Lumberknot MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Treefolk
Abilities Hexproof
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage grows as Lumberknot gains power with each creature’s demise, enhancing its board presence.
  2. Its potential to escalate rapidly makes it a pivotal threat, subtly draining opponents’ resources.
  3. Instant speed growth allows Lumberknot to surprise foes, leveraging each creature’s death advantageously.

Text of card

Hexproof (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.) Whenever a creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Lumberknot.

Animated by geists fused in its oak, it hungers for more life to add to its core.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Lumberknot’s ability to grow stronger each time a creature dies, it provides a form of card advantage without directly drawing cards. Yours or an opponent’s creature’s demise turns into an immediate power boost for Lumberknot, giving you increasing board presence and potential for overwhelming your adversary.

Resource Acceleration: While Lumberknot doesn’t accelerate mana resources directly, its continuous growth from creature deaths makes it a threat that must be dealt with. This indirectly accelerates your resources by potentially drawing out opponent’s removal spells, saving other valuable creatures and spells in your hand from being targeted.

Instant Speed: The capability of Lumberknot to grow at instant speed due to its passive ability can be a game-changer. Since it triggers whenever a creature dies, this allows for sudden increases in power during combat or at the end of an opponent’s turn, setting you up for a big swing during your phase and potentially catching opponents off-guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lumberknot demands a certain setup to thrive, specifically requiring creatures to go to the graveyard to power up. Without a reliable way to get creatures into the graveyard, Lumberknot’s growth potential is stunted, which could be a significant drawback in decks that cannot consistently meet this condition.

Specific Mana Cost: Lumberknot has a dedicated green mana cost, summing up to two green and two colorless mana. The reliance on green means it slots exclusively into green-centric or multi-colored decks, potentially restricting its incorporation into a variety of builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana investment, Lumberknot enters the fray at a point where other creatures or spells might offer immediate impact or more substantial board presence. This can be a disadvantage when you need to deal with more urgent threats or are looking to establish a quicker tempo.


Reasons to Include Lumberknot in Your Collection

Versatility: Lumberknot has the unique ability to gain strength from the death of any creature, making it a dynamic asset in decks that revolve around creature sacrifice or numerous combat engagements. It can steadily grow into a formidable threat, indifferent to which side of the battlefield the creatures perish.

Combo Potential: In a deck designed with self-sacrificing creatures or where creatures are regularly sent to the graveyard, Lumberknot’s power can rapidly escalate. It works exceptionally well with cards that allow you to control when and how creatures die, setting the stage for powerful, game-altering plays.

Meta-Relevance: Lumberknot thrives in an environment crowded with creature-based strategies. As it gains counters from any creature’s death, it can become a critical player in a meta where board presence and creature deaths are common, turning inevitable combat losses into its own growth opportunity.


How to beat

Lumberknot is a unique card in the world of Magic: The Gathering, presenting a challenge to opponents not just by its power growth mechanism but also by its hexproof ability, which makes it immune to targeted spells. To effectively combat this creeping threat, strategic removal is key. Consider board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation, which circumvent hexproof by not targeting specific creatures. Another tactic is to control the flow of creatures hitting the graveyard. If Lumberknot can’t feed on the death of other creatures, its growth is stunted. Graveyard hate cards, such as Relic of Progenitus or Bojuka Bog, can stop the growth of Lumberknot in its tracks. Finally, leveraging creatures that can block indefinitely, like Wall of Frost, can buy you time to set up a board state where Lumberknot is less of a threat. Keep in mind that each game is different, and understanding the dynamics of your own deck in relation to cards like Lumberknot will guide your strategy towards victory.


Cards like Lumberknot

Lumberknot stands as an intriguing creature in Magic: The Gathering, inviting parallels with other self-strengthening cards. Its strength lies in its passive ability to gain +1/+1 counters whenever a creature dies, which could make it a game-changer in creature-heavy matchups. Reflecting on similar cards, we find Ivy Lane Denizen – a card that can also grow over time by placing +1/+1 counters whenever another green creature enters the battlefield. However, unlike Lumberknot, Ivy Lane Denizen’s growth is dependent on creature play rather than the death of creatures.

Next, we have Scavenging Ooze, which not only increases in size like Lumberknot by targeting creatures in graveyards but also offers life gain and graveyard disruption. Scavenging Ooze’s flexibility in targeting specific creatures in the graveyard gives it an edge in strategic gameplay, although it requires mana investment to activate its ability. Comparatively, Lumberknot’s ability is cost-free but dependent on broader game events.

Evaluating these cards, Lumberknot proves to be a formidable option for decks centered around creature combat and sacrifice strategies. While Scavenging Ooze and Ivy Lane Denizen provide their own unique advantages, the mana-free, incremental growth of Lumberknot could become immense in the right deck, offering a powerful presence on the battlefield.

Ivy Lane Denizen - MTG Card versions
Scavenging Ooze - MTG Card versions
Ivy Lane Denizen - Gatecrash (GTC)
Scavenging Ooze - Commander 2011 (CMD)

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Argothian Swine - Urza's Saga (USG)
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Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Fungusaur - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Viridian Lorebearers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Monkey Monkey Monkey - Unhinged (UNH)
Matsu-Tribe Birdstalker - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Order of the Sacred Bell - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lumberknot MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Planechase 2012, 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 Lumberknot and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lumberknot Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2016-11-25. Illustrated by Jason A. Engle.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 1912003normalblackJason A. Engle
22012-06-01Planechase 2012PC2 662003normalblackJason A. Engle
32016-11-25Planechase AnthologyPCA 662015normalblackJason A. Engle

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lumberknot has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

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