Card Spotlight
Tovolar, Dire Overlord
A {1}{R}{G} 3/3 daybound Werewolf that draws a card whenever a Wolf or Werewolf you control deals combat damage to a player. With three or more Wolves and Werewolves at your upkeep, it makes it night, and its back face, Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge, adds a pump ability.
Commander Spotlight
Tovolar, Dire Overlord ↗
A {1}{R}{G} 3/3 daybound Werewolf that draws a card whenever a Wolf or Werewolf you control deals combat damage to a player. With three or more Wolves and Werewolves at your upkeep, it makes it night, and its back face, Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge, adds a pump ability.
See Tovolar, Dire Overlord's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Wolf token makers. Tovolar's Huntmaster makes two 2/2 Wolves when it enters, which gets you to the three Wolves and Werewolves Tovolar needs on its own.
- Card draw through combat. Each Wolf or Werewolf that deals combat damage to a player draws a card, so attacking wide with small Wolves refills your hand.
- Keeping it night. While you control three or more Wolves and Werewolves, Tovolar makes it night again at your upkeep, so opponents who cast two spells to make it day only keep it day until your next turn.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
As a Gruul commander it leads a Wolf and Werewolf tribal deck and is cheap enough to come down on turn three. It controls day and night for the whole table as long as you have three of the right creatures, and the back face's pump gives the deck a mana sink late in the game.
In the 99
In the 99 it's a solid include in any red-green Werewolf deck for the card draw alone. Outside a Wolf and Werewolf deck it does very little.
Formats it's strong in
- Gruul Wolf and Werewolf decks. Every Wolf token and Werewolf turns on both the card draw and the night trigger.
- Go-wide combat decks. Many small attackers mean many chances to connect, and each one that does draws a card.
Formats it's weak in
- Non-tribal Gruul decks. Without Wolves or Werewolves, neither ability does anything.
- Spell-heavy pods. Opponents who cast two spells in a turn flip it back to day, which returns your Werewolves to their front faces until night comes back.
Synergistic cards
Tovolar's Huntmaster ↗
Two Wolf tokens when it enters, and two more each time its back face enters or attacks.
Arlinn, the Pack's Hope ↗
A daybound planeswalker whose −3 makes two 2/2 Wolves. Its back face's 0 ability turns it into a 5/5 Werewolf creature until end of turn.
Howling Moon ↗
Gives a Wolf or Werewolf +2/+2 at each of your combats and makes a Wolf whenever an opponent casts their second spell in a turn.
Howlpack Piper ↗
A daybound Werewolf that puts creatures onto the battlefield from your hand and digs for more when it enters or transforms.
Is it worth the price?
The Midnight Hunt printing is inexpensive, and it was reprinted in Innistrad: Double Feature. The Secret Lair version costs considerably more if you want that art.
Frequently asked questions
How do daybound and nightbound work with Tovolar?
Day and night are a single game state the whole table shares. It becomes night if the active player casts no spells during their turn, and day again if a player casts two or more spells in a turn. Every daybound permanent flips together, so Tovolar and your other Werewolves transform at the same time.
What does Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge do?
The back face is a 4/4 that keeps the card draw on Wolf or Werewolf combat damage, and adds {X}{R}{G}: target Wolf or Werewolf you control gets +X/+0 and trample until end of turn.
How does Tovolar make it night?
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control three or more Wolves and/or Werewolves, it becomes night. Then you may transform any number of Human Werewolves you control, which includes older double-faced Werewolves that don't use daybound.