Lena, Selfless Champion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Knight
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Lena’s entry effect creates numerous 1/1 tokens scaling with your creature count, adding board presence rapidly.
  2. Instant-speed sacrifice protects key creatures, making Lena a tactical shield in dire situations.
  3. Specific white mana cost and high casting cost may limit deck inclusion but reward strategic builds.

Text of card

When Lena, Selfless Champion enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token for each nontoken creature you control. Sacrifice Lena: Creatures you control with power less than Lena's power gain indestructible until end of turn.

"Those who do evil and those who do nothing are equally worthy of contempt."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lena, Selfless Champion provides a potent way to potentially create a significant number of 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens when she enters the battlefield. This swarm of tokens not only boosts your army but can also serve as a protective barrier against threats to your life total.

Resource Acceleration: Although Lena doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense, her ability to flood the board with tokens can be leveraged with other cards to ramp mana or enact powerful synergies, turning a wide board state into a form of indirect resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: While Lena herself isn’t an instant, her sacrifice ability can be activated at instant speed. This permits strategic protection of your valuable non-token creatures from mass removal spells or combat damage, which can be a game-changing defensive maneuver during a critical turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Lena, Selfless Champion doesn’t require you to discard cards as a cost, similar cards in this role might, forcing you to weigh the value of board presence against the cards in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Lena, Selfless Champion demands a dedicated white mana investment, making her less flexible for multi-color decks that might struggle to meet the triple white mana cost inherent to her casting.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, Lena can be quite demanding on your resources. This may detract from the overall tempo of aggressive decks looking to capitalize on faster, lower-cost creatures.


Reasons to Include Lena, Selfless Champion in Your Collection

Versatility: Lena, Selfless Champion is a flexible card able to defend players from various threats with her unique ability to create a number of 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens equal to the number of creatures you control upon entering the battlefield. This can rapidly alter the state of play, providing not just a defensive barrier but also a potential offensive force.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with decks focusing on token generation and strategies that amplify the power of creatures. She can escalate the effects of cards that count the number of creatures you control, making her a pivotal inclusion for “go-wide” strategies.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that’s heavy with board wipes and direct removal, Lena offers a way to quickly repopulate the board. In environments where creatures matter, Lena’s value significantly increases as she both swells your ranks and has the potential to protect your team from a critical turn.


How to beat

Lena, Selfless Champion, is a formidable force on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, offering a strong board presence with her ability to generate tokens based on the number of creatures you control. To counter her impact, prioritize removal spells that can address multiple creatures at once. Sweepers like Wrath of God or Doomskar are effective in clearing the tokens she creates. Spot removal is less efficient due to her triggered ability granting indestructibility upon her exit.

Control strategies can also be a hindrance to Lena’s playstyle. Counters like Cancel or Essence Scatter ensure she doesn’t hit the field at all, negating her ability to influence the board state. For the more combative approach, consider cards that dictate combat conditions, such as Silent Arbiter, to limit how many of Lena’s tokens can attack. Alternatively, take advantage of sacrifice effects to bypass her indestructibility grant, one such example being Diabolic Edict or Liliana’s Triumph. Remember, matching her strategy with the right answer will often tilt the scales in your favor.

Successfully overcoming Lena requires a combination of foresight and responsive play. Keep your answers ready, and don’t let her build up an overwhelming presence. Instead, address her efficiently and continue to develop your board state, ensuring that your strategy remains uninterrupted by her potential rally.


BurnMana Recommendations

Enhancing your MTG gameplay starts with understanding the strategic depth of each card, like Lena, Selfless Champion. Her ability to amass an army of 1/1 tokens makes her a valuable asset in any white deck. Whether you’re looking to fortify your defenses or prepare for an all-out attack, Lena’s versatility ensures that your tactics evolve with the game. Consider incorporating synergy-driven cards that bolster your token strategy for an even more formidable presence on the battlefield. If you’re intrigued by the potential Lena offers and keen on discovering new, powerful card interactions, visit us for insights and optimize your deck to its fullest potential.


Cards like Lena, Selfless Champion

Lena, Selfless Champion embodies the spirit of sacrifice and mass creature production in Magic: The Gathering. This card mirrors the qualities seen in cards such as Captain of the Watch, who also grants a significant boost to soldier tokens upon entry. However, Lena’s unique ability to sacrifice herself for the protection of her smaller comrades adds a layer of strategy not present in the Captain’s straightforward buffs.

Another card worth comparing is Hero of Bladehold, whose battle cry ability shares Lena’s penchant for generating a more robust attack force. While Hero of Bladehold excels at creating tokens when attacking, Lena stands out by protecting a wide board state, offering a defensive edge. Additionally, any deck that leverages the power of tokens will find value in the instant army that cards like Geist-Honored Monk provides, though it lacks Lena’s sacrificial utility, it’s another parallel in creature generation.

Parsing the characteristics of these analogous cards highlights Lena, Selfless Champion’s unique role in token strategies. Despite the shared thematic elements with other creature-centric cards, Lena’s self-sacrifice for the greater good marks her as an exceptional choice for safeguarding a developed board presence.

Captain of the Watch - MTG Card versions
Hero of Bladehold - MTG Card versions
Geist-Honored Monk - MTG Card versions
Captain of the Watch - Magic 2010 (M10)
Hero of Bladehold - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Geist-Honored Monk - Innistrad (ISD)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lena, Selfless Champion MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2019 and Core Set 2019 Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Lena, Selfless Champion and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lena, Selfless Champion Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-07-13 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Lucas Graciano.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 212015normalblackLucas Graciano
22018-07-13Core Set 2019 PromosPM19 21s2015normalblackLucas Graciano
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 1172015normalblackLucas Graciano

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lena, Selfless Champion has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Lena, Selfless Champion card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2018-07-13 Lena’s last ability affects only creatures you control with the appropriate power at the time it resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won’t gain indestructible, and a creature you control whose power increases later in the turn won’t lose indestructible.
2018-07-13 The number of nontoken creatures you control is counted only as Lena’s first ability resolves. If Lena is still on the battlefield (and not somehow a token), it will count itself.
2018-07-13 To determine which creatures gain indestructible while resolving Lena’s last ability, use Lena’s power as it last existed on the battlefield.

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