Blood BurglarHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Conditional Keyword

Blood Burglar features a static ability that grants it lifelink only during your turn. Lifelink is a keyword ability that causes damage dealt by the creature to also cause its controller to gain that much life. Because this ability is tied to the current turn, Blood Burglar is a potent attacker but a standard blocker.

Resolution Step by Step

When Blood Burglar deals damage during your turn, the life gain happens simultaneously with the damage being dealt. It does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. If it deals combat damage to a player or creature, or even non-combat damage if an effect causes it to do so, you immediately gain life equal to the damage dealt. Once your turn ends and your opponent's turn begins, the lifelink ability ceases to exist on Blood Burglar.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most frequent error is assuming Blood Burglar has lifelink while blocking on an opponent's turn. It does not. If an opponent attacks you and you block with Blood Burglar, you will not gain life from that exchange. Additionally, lifelink only applies to damage; it does not apply to loss of life effects caused by other cards.

Strategic Timing

To get the most out of Blood Burglar, you should focus on maximizing its combat opportunities during your declare attackers step. It is also important to remember that if you have ways to grant it additional power or double strike during your turn, the lifelink will scale accordingly, providing a significant health buffer.

Interaction examples

Aerial Burglaries

Ornithopter of Paradise

If you attack with Blood Burglar and your opponent blocks with Ornithopter of Paradise during your turn, Blood Burglar deals 2 damage to the Ornithopter of Paradise. Because it is your turn, Blood Burglar has lifelink and you immediately gain 2 life as the artifact creature is destroyed.

Vampiric Differences

Blood Artist

During your turn, if Blood Burglar and another creature die in combat, Blood Artist will trigger twice, causing a player to lose 1 life and you to gain 1 life for each death. Note that Blood Artist's ability is a triggered 'gain life' effect, whereas Blood Burglar's lifelink is an inherent property of the damage it deals while attacking.

Defense Without Lifelink

During your opponent's turn, they attack you with a 2/2 creature. You block with Blood Burglar. Both creatures deal 2 damage to each other and die. Because it is not your turn, Blood Burglar does not have lifelink, and you gain 0 life from this combat encounter.