Crestfallen as I am that Vampires have all but ceased to exist (at least until we get ourselves another viable Halloween-themed set [especially for wuffies/werewuffies, too!]), it just means that their animal forms, the Bats, get to run wild and free. After all, if Anne Rice has taught us anything, in order to understand the Vampire, we first have to understand the Bat. From what I can understand, they're a clan with a similar taste for blood as sustenance.
While Ruin-Lurker Bat seems mediocre on its own as a one-mana Bat, scrying after putting a card into my graveyard from anywhere can prove helpful in the long run! The serious life-gain combo, however, begins with a Bat and a Phyrexian! Or, rather, Lifecreed Duo and Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim respectively! o: If you have something like that from the get-go, Starscape Cleric is gonna prove fatal for the opponent, especially if you capitalize on its Offspring keyword for an extra ! Wanna gain life and annoy your opponents? Then Sonar Strike is gonna be perfect synergy with your Bats and their healing factor, whether the opponent's creature's attacking, blocking, or just already tapped! And thanks to some convincing from Wuffenheimer, Invasion of Dominaria
will certainly replenish my hand by one extra card upon granting me life, and if the battle is won, the Bats will get help from above! ;3 Depending how many Bats you have on your battlefield already, the deck's lead heroine, Zoraline, Cosmos Caller, is gonna provide some serious life-gain!
But the real meat-and-potatoes of the deck come from three particular cards! Firstly, a nod to Vampires in the form of a Battle - Invasion of Ulgrotha
- which already guarantees damage to the opponent and life-gain for you upon activation! Secondly, a nod to Aztec gods - Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal (LCI) - which assures hand control upon attacking and a bonus Bat Token if said card discarded is a land card! Thirdly, a nod to Blinky's name origin - Starseer Mentor - forces the opponent to make a crucial decision in the end step if I've either gained or lost life during that turn!
If you thought Bats in your hair were annoying, you're not gonna wanna face these Bats on the battlefield! :3
