Laccolith Warrior MTG Card

Laccolith Warrior excels in combat, providing the power to remove enemy creatures while keeping your board intact. The ability to redirect damage at instant speed during combat can dramatically alter battle outcomes in your favor. Despite its strengths, including a high mana cost and deck construction limitations can impact its overall versatility.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Beast Warrior
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	90
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mark Zug

Text of card

Whenever Laccolith Warrior becomes blocked, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to target creature. If you do, Laccolith Warrior deals no combat damage this turn.

The screams are brief. The silence lingers.

Cards like Laccolith Warrior

Laccolith Warrior brings a tactical edge to creature control in MTG. It bears resemblance to traditional red combat trick cards, yet it carves out a unique niche. When compared to a card like Goblin Chirurgeon, Laccolith Warrior stands out by offering a direct way to manipulate combat damage. While the Goblin Chirurgeon provides a sacrifice outlet to regenerate other creatures, the Laccolith Warrior directs its combat damage to target creatures when blocked, enabling strategic removals.

In the same strategic realm, Frenzied Goblin also influences combat but through restricting blocks unless a mana cost is paid. Though not as direct as Laccolith Warrior in dealing with problematic creatures, it can pave the way for other attackers to hit your opponent unimpeded. Contrastingly, Flametongue Kavu delivers immediate impact upon entering the battlefield, dealing damage to a creature of choice. However, unlike the conditional damage redirection of Laccolith Warrior, Flametongue Kavu’s effect is a one-time action and lacks the ongoing tactical leverage provided by Laccolith Warrior’s ability.

Overall, within the red creature arsenal of MTG, Laccolith Warrior offers versatile control during combat phases, standing as a solid choice for players seeking to outmaneuver opponents with creature damage tactics.

Cards similar to Laccolith Warrior by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Employing Laccolith Warrior strategically can help maintain card advantage. This creature shines when engaging in battles, as it allows you to potentially remove an opponent’s creature while preserving your own forces on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly linked to resource acceleration, using Laccolith Warrior efficiently can lead to a more favorable board state. By selectively targeting which creatures must block it, you can tactically diminish your opponent’s resources and pave the way for your more impactful spells.

Instant Speed: While the Laccolith Warrior itself is not an instant, its triggered ability to redirect damage operates at a speed that can disrupt your opponent’s calculations. This ability triggers during the declare blockers step, which can alter the pace of combat and offer advantageous interactions on the fly, aligning with the benefits of instant-speed responses in MTG’s intricate combat phase.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Laccolith Warrior doesn’t have a discard requirement per se, but it does have a stiff activation cost that can equate to discarding opportunities. Each time you want to utilize its special ability, you’re effectively limiting your options elsewhere, potentially causing you to miss out on playing other cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a combination of generic and red mana to cast, Laccolith Warrior can be a bit rigid when it comes to deck construction. It demands a significant commitment to red mana, which could be a hindrance in multicolored decks where mana flexibility is key.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that sits on the higher end for its power level, Laccolith Warrior faces stiff competition from other creatures in the same mana range. Players might find better value in creatures that deliver more impact on the battlefield for the same, or lower, mana investment.

Reasons to Include Laccolith Warrior in Your Collection

Versatility: Laccolith Warrior’s ability to redirect combat damage gives it a strategic edge in multiple game scenarios. It fits into red decks that emphasize player choice and combat manipulation, providing an unexpected layer of flexibility on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy with effects that trigger upon dealing combat damage. Not only can it facilitate damage-based combos by ensuring damage is dealt but can alter where that damage is directed to extract maximum benefit from each combat phase.

Meta-Relevance: Given that creature-based strategies are commonly found across various metagames, Laccolith Warrior can play a pivotal role. Its ability to shift combat outcomes can disrupt opposing plans, making it a potentially useful addition in a creature-heavy meta, particularly in decks that need to control the board while setting up for the win.

How to beat

Laccolith Warrior is a unique creature with an ability that allows it to redirect damage from itself to a creature of your choice when it becomes blocked. To effectively counter this strategy, it’s essential to manage the battlefield carefully. Utilizing removal spells like Murder or Path to Exile can cleanly deal with Laccolith Warrior before it becomes a threat.

Another effective strategy is to limit the opportunities for Laccolith Warrior to trigger its ability. This can be done by avoiding blocking with valuable creatures, or by employing spells and abilities that restrict or deter attackers, such as Ghostly Prison or Propaganda. Players should also consider the timing of their creature plays, perhaps waiting until there’s enough mana to play a creature and hold up removal or other interaction.

Taking a proactive approach by using tight control of the board state, prioritizing threats, and maintaining card advantage will keep Laccolith Warrior from leveraging its unique ability to shift the tides of battle. Understanding the timing and the deck’s synergy surrounding Laccolith Warrior is key to formulating a plan to take it down.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Laccolith Warrior MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Laccolith Warrior and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Laccolith Warrior has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	It can target any creature on the battlefield, not just one of the ones blocking it.
2004-10-04	The ability allows you to deal damage during the declare blockers step of combat, which is well before even first strike creatures deal damage.
2004-10-04	The ability is optional. You can decide to allow it to deal combat damage as normal.
2004-10-04	The ability triggers even if a spell or ability makes it blocked, instead of being blocked by a creature.