage-centric MTG decks focusing on the red and black dynamic.

Nightmare Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Nighthowler - MTG Card versions
Craterhoof Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Nighthowler - MTG Card versions
Craterhoof Behemoth - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Cryptborn Horror by color, type and mana cost

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Army Ants - MTG Card versions
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Kathari Bomber - MTG Card versions
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Sedge Troll - MTG Card versions
Shauku's Minion - MTG Card versions
Army Ants - MTG Card versions
Pyre Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vicious Kavu - MTG Card versions
Lava Zombie - MTG Card versions
Sarcatog - MTG Card versions
Anathemancer - MTG Card versions
Avatar of Discord - MTG Card versions
Vial Smasher the Fierce - MTG Card versions
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - MTG Card versions
Rakdos Augermage - MTG Card versions
Sedge Sliver - MTG Card versions
Ashenmoor Gouger - MTG Card versions
Pestilent Kathari - MTG Card versions
Shambling Remains - MTG Card versions
Hellhole Flailer - MTG Card versions
Ragemonger - MTG Card versions
Kathari Bomber - MTG Card versions
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cryptborn Horror comes into play with power and toughness dependent on the total life lost by your opponent in a turn, essentially capitalizing on damage dealt for potentially immense value. This can convert a successful attack phase into a substantial board presence, indirectly correlating with card advantage as it might require multiple cards from your opponent to handle the threat.

Resource Acceleration: Although Cryptborn Horror itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, its Trample ability ensures that any excess damage is not wasted. This means that careful planning and combo synergy with cards that boost damage or lower opponent’s life can quickly accelerate the game in your favor by bringing out a large horror creature to apply pressure.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Cryptborn Horror benefits from instant-speed plays. Casting spells or creating effects that inflict life loss during the opponent’s turn just before you cast Cryptborn ensures maximum impact. Its versatility thrives in decks designed around instant speed interaction, making it a fearsome creature to summon at the right moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Cryptborn Horror necessitates that you’ve dealt combat damage to a player during the turn it’s cast, potentially requiring strategic planning and a favorable board state to derive value from the card.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that demands both black and red mana, it can be restrictive, primarily fitting into Rakdos decks and reducing its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The three mana investment for an initial 0/0 creature puts considerable pressure on having a high-damage turn to justify its cost, as without sufficient damage dealt, other three-mana cards could provide more immediate and consistent benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cryptborn Horror thrives in decks that prioritize dealing damage to opponents. Its flexible nature allows it to seamlessly integrate into various aggressive strategies, enhancing its appeal across multiple deck builds.

Combo Potential: Its power scales with the damage dealt in a turn, making it a synergistic piece in combos aimed at amplifying damage outputs — potentially leading to an overwhelming board presence in one fell swoop.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where games are fast-paced and life totals quickly drop, Cryptborn Horror can become a formidable threat, capitalizing on an opponent’s dwindling life to solidify your lead or turn the tides in your favor.


How to beat Cryptborn Horror

Cryptborn Horror presents a unique challenge for many players in MTG due to its trample ability and the potential to become a formidable creature. This horror grows in strength based on the amount of damage you take in a turn before it enters the battlefield. To keep this monster in check, focus on damage prevention or life gain strategies, which can nullify its ability to feed off your lost life points.

Spells like Fog can completely negate combat damage for a turn, ensuring that Cryptborn Horror enters the battlefield as a much less threatening creature. Life gain cards, such as Authority of the Consuls or Essence Warden, can help offset the damage Cryptborn Horror relies on to grow. Another effective tactic is to leverage creature removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Murder, to deal with Cryptborn Horror after it has hit the battlefield, regardless of its size. By preventing damage or managing your life total, and having removals at the ready, you can mitigate the impact that Cryptborn Horror can have on the game.

Tackling Cryptborn Horror head-on requires a combination of preemptive damage control and reactive removal strategies. When planned correctly, this will significantly reduce the card’s potential effectiveness and help maintain your edge on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the strengths and limitations of Cryptborn Horror is crucial for MTG players seeking to optimize their deck’s performance. Embrace the card’s potential by building around damage-dealing strategies and ensuring you can capitalize on its growth mechanic for a more formidable battlefield presence. Be mindful of the meta and incorporate cards that complement and counterbalance Cryptborn Horror’s unique attributes. Dive deeper into strategies that can turn this horror into a key asset and learn how to counteract its cons. Enhance your gameplay and collection by exploring further with us, where every match becomes not just a challenge, but a thrilling opportunity for victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cryptborn Horror MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Return to Ravnica, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Cryptborn Horror and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cryptborn Horror Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2012-10-05 and 2012-10-05. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 468832003NormalBlackNils Hamm
22012-10-05Return to RavnicaRTR 2122003NormalBlackRichard Wright
32012-10-05Return to Ravnica PromosPRTR 2122003NormalBlackNils Hamm

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cryptborn Horror has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Cryptborn Horror card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2012-10-01 Cryptborn Horror cares about the total life lost, not necessarily what an opponent’s life total is compared to what it was at the beginning of the turn. For example, if an opponent loses 5 life and then gains 10 life on the turn Cryptborn Horror enters the battlefield, it will enter with five +1/+1 counters on it.
2012-10-01 If no opponent has lost life on the turn Cryptborn Horror enters the battlefield, it will enter with no +1/+1 counters on it and be put into its owner’s graveyard (unless something else is raising its toughness).
2012-10-01 In multiplayer games, life lost the turn Cryptborn Horror enters the battlefield by opponents who left the game later that turn will count toward the value of X.
2012-10-01 Remember, damage dealt to a player causes that player to lose that much life (unless the source has infect).