"Vampire Nighthawk" is a 2/3 black vampire shaman printed as an uncommon for the Magic the Gathering expansion set known as "Zendikar." This is one of the many vampires that have been printed in the Zendikar expansion set. So far, it would seem that the theme of vampires has become one of the biggest focus points with the release of Zendikar. In a black standard deck, Vampire Nighthawk seems to be a good card to have. There are benefits to having a few Vampire Nighthawk cards in your deck.

The converted mana cost for the Vampire Nighthawk is three. You will need two black mana and one colorless mana to play Vampire Nighthawk. For what the Vampire Nighthawk can do, the mana cost is pretty much reasonable. However, this pretty much effectively if you use Vampire Nighthawk in a black deck let alone one with vampires.

What does the Vampire Nighthawk do in the first place?

The Vampire Nighthawk has three great abilities. The first ability of the Vampire Nighthawk is that it has Flying. Should Vampire Nighthawk attack and your opponent has no creatures with Flying or Reach, then s/he is taking two points of combat damage. Should you be able to get Vampire Nighthawk onto the battlefield early enough, you could deal some sizable damage to an opponent. But, Flying is not the only ability for the Vampire Nighthawk.

The second ability is that it has Deathtouch. Deathtouch is a very handy ability for the most part. Should Vampire Nighthawk be blocked or blocking, the other creature will be destroyed unless it has Indestructibility. If your opponent has some creatures with Flying, s/he may probably take the damage at risk of destroying his/her own in the process. Either way, it is good for you. If your opponent blocks, you get to destroy the creatures. If your opponent does not block, you get to deal two points of combat damage.

The third ability is Lifelink. Whenever the Vampire Nighthawk deals combat damage, you gain that much in life points. Say that the Vampire Nighthawk attacks and manages to deal the combat damage, you would gain two points of life in return. When this ability is combined with Deathtouch, it makes your opponent decide: sacrifice a creature or allow you to gain two points of life?

There are two cards that can be grouped with Vampire Nighthawk. The first card would be the mythic rare from "Magic 2010" known as the Vampire Nocturnus. When that is on the battlefield, you play with the top card in your library revealed. If it is a vampire card, your vampires get +2/+1 and Flying. In this respect, the Vampire Nighthawk becomes a 4/4 with Flying, Deathtouch, and Lifelink. In this respect, you get to deal four points of damage if Vampire Nighthawk is not blocked.

The second card you want to use is the rare enchantment called "Sanguine Bond." Sanguine Bond, like Vampire Nocturnus, is one of the exclusively printed cards for Magic 2010. When Sanguine Bond is on the battlefield you can make a target player lose life points whenever you gain life points. If Sanguine Bond is on the battlefield, you can attack with Vampire Nighthawk and gain two points of life. Pick an opponent and have him/her lose two points of life with Sanguine Bond.

If you are playing black and blue, you can play "Rite of Replication" and pay the kicker. You simply use that spell and target Vampire Nighthawk. With a few Vampire Nighthawk cards, you can deal damage and gain life points at the same time.

Overall, Vampire Nighthawk alone is a pretty good card by itself. This is especially if it is brought onto the battlefield early enough. If you are playing a deck with black creatures let alone with vampires, Vampire Nighthawk is a good card to have.

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