Court of Locthwain MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Court of Locthwain excels in providing consistent card draws to maintain a strategic advantage.
  2. This card synergizes well with strategies requiring quick response and interaction at instant speed.
  3. It demands careful play due to its discard condition and specific mana cost considerations.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Court of Locthwain MTG card by a specific set like Wilds of Eldraine Commander and Wilds of Eldraine Art Series, 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 Court of Locthwain and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

When Court of Locthwain enters the battlefield, you become the monarch. At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of target opponent's library. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast it. If you're the monarch, until end of turn, you may cast a spell from among cards exiled with Court of Locthwain without paying its mana cost.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Court of Locthwain card offers consistent draw abilities, adept at ensuring you have an ample supply of options each turn. The ability to draw an additional card during your upkeep sets you up for success, providing strategic depth and maintaining pressure on your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly offering resource acceleration like mana artifacts, the consistent card draw can effectively accelerate your access to resources by increasing the likelihood of drawing into land drops or key spells. This augmented card flow is critical in resource management, especially in longer matches.

Instant Speed: Although Court of Locthwain operates at sorcery speed, it seamlessly integrates into strategies that benefit from instant speed interactions. By drawing at upkeep, it frees up mana on your own turn to cast spells with swift response times, thereby optimizing your tactical plays and keeping opponents guessing.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Court of Locthwain demands a discard if you activate its ability without Adamant, a caveat you can’t ignore when considering deck synergy and resource balance.

Specific Mana Cost: Playing this card requires a commitment to black mana, which might not seamlessly fit into a multi-colored deck, potentially affecting its versatility across different deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its allure, Court of Locthwain comes with a demanding activation cost. You could find other cards that offer card draw at a lower mana expenditure, proving to be more mana-efficient for your strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Court of Locthwain offers a unique blend of card draw and life management, slotting perfectly into black-based control or midrange decks that require consistent resources.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to draw additional cards at a relatively low life cost can fuel strategies focused on hand disruption or reanimation, giving players an edge by having more options each turn.

Meta-Relevance: With the gameplay often revolving around card advantage and maintaining board presence, Court of Locthwain maintains relevance by enabling players to dig deeper into their deck while keeping their hand replenished against attrition-based opponents.


How to beat

The Court of Locthwain is a powerful card that can provide players with a consistent draw engine in the game of Magic: The Gathering. This enchantment comes from the Throne of Eldraine set and can be a formidable card to face due to its ability to provide card advantage. However, like any card, there are strategies to mitigate its impact in a match.

To effectively counteract Court of Locthwain, one strategy is to apply pressure to your opponent’s life total. Since its draw ability costs life, if you keep your opponent’s life low, they will be less inclined to use it. Moreover, removal spells that specifically target enchantments, such as Disenchant or Mortify, can directly eliminate Court of Locthwain from the battlefield. Another effective method is to employ cards that limit an opponent’s actions during their draw step or punish them for drawing extra cards, like Narset, Parter of Veils or Underworld Dreams.

Ultimately, staying ahead in card advantage yourself and maintaining a strong board presence can also diminish the influence of Court of Locthwain. By presenting multiple threats, you force your opponent to choose between losing life to draw cards or dealing with your threats, which can be a losing proposition either way.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the Court of Locthwain in MTG isn’t just about acknowledging its immediate benefits but strategically overcoming its downsides. Embracing its card advantage while circumventing the pitfalls requires finesse and a well-constructed strategy. Whether you’re up against this enchantment or weaving it into your own deck, understanding the nuanced ecosystems of MTG cards ensures you’re always one step ahead. We invite you to delve deeper, learn more about card interaction, and refine your tactics. For players passionate about elevating gameplay and gaining competitive edge, let’s explore the depths of MTG together.


Cards like Court of Locthwain

The Court of Locthwain card offers MTG players a unique combination of drawing power and board presence. Its closest relatives in the game include Castle Locthwain for its direct card draw capability. Castle Locthwain, without the conditions tied to the monarch mechanic, provides a card with a life loss based on the number of cards in your hand. It’s a straightforward option for those needing to refill their hand, especially when running low on options.

Another card worth mentioning is Phyrexian Arena, a classic enchantment that demands no additional input once it’s on the field, steadily providing card advantage at the beginning of your upkeep. This efficiency comes with a predictable life point expense. In contrast, Court of Locthwain requires an active monarch status for optimal performance, potentially offering more cards but also necessitating a higher level of strategy and board control.

When evaluating such cards, Court of Locthwain is esteemed among MTG players for its potential to be a powerful card advantage engine, paired with an incentive to maintain monarch status. This motivation to engage opponents for the crown transforms the card into not just an advantage source, but a game objective that could shift player dynamics and tactics on the battlefield.

Castle Locthwain - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions
Castle Locthwain - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Arena - MTG Card versions

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Pestilence - MTG Card versions
Lich - MTG Card versions
Cursed Land - MTG Card versions
Nether Void - MTG Card versions
Breeding Pit - MTG Card versions
Greed - MTG Card versions
Feast of the Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Koskun Falls - MTG Card versions
Grave Pact - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Servitude - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Embrace - MTG Card versions
Vile Requiem - MTG Card versions
Parasitic Bond - MTG Card versions
Brink of Madness - MTG Card versions
Death Pit Offering - MTG Card versions
Tainted Aether - MTG Card versions
Strands of Night - MTG Card versions
Patriarch's Desire - MTG Card versions
Nefarious Lich - MTG Card versions
Last Laugh - MTG Card versions

Printings

The Court of Locthwain Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2023-09-08 and 2023-09-08. Illustrated by Julie Dillon.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 312015NormalBlackJulie Dillon
22023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine Art SeriesAWOE 532015Art seriesBorderlessJulie Dillon
32023-09-08Wilds of Eldraine CommanderWOC 232015NormalBlackJulie Dillon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Court of Locthwain has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-09-01 If combat damage dealt to the monarch causes that player to lose the game, the triggered ability that causes the controller of the attacking creature to become the monarch doesn't resolve. In most cases, the controller of the attacking creature will still become the monarch as it is likely their turn.
2023-09-01 If the monarch leaves the game during another player's turn, that player becomes the monarch. If the monarch leaves the game during their turn, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
2023-09-01 If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.
2023-09-01 The game starts with no monarch. As a player becomes the monarch, the current monarch (if any) ceases being the monarch. There is never more than one monarch at a time.
2023-09-01 The six types of mana are white, blue, black, red, green, and colorless. Snow mana is not a type of mana. Court of Locthwain won't let you pay a snow cost using mana produced by a nonsnow source.
2023-09-01 There are two inherent triggered abilities associated with being the monarch. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who was the monarch at the time the abilities triggered. The full texts of these abilities are "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."
2023-09-01 You may play the exiled cards (and spend mana of any type to do so) even if Court of Locthwain leaves the battlefield. If another player gains control of Court of Locthwain, that player can't play the cards, and you still can.
2023-09-01 You pay the costs for an exiled card if you cast it. You may pay any alternative costs the card has rather than the card's mana cost.