Blood

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Blood
Artifact Type
(Subtype for artifact cards)
Rules {1},{T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card
Storm Scale 2[1]
Statistics
0 cards
37 Blood creation cards
{W} 2.7% {U} 2.7% {B} 43.2% {R} 29.7% {B/R} 8.1% {B/G} 2.7% {R/W} 2.7% {artifact symbol} 5.4% {land symbol} 2.7%
as of March of the Machine
Scryfall Search
type:"Blood"
Not to be confused with Blood counter.

Blood is a predefined token and artifact type introduced in Innistrad: Crimson Vow.[2][3][4] In this set, it is mechanically tied to vampires, and mainly appears in black and red.

Description

The type only appears on predefined tokens. Blood tokens have "{1}, {T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card." They are cheaper to activate than Clue tokens, but have the added cost of discarding a card, which make them more appealing to sacrifice for other outlets, like how Food had various secondary sacrifice payoffs. Unlike Clue tokens, Blood tokens have to be tapped before sacrifice.

Blood tokens are simple, versatile tokens that offer you a way to trade in cards in the late game for chances to draw something more useful. They are especially suited to sets and decks that use the graveyard as a resource. Like the similar Cycling ability, it also fits nicely in Madness decks.[5] Flavorfully, a lot of dark magic uses blood as a component. In specific, the design plays into blood omens (aka using blood as a means to see the future).[6]

Blood tokens prompted a rules change where the word "Token" is now in the name of all tokens created by specifying only a subtype rather than a name. Thus the name of a Blood token is literally "Blood Token", not "Blood". This avoids the possibility of using Pithing Needle on Blood tokens by naming the "Blood" side of the card Flesh // Blood or other name overlaps.[7]

Blood tokens are considered to be deciduous.[1]

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Blood Token
A Blood token is a colorless artifact token with “{1}, {T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.” For more information about predefined tokens, see rule 111.10.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

  • 111.10. Some effects instruct a player to create a predefined token. These effects use the definition below to determine the characteristics the token is created with. The effect that creates a predefined token may also modify or add to the predefined characteristics.
    • 111.10a A Treasure token is a colorless Treasure artifact token with “{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”
    • 111.10b A Food token is a colorless Food artifact token with “{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”
    • 111.10c A Gold token is a colorless Gold artifact token with “Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”
    • 111.10d A Walker token is a 2/2 black Zombie creature token named Walker.
    • 111.10e A Shard token is a colorless Shard enchantment token with “{2}, Sacrifice this enchantment: Scry 1, then draw a card.”
    • 111.10f A Clue token is a colorless Clue artifact token with “{2}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
    • 111.10g A Blood token is a colorless Blood artifact token with “{1}, {T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
    • 111.10h A Powerstone token is a colorless Powerstone artifact token with “{T}: Add {C}. This mana can’t be spent to cast a nonartifact spell.”
    • 111.10i An Incubator token is a transforming double-faced token. Its front face is a colorless Incubator artifact with “{2}: Transform this artifact.” Its back face is a 0/0 colorless Phyrexian artifact creature named Phyrexian Token.
    • 111.10j A Cursed Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Cursed with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature has base power and toughness 1/1.”
    • 111.10k A Monster Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Monster with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.”
    • 111.10m A Royal Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Royal with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward {1}.”
    • 111.10n A Sorcerer Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Sorcerer with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ‘Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1.’”
    • 111.10p A Virtuous Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Virtuous with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.”
    • 111.10q A Wicked Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Wicked with enchant creature, “Enchanted creature gets +1/+1,” and “When this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life.”
    • 111.10r A Young Hero Role token is a colorless Aura Role enchantment token named Young Hero with enchant creature and “Enchanted creature has ‘Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it.’”
    • 111.10s A Map token is a colorless Map artifact token with “{1}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.” See rule 701.40, “Explore.”
    • 111.10t A Junk token is a colorless Junk artifact token with “{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn. Activate only as a sorcery.”

Rulings

  • If an effect refers to a Blood token, it means any artifact token with the subtype Blood, even if it has gained other subtypes.[8]
  • You can't sacrifice a Blood token to pay multiple costs.
  • Some triggered abilities trigger "whenever you sacrifice a Blood token." These abilities trigger regardless of why you sacrificed that Blood token.
  • Some spells that instruct you to create a Blood token require targets. You can't cast these spells without choosing all required targets, and if all of those targets become illegal targets, the spell won't resolve and you won't create any Blood tokens. If some but not all of those targets become illegal, you'll do as much as possible, including creating Blood tokens.

Blood tokens

Token Name Color Type Line P/T Text Box Source Printings
Blood[a] Colorless Artifact — Blood {1},{T}, Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card

Notes

  1. The full name of this token is "Blood Token". This means it does not have the same name as the "Blood" side of the card Flesh // Blood, and cannot be named for effects like Pithing Needle.

References

  1. a b Mark Rosewater (March 28, 2022). "Deciduous". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. Matt Tabak (October 28, 2021). "Innistrad: Crimson Vow Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. Mark Rosewater (November 1, 2021). "From Vow On, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. Mark Rosewater (December 4, 2023). "Lessons Learned, Part 7". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. Mark Rosewater (October 28, 2021). "Are positive interactions between blood tokens and...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  6. Mark Rosewater (October 28, 2021). "What’s the flavor of Blood?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  7. Mark Rosewater (November 2, 2021). "There has been a change to how token naming works.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  8. Wizards of the Coast] (November 10, 2021). "Innistrad: Crimson Vow Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.