Ironroot Warlord MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Treefolk Soldier
Power *
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Ironroot Warlord’s power grows with your creature count, offering a scalable battlefield threat.
  2. Restricted to green and white mana, it excels in specific multicolored strategies.
  3. Versatile and meta-relevant, the Warlord bolsters decks focusing on creature tokens.

Text of card

Ironroot Warlord's power is equal to the number of creatures you control. : Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.

"Alone, it's a fortification. At the head of its troops, it's a battering ram." —Skerk Hobnett, wilderness guide


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ironroot Warlord can significantly impact the battlefield with its ability to grow in strength based on the number of creatures you control. Each creature you play not only contributes to your board presence but also enhances Ironroot Warlord’s power, potentially providing a formidable advantage without the need to play additional spells to do so.

Resource Acceleration: While Ironroot Warlord itself doesn’t inherently accelerate your resources, its synergy with decks that generate a wide array of creatures can indirectly lead to mana efficiencies. The Warlord can be an investment that reaps increasing returns as you establish a larger creature base, allowing you to maximize the use of your mana each turn.

Instant Speed: The Ironroot Warlord’s inherent abilities aren’t at instant speed, but it shines in a deck that operates with instant speed spells and effects. The threat of its power increase can deter opponents from attacking, and when paired with instant speed spells that create creature tokens, you can bolster its strength unexpectedly during combat or at the end of your opponent’s turn, creating dynamic and advantageous combat scenarios.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Ironroot Warlord itself doesn’t have a discard requirement, it’s important to note that building a strategy around this card might force you to keep a full hand to maximize its strength. This can be challenging if your deck includes other cards with discard effects, potentially undermining your battlefield presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Ironroot Warlord’s mana cost is specific to green and white, which restricts its playability to decks that can generate these colors consistently. Players who run multicolored decks may find it difficult to summon the Warlord if they don’t have the right mana sources in play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one green and one white, the Ironroot Warlord’s strength relies on controlling a significant number of creatures. In the early stages of a game or in fast-paced matchups, the mana required to play and utilize the Warlord effectively might be better spent on lower-cost creatures or other impactful plays.


Reasons to Include Ironroot Warlord in Your Collection

Versatility: Ironroot Warlord is a powerhouse in token-based strategies, offering a scalable threat that strengthens with the size of your board. It fits nicely into Selesnya tokens decks or any build that proliferates creature tokens.

Combo Potential: This card feeds off the swarm strategy and grows more formidable as your army expands. Pair it with cards that multiply tokens or effects that buff all your creatures to create a potent offensive force.

Meta-Relevance: With the rise of creature-heavy decks, Ironroot Warlord can become a cornerstone in games that stretch into the long-term, fighting toe-to-toe with other big creatures that dominate the battlefield.


How to Beat Ironroot Warlord

Ironroot Warlord is a noteworthy creature card in MTG that gains strength from the number of creatures under your command. It’s a card that shines in decks built around creature quantity, like those using token strategies. One straightforward strategy to overpower this formidable card is by keeping the opponent’s creature count low. Board-clearing spells or those that target multiple creatures, such as Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act, can efficiently keep the Ironroot Warlord’s power and toughness in check.

Another effective method is using removal spells that bypass the Warlord’s stats, such as exile effects or spells that don’t depend on power and toughness, including Path to Exile or Murderous Rider’s Swift End. Lastly, preventing the Warlord from hitting the battlefield in the first place with counterspells like Counterspell or Negate can be vital. Keeping these strategies in mind, players can tailor their deck and plays to mitigate the impact of an opposing Ironroot Warlord and gain the upper hand in their MTG matches.


Cards like Ironroot Warlord

Ironroot Warlord stands as a unique figure among creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. As a multicolored creature with a strength directly tied to the number of creatures you control, it parallels the concept seen in cards like Wayfaring Temple. Both these cards become more formidable with a wide board presence. However, unlike the Warlord, Wayfaring Temple has the added bonus of populating tokens when dealing combat damage.

Alexi’s Cloak can offer protection to the Ironroot Warlord from targeted spells, but this is where Emmara Tandris shines in comparison. While not directly improving strength, Emmara Tandris offers a defensive utility by preventing damage to other token creatures, thus preserving the Warlord’s power indirectly.

In terms of building a strong defensive position, Sylvan Offering is another card that deserves a mention. While distinct in card type and function, as a sorcery, it allows you to create an army of Treefolk and Elf Warrior tokens which complements Ironroot Warlord’s strength by increasing the creature count your side of the battlefield.

Overall, the Ironroot Warlord holds its ground as a highly synergistic card for token-based decks, leveraging quantity for quality on the battlefield.

Wayfaring Temple - MTG Card versions
Emmara Tandris - MTG Card versions
Sylvan Offering - MTG Card versions
Wayfaring Temple - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Emmara Tandris - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Sylvan Offering - Commander 2014 (C14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ironroot Warlord MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2020 and Jumpstart, 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 Ironroot Warlord and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ironroot Warlord Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-07-12 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by Filip Burburan.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 2092015normalblackFilip Burburan
22020-07-17JumpstartJMP 4522015normalblackFilip Burburan

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ironroot Warlord has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-07-12 As long as Ironroot Warlord is on the battlefield, its first ability will count itself, so its power will be at least 1.
2019-07-12 The ability that defines Ironroot Warlord’s power works in all zones, not just the battlefield.

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