Back to Battle for Zendikar

Nirkana Assassin

{2}{B}

Creature — Vampire Assassin Ally

BFZBattle for Zendikar#118common
Foil

Nirkana assassins craft incurable concoctions by mixing basilisk marrow and deathwillow sap with the vital fluids of a dozen other poisonous species.

Border
black
Frame
2015
Pull rate
about 3 per booster–1 in 971
Illustrator
Viktor Titov
Found in
Battle for Zendikar Intro Pack Call of Blood · Battle for Zendikar MTGO Redemption Foil · 3 more
Printings3
CommanderLegalModernLegalStandardNot legal
Format legality
AlchemyNot legal
BrawlNot legal
CommanderLegal
Competitive BrawlNot legal
DuelLegal
Future StandardNot legal
GladiatorNot legal
HistoricNot legal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
Old SchoolNot legal
PauperLegal
Pauper CommanderLegal
PennyLegal
PioneerLegal
PreDHNot legal
PremodernNot legal
StandardNot legal
Standard BrawlNot legal
TimelessNot legal
Tiny LeadersLegal
VintageLegal
Whenever you gain life, this creature gains deathtouch until end of turn. (Any amount of damage it deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
2/3
Market · per finishspark updated 7h ago · prices as of 2026-07-12
Nonfoil+0.0%
$0.05
$0.01 low$0.00 gap
Foil+0.0%
$0.15
$0.01 low-$0.07 gap
Cheapest playable copy$0.05· across 3 printings

Rulings

3 · latest Aug 25, 2015 · one tap opens all
  • WotCAug 25, 2015

    A creature with lifelink dealing combat damage is a single life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, the ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.

  • WotCAug 25, 2015

    In a Two-Headed Giant game, life gained by your teammate won’t cause the ability to trigger, even though it causes your team’s life total to increase.

  • WotCAug 25, 2015

    The ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it’s 1 life from Drana’s Emissary or 7 life from Nissa’s Renewal.