Each of the five colors in Magic the Gathering has its own philosophy on life and methodology for accomplishing its goals. Black magic is the most self-concerned of all the colors, valuing ambition and the pursuit of power.
While this does not necessarily mean that all black magic practitioners are evil, it is undeniable that some of Magic’s most iconic, and most deadly, villains have been strongly aligned with black magic. Looking to the many exciting Magic villains throughout the years can be great way to get inspiration for a Dungeons and Dragons game, especially one that takes place on one of the many planes of the Magic multiverse.
10 Yawgmoth Created Magic’s Biggest Villain
One of the oldest and most iconic villains in all of Magic history, Yawgmoth was a human physician who went on to create the cosmically evil machine race the Phyrexians. Obsessed with plagues and disease, Yawgmoth used his magical and technical expertise to take over an abandoned artificial plane, naming it Phyrexia and creating a force that would plague the multiverse for centuries.
Yawgmoth’s early career as a court physician makes him an interesting candidate for D&D villain, as he starts life relatively mundane. A party could watch as a once-confidant slowly pursues darker and darker magics and eventually becomes a powerful enemy.
9 Sheoldred Is A Powerful Leader
Once the powerful Phyrexians took over the metal plane of Mirrodin and renamed it New Phyrexia, they were led by five praetors, one for each color. In a council of cruel leaders, Sheoldred was the most overbearing and direct. She was obsessed with dominating all those who stood against her.
Sheoldred is fairly rooted in Magic’s unique lore and setting, but her design is what makes her possibly most useable in a game of D&D. Her main form is a scrolling, scrabbling worm-like creature, but she has a secondary shell complete with giant claws and a gaping maw. This could make for a fun two-phase boss fight at the end of a campaign, Phyrexian or not.
8 Ob Nixilis Is An Extra Planar Conquerer
First introduced in a fallen Demonic form, Ob Nixilis hails from an unknown plane rocked by constant and unceasing war. When he and a platoon of his soldiers discovered an ancient demon summoning chamber, he sacrificed them all to perform a conjuring ritual. The demon laid waste to his plane, leaving him the sole survivor and activating his spark.
He went on to plunder and conquer every and any plane he came across. Pitting a D&D party against an extraplanar warlord is a great way to keep them on their back foot, as they will never know what kind of magic will be coming their way.
7 Nicol Bolas Is The Archetypical Mastermind
Far and away the biggest overarching Magic villain of the last decade, Nicol Bolas is everything a major villain should be. His plots and schemes are far-reaching, and while many fans decried his omnipresence, he is undoubtedly a strong place to start when writing a D&D antagonist.
Bolas is a powerful dragon and sorcerer constantly pursuing power and supremacy at a planar scale. A D&D campaign featuring a Bolas-style villain could start with battling cultists and seemingly unrelated agents before slowly making the climb to the top of the heap.
6 Drana Is Attempting To Rebuild Her People Through Vampiric Rituals
Vampires are a classic villain, with Bram Stoker’s Dracula often forming the backbone of most vampires in D&D. Drana gives a different perspective on the vampiric overlord, as she and her people actually joined with the forces of the Gatewatch to defeat the Eldrazi. After this war, Drana was left as the undisputed leader of all of Zendikar’s vampires. Her attempts to rebuild vampire-kind by creating more bloodchiefs could make for a great follow-up story to a massive conflict.
5 Griselbrand Is A Demon To End All Demons
D&D stories are no strangers to powerful demon lords, but Griselbrand’s specific qualities make him an excellent option for a campaign villain. He was one of the four demons who made a pact with the planeswalker Liliana Vess, giving her great power in exchange for her soul.
This echoes the pacts that D&D warlocks make, nicely fitting him into any campaign. Perhaps one of the players is a warlock on a quest to destroy their patron, or perhaps they must assist an important NPC on a similar task.
4 King Macar Is A Twist On A Classic Myth
Magic the Gathering has always had a two-faceted approach to designs. On the one hand will be extremely unique ideas, concepts, and aesthetics. On the other is clear allusions to tropes and characters from existing cultures and media. King Macar is one of the latter, as he represents a clear representation of the myth of King Midas.
Little is known about King Macar and his golden curse, but the artwork suggests he is much more willing to use is “gift” than his mythological counterpart. A D&D campaign evil king with the power to turn anyone to gold could be a fun twist on a classic tale.
3 Tatsunari Could Be A Fun Underdog Enemy
Introduced in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasties, Tatsunari was a petty street thief who became obsessed with kami magic after attempting to pickpocket a monk. No spirits would work with him willingly, so he raised a toad from a canal to become his massive mount.
Tatsunari might not be campaign-ending boss material, but he is a great option for a side-villain early on in a D&D game. His grudge against the kami and those who shared in their power would make a magically-inclined D&D party a perfect target.
2 Jeleva Is Not The Classic Vampire
Innistrad is full of classic, blood-sucking vampires, but Jeleva is a little bit different. Though she is primarily black aligned, she also uses blue and red mana, reflecting her volatile nature and taste for the minds of powerful wizards. Jeleva feasts on fear and memories as much as she feeds on blood, making her a fun twist on the vampire trope.
D&D vampires often follow in the footsteps of Baron Strahd von Zarovich, but a lurking, sneaking, stealthy vampire that is willing to do the dirty work herself makes for a fantastic twist.
1 Kaalia Brings Together Three Powerful Adversaries
Kaalia has a tragic backstory that led her into her unique brand of villainy. Born to a poor farmer, she lost her home to an attack by demonic cultists and was saved by a Nacatle named Nira. Kaalia’s magic grew, and she vowed revenge on the demon that killed her family.
Kaalia’s unique abilities give her an affinity for demons, dragons, and angels, three types of creatures not often brought together. D&D features all these creatures prominently, though not often at the same time. Building a coalition of these three extremely powerful types of monsters around a vengeful lieutenant would make for an epic and unexpected campaign premise.
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