Crime Novelist — Plotting Profit from Sacrifice

Crime Novelist is a compact engine in red decks that lean on artifacts and sacrifice. At a casting cost of {2}{R}, this Goblin Bard arrives as a 1/3 that grows each time you let an artifact go. The ability also produces incremental red mana so the card accelerates into further plays while serving as a recurring threat on the board. It fits cleanly into artifact sacrifice shells and token or treasure strategies where every sacrifice fuels both board presence and tempo.

From a lore angle the card reads like a scene note left at a crime scene. The novelist's pen is literal and transactional. In play that sensibility translates to small, repeatable value rather than a single explosive payoff. The Light Play foil offered here is a collectible print for players who value table presence and functionality. Use it as a turn one or two play in aggressive artifact decks or as a reliable piece in midrange lists that convert sacrifices into steady advantage.

Card Details:

• Mana Cost – {2}{R}
• Card Type – Creature
• Subtypes – Goblin Bard
• Card Text / Rules Text (Printed) – Whenever you sacrifice an artifact, put a +1/+1 counter on Crime Novelist and add {R}.
• Power / Toughness – 1/3
• Rarity – Uncommon
• Set – Murders at Karlov Manor
• Language – English
• Style – Foil
• Condition – Light Play