Consul's Lieutenant MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Consul’s Lieutenant doesn’t directly let you draw cards, its renowned mechanic surely pressures opponents as it transforms into a more formidable threat. By becoming renowned, it not only becomes a bigger creature, but also encourages card advantage through its ability to encourage attacking with other creatures, potentially leading to further advantageous board states.

Resource Acceleration: Consul’s Lieutenant is not a direct source of resource acceleration in the traditional sense of providing additional mana. However, its low mana cost and the potential to become a 3/2 creature makes it an efficient use of resources early in the game. This can lead to a faster-paced development of your battlefield presence, indirectly accelerating your resources by applying pressure and dictating the pace of the game.

Instant Speed: Although Consul’s Lieutenant is a creature card and does not operate at instant speed, the swift impact it can have on the game’s momentum aligns with the benefits instant speed plays offer. By being a first strike creature once renowned, it can act as both a formidable attacker and a powerful deterrent during your opponent’s combat phase, mimicking the instant speed defensive utility.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Having Consul’s Lieutenant in your deck means being prepared to potentially discard another card to trigger its renown ability, which could put you at a disadvantage if your hand is already light on options.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires one white mana out of its two total mana cost. This specificity necessitates a solid white mana base to consistently cast it on time, potentially limiting its inclusion to mono-white or two-color decks where white is a primary color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana may not seem steep, in an aggressive deck, every mana point counts. Considering other two-drop creatures in the white weenie archetype, some players might find the cost of Consul’s Lieutenant a bit high for what the card offers before it becomes renowned.

Reasons to Include Consul’s Lieutenant in Your Collection

Versatility: This white Human Soldier fits snugly into White Weenie and even some midrange decks, offering a valuable early play that can become a formidable threat if renowned. With first strike, Consul’s Lieutenant is a solid choice for combat-centric strategies too.

Combo Potential: When renowned, Consul’s Lieutenant gives other attacking creatures +1/+1, synergizing well with token strategies and mechanics like Battalion, where bolstering your army leads to overwhelming your opponent.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta with an abundance of small creatures or where early board presence is crucial, Consul’s Lieutenant shines with its ability to dominate early skirmishes and later on enhance your creature pushes, making it a card well worth considering in the current deck-building landscape.

How to beat Consul’s Lieutenant

Consul’s Lieutenant is a renowned card in the realm of MTG, heralded for its First Strike ability and the potential to buff other creatures when it becomes renowned. Once it achieves renown, engaging in combat with your opponent’s creatures can become daunting. However, to overcome Consul’s Lieutenant, one must adopt a strategy of removal or control before it becomes too powerful.

Direct removal spells like Doom Blade or Pacifism can effectively sideline Consul’s Lieutenant before it gets a chance to impact the board. Alternatively, utilizing creatures with deathtouch or presenting blockers that outclass it statwise are strategies that can prevent it from becoming renowned. Stalling tactics can give you time to draw into the answers you need or to develop your board presence sufficiently. Overall, while Consul’s Lieutenant can significantly alter the state of play if left unchecked, prompt and strategic responses can prevent it from asserting dominance on the battlefield.