Blood Tribute is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Kicker—Tap an untapped Vampire you control. (You may tap a Vampire you control in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell.) Target opponent loses half their life, rounded up. If this spell was kicked, you gain life equal to the life lost this way.
Complete guide
Blood Tribute is a devastating sorcery from the Zendikar era that can swing the momentum of a game in a single stroke. By tapping a Vampire ally, you transform a life-loss effect into a massive health recovery for yourself. Understanding how to maximize this life total shift is key to mastering black-aligned strategies.
What it Does
Blood Tribute targets a specific opponent and forces them to lose half of their current life total, rounding up. This means if an opponent has 19 life, they lose 10 life. If you pay the Kicker cost by tapping an untapped Vampire you control, the spell also allows you to gain an amount of life exactly equal to the amount that opponent lost.
How it Resolves Step by Step
First, as you cast the spell, you choose your target opponent and decide whether to pay the Kicker cost. If you choose to kick it, you tap an untapped Vampire you control. Note that you can tap a Vampire that has 'summoning sickness' to pay this cost. Upon resolution, the game checks the opponent's current life total. The life loss occurs first, and then, if the spell was kicked, you gain life. These two events happen sequentially during the spell's resolution.
Common Mistakes
One common mistake is trying to pay the Kicker cost multiple times; the rules state you may only pay the Kicker cost once. Additionally, if you use a card like Living Death to bring Blood Tribute back to your hand or play it via other effects, you must still cast it to pay the Kicker. If you put a spell directly onto the stack without casting it, you cannot choose to pay the Kicker. Finally, remember that the life gain is dependent on the amount of life actually lost by the opponent; if an effect prevents life loss, you will not gain any life.
When to Play it
Blood Tribute is most effective early in the game or against opponents with high life totals, as 'half their life' scales with their current health. It is an excellent finisher when you have a Vampire on board to ensure the life swing benefits you as much as it hurts them. It also bypasses 'damage' prevention because it specifically causes life loss.
Interaction examples
You have a Vampire creature on the battlefield and cast Blood Tribute for {4}{B}{B}. You tap the Vampire to pay the Kicker cost. Your opponent is at 20 life. Upon resolution, the opponent loses 10 life (half of 20), and because the spell was kicked, you gain 10 life.
Blasphemous EdictIf you intend to use a board wipe like Blasphemous Edict, make sure to cast Blood Tribute first while you still have a Vampire to tap for the Kicker. If you cast Blasphemous Edict first and sacrifice your creatures, you will no longer have a Vampire available to kick Blood Tribute, losing out on the life gain portion of the spell.
Living DeathIf you cast Living Death, all creatures are swapped from graveyards to the battlefield. Since Blood Tribute is a sorcery, it remains in your graveyard. If you later return Blood Tribute to your hand and cast it, you can tap one of the Vampires returned by Living Death to pay the Kicker cost, even if that Vampire was just put onto the battlefield this turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Blood Tribute
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can't kick it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked. If the copied spell is a permanent spell, the token the copy of that spell becomes when it enters is also kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent, the new permanent isn't kicked, even if the original was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You can tap a creature that hasn't been under your control since your most recent turn began to pay the kicker cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Blood Tribute
- 1Cast Blood Tribute with kicker by paying
and tapping Vito, causing an opponent to lose half their life total rounded up and you to gain the much life. - 2Vito triggers, causing the opponent to lose life equal to the life you gained.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having 0 or less life.
Bloodletter of Aclazotz + Blood Tribute
- 1Cast Blood Tribute by paying , causing an opponent to lose their entire life total due to Bloodletter of Aclazotz.
- 2The opponent loses the game due to having 0 or less life.
- 3You may optionally pay Blood Tribute's kicker cost if you control an untapped Vampire to gain life equal to the chosen opponent's life total.
Astarion, the Decadent + Blood Tribute
- 1Cast Blood Tribute by paying and optionally choosing to tap a Vampire, causing an opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up, and causing you to gain life equal to the life lost this way if you paid the kicker cost.
- 2At the beginning of your end step, Astarion triggers, causing an opponent to lose life equal to the life they lost this turn.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having 0 or less life.
Zevlor, Elturel Exile + Blood Tribute + Wound Reflection
- 1Activate Zevlor by paying
and tapping it, causing you to copy the next spell you cast this turn that targets a single opponent for each other opponent. - 2Cast Blood Tribute with kicker by paying and tapping a Vampire you control, targeting any opponent.
- 3Zevlor triggers, copying Peer into the Abyss for each opponent.
- 4Resolve each Peer into the Abyss, causing each opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up, and you to gain life equal to the life lost this way.
- 5At the beginning of your end step, Wound Reflection triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the life they lost this turn.
- 6Each opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Zevlor, Elturel Exile + Blood Tribute + Archfiend of Despair
- 1Activate Zevlor by paying and tapping it, causing you to copy the next spell you cast this turn that targets a single opponent for each other opponent.
- 2Cast Blood Tribute with kicker by paying and tapping a Vampire you control, targeting any opponent.
- 3Zevlor triggers, copying Peer into the Abyss for each opponent.
- 4Resolve each Peer into the Abyss, causing each opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up, and you to gain life equal to the life lost this way.
- 5At the beginning of your end step, Archfiend of Despair triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the life they lost this turn.
- 6Each opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Zevlor, Elturel Exile + Blood Tribute + Warlock Class
- 1Activate Zevlor by paying and tapping it, causing you to copy the next spell you cast this turn that targets a single opponent for each other opponent.
- 2Cast Blood Tribute with kicker by paying and tapping a Vampire you control, targeting any opponent.
- 3Zevlor triggers, copying Peer into the Abyss for each opponent.
- 4Resolve each Peer into the Abyss, causing each opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up, and you to gain life equal to the life lost this way.
- 5At the beginning of your end step, Warlock Class triggers, causing each opponent to lose life equal to the life they lost this turn.
- 6Each opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Blood Tribute
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