Library of Leng MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 14 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides control over discards, often significantly enhancing hand management strategies within games.
  2. Its specific mana cost and niche effect can sometimes pose a challenge in tightly-curated decks.
  3. Despite its cons, its versatility and combo potential make it a desirable card for certain deck archetypes.

Text of card

There is no limit to size of your hand. If a card forces you to discard, you may choose to discard to top of your library rather than to graveyard. If discard is random, you may look at card before deciding where to discard it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Library of Leng offers a significant edge by enabling you to keep a sizable hand and strategically discard cards, making sure you always have options available.

Resource Acceleration: This artifact synergizes well with effects that benefit from discarding or drawing, helping to accelerate your resources without falling behind.

Instant Speed: With the Library of Leng, you have the flexibility to discard at instant speed, retaining control during every phase of the game and allowing for surprise interactions that can catch opponents off guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Library of Leng presents a constraint where it requires you to discard cards in certain situations. For players not running a strategy that benefits from discarding, this effect could potentially backfire, leaving them at a card disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: While the card itself doesn’t have a color requirement, it does require one generic mana to play. For decks that operate on a tight curve or those that require colored mana for critical spells in the early game, investing in the Library of Leng could delay more pressing plays.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Compared to other one-mana artifacts in the game, the Library of Leng has a very niche effect. Players may find that this card takes up a slot that could be filled with artifacts providing a more immediate or broad impact to the game state.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Library of Leng offers a unique ability to control your discard, allowing it to seamlessly integrate into numerous deck archetypes. Whether you’re running a madness deck that leverages discarding or simply want to safeguard your hand against opponents’ forced discard tactics, this card slots in smoothly.

Combo Potential: This card pairs remarkably well with effects that make you draw and discard cards. In combo decks, specifically, it can help you retain key combo pieces by selectively discarding the cards you don’t currently need, without losing any that are crucial to your strategy.

Meta-Relevance: In any metagame where hand disruption is prevalent, Library of Leng provides a valuable shield. Plus, its synergy with wheel effects and no maximum hand size can be a game-changer in longer, grindy matches where card advantage becomes paramount.


How to beat

Library of Leng is a unique artifact in the world of Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to influence a player’s hand and draw strategy. Unlike typical card effects that cause you to discard, Library of Leng offers a level of control by allowing you to put the discarded cards back on top of your library. However, to tackle this card effectively during gameplay, the approach requires disruption and targeted removal strategies.

Facing Library of Leng, you want to focus on cards or abilities that specifically deal with artifacts, such as Naturalize, which allows for direct removal. Additionally, employing the strategy of discarding at random can circumvent the Library’s benefit, as seen with cards like Mind Twist. It’s also beneficial to have counterspell capabilities at the ready to prevent the Library from hitting the board in the first place.

Understanding the synergies and the potential limitations of your opponent’s cards is key. By having removals or counters ready to deactivate or preemptively stop Library of Leng from impacting the match, you’ll maintain the edge in card advantage and mitigate any strategic foothold the artifact offers your adversary.


BurnMana Recommendations

The Library of Leng stands as a unique beacon of strategy for avid MTG players looking to enhance their deck performance. It’s a card that offers a dual advantage of maintaining a strong hand while providing much-needed defense against hand disruption strategies. For those who enjoy complex playstyles or wish to delve deeper into the clever maneuvers enabled by the Library, its value to your collection is undeniable. With potential interaction with various deck archetypes and the meta, we encourage you to further explore the strategic depths of Library of Leng. Discover its full capacity and refine your playing techniques with us. Stay ahead in the game and watch your opponents struggle to keep up!


Cards like Library of Leng

The Library of Leng offers a unique spin for Magic: The Gathering players with a penchant for strategic hand management. This artifact resembles spellbook abilities that allow for an increased hand size. However, it presents a special twist by letting you avoid the usual downside of discard effects, much like the famed Reliquary Tower. What sets Library of Leng apart is its selective discard feature, enabling you to place the card on top of your library instead of into your graveyard.

Another noteworthy parallel comes from Venser’s Journal. Like the Library, it removes the maximum hand size limit. Still, Venser’s Journal lacks the nuanced control over discards that Library of Leng commands. The inclusion of life gain based on the hand size with Venser’s Journal offers a trade-off more inclined toward life strategies rather than the intricacy of hand manipulation.

Spellbook itself is the simplest comparison, but it only shares the hand size aspect and doesn’t provide the discard control that makes Library of Leng distinctive. In the context of maximizing hand potential and harnessing control over discards, Library of Leng stands out as a nuanced tool for players who value precision over their card flow.

Reliquary Tower - MTG Card versions
Venser's Journal - MTG Card versions
Spellbook - MTG Card versions
Reliquary Tower - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Venser's Journal - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Spellbook - Exodus (EXO)

Cards similar to Library of Leng by color, type and mana cost

Glasses of Urza - MTG Card versions
Wooden Sphere - MTG Card versions
Sol Ring - MTG Card versions
Iron Star - MTG Card versions
Black Vise - MTG Card versions
Urza's Chalice - MTG Card versions
Ivory Cup - MTG Card versions
Brass Man - MTG Card versions
Mana Vault - MTG Card versions
Soul Net - MTG Card versions
The Rack - MTG Card versions
Helm of Chatzuk - MTG Card versions
Obelisk of Undoing - MTG Card versions
Feldon's Cane - MTG Card versions
Ivory Tower - MTG Card versions
Meekstone - MTG Card versions
Triangle of War - MTG Card versions
Throne of Bone - MTG Card versions
Crystal Rod - MTG Card versions
Barbed Sextant - MTG Card versions
Glasses of Urza - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wooden Sphere - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Sol Ring - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Iron Star - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Black Vise - Revised Edition (3ED)
Urza's Chalice - Masters Edition (ME1)
Ivory Cup - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Brass Man - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Mana Vault - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Soul Net - Seventh Edition (7ED)
The Rack - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Helm of Chatzuk - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Obelisk of Undoing - Rinascimento (RIN)
Feldon's Cane - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Ivory Tower - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Meekstone - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Triangle of War - Visions (VIS)
Throne of Bone - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Crystal Rod - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Barbed Sextant - Fifth Edition (5ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Library of Leng MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Library of Leng and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Library of Leng Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Daniel Gelon.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 2571993normalblackDaniel Gelon
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 2581993normalblackDaniel Gelon
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 2581993normalwhiteDaniel Gelon
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 2581993normalblackDaniel Gelon
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 2581993normalblackDaniel Gelon
61994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 2611993normalblackDaniel Gelon
71994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 2611993normalwhiteDaniel Gelon
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 2611993normalwhiteDaniel Gelon
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 3331993normalwhiteDaniel Gelon
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 3331993normalblackDaniel Gelon
111997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 3871997normalwhiteDaniel Gelon
122011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 2111997normalblackDaniel Gelon
132022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 2542015normalblackDaniel Gelon
142022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 5511997normalblackDaniel Gelon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Library of Leng has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 If more than one card is discarded due to a single effect, the Library allows you to decide whether or not to use it on each of the cards. You get to decide the order the cards are placed on the library if more than one goes there.
2004-10-04 Since the card goes directly to the library, the card is not revealed unless the spell or ability requiring the discard specifically says it is.
2004-10-04 The ability applies any time a spell or ability has you discard as part of its effect. It does not matter if you or your opponent control the spell or ability. The discard is forced because it is an effect.
2004-10-04 The ability replaces the normal discard action with a discard action that puts the card on the library instead of the graveyard.
2004-10-04 The discard triggers anything else that triggers on discards.
2004-10-04 This effect has no effect on the cards being put into the graveyard from a library, because they are not “discarded”.
2004-10-04 You can look at a randomly discarded card before deciding where it goes.
2004-10-04 You can’t use the Library of Leng ability to place a discarded card on top of your library when you discard a card as a cost, because costs aren’t effects.
2009-10-01 If multiple effects modify your hand size, apply them in timestamp order. For example, if you put Null Profusion (an enchantment that says your maximum hand size is two) onto the battlefield and then put Library of Leng onto the battlefield, you’ll have no maximum hand size. However, if those permanents entered the battlefield in the opposite order, your maximum hand size would be two.

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