Vampires have been one of Magic's most iconic creatures for years, ever since the release of the humble Sengir Vampire all the way back in Alpha. Vampires have come a long way since then though, and today they're one of the most versatile and mechanically rich creature types in the game. They're everywhere, especially in the commander format, and if you want to use them in your decks, these are the heavy hitters to watch out for.

Blood Artist

According to EDHREC, Blood Artist is the most-played vampire in commander, and anyone familiar with the format knows exactly why. It's a staple in decks that care about creatures dying or being sacrificed, and it's so iconic that every card that drains players when creatures die gets compared to it. Blood Artist turns fourteen years old in 2026, but the card has stood the test of time and has been left relatively untouched by power creep.

Viscera Seer

Another staple of aristocrats decks, Viscera Seer is one of commander's premiere sacrifice outlets, being just one mana and sacrificing creatures for free at instant speed. While it doesn't have the offensive capabilities of cards like Carrion Feeder or Bartolome del Presidio, which grow as they sacrifice creatures, the scry can be just as helpful, letting you set up your future turns.

Charismatic Conqueror

The newest card on this list, Charismatic Conqueror made a splash when it was released in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander. While its power level depends on the rest of the table, its ability to create a bunch of tokens or force your opponents to play creatures and artifacts tapped are both strong, especially at just two mana. For this reason, it sees a lot of play, especially in higher brackets where fast mana and treasures run rampant.

Edgar Markov

Edgar Markov's impact on the commander format cannot be overstated. Released almost ten years ago, this card singlehandedly took vampire deck to the next level with one of Magic's strongest mechanics: eminence. From the command zone, Edgar can create an army of vampire tokens for free if you keep casting vampires before growing your board when he finally comes down and attacks. He currently sits at number two on EDHREC's most popular commander ranking and is the go-to vampire commander.

Twilight Prophet

Another good card that happens to be a vampire, Twilight Prophet is one of the stronger iterations we've seen on Dark Confidant. It may cost more mana to cast, but the upside of draining your opponents with the city's blessing and the solid stat line make this a great card advantage engine and potential win condition.

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Vito has a lot of homes in commander, being one of the best payoffs for lifegain decks and being right at home in Lifelink-heavy vampire decks. It is also an infamous combo card, being the other half to a two-card infinite with Exquisite Blood that drains the table to death. The combo got a lot better in 2024 too, as the release of Bloodthirsty Conqueror in Foundations means both combo pieces are now vampires and can both be made uncounterable with Cavern of Souls or cheated into play with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord.

Bloodline Keeper

If you want to put together a vampire commander deck, Bloodline Keeper should be one of the first cards you add. It does just about everything vampires want to do: it can create vampire tokens without spending mana, has a trivial transformation cost and on the back it provides a big anthem while continuing to make tokens. Outside of dedicated vampire decks, it will be a little harder to transform consistently, but it can still make a 2/2 with flying every turn, which is pretty good for token and aristocrats decks.

Bloodghast

Like Blood Artist, Bloodghast is another old card that, while its design space has been iterated on repeatedly, has stood the test of time and become one of the most-played vampires in commander. This card is another staple in sacrifice decks as a card that can be easily brought back from the graveyard, but it can also be a combo or synergy piece for landfall and graveyard decks.

Welcoming Vampire

When I first started playing commander, one of players' biggest complaints was the lack of card draw options for Mono-White decks. Welcoming Vampire was one of the earliest answers to these concerns, and almost five years later it's still one of the best vampires in the format. Drawing a card every turn when a small creature enters is powerful, even when limited to once each turn, and its low mana value and power make it a great card draw engine for tokens and decks built around small creatures.

Bloodletter of Aclazotz

While cards that double damage aren't new, Bloodletter of Aclazotz marks the first time we've seen this type of effect in Mono-Black. This is a very strong card and sees a ton of play, especially in burn, aggro and combo decks, the fact that it's a vampire is just icing on the cake.