Lashknife Barrier MTG Card
2001-02-05 - Number 9
2019-11-07 - Number 157
2020-09-26 - Number PLS-9
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment |
Text of card
When Lashknife Barrier comes into play, draw a card. If a source would deal damage to a creature you control, it deals that much damage minus 1 to that creature instead.
Cards like Lashknife Barrier
Lashknife Barrier stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique enchantment that blankets your creatures with an extra layer of durability. It can be likened to cards like Ghostly Prison, which don’t prevent damage but do provide a defensive edge by making creatures harder to attack. While Ghostly Prison affects opponent strategies, Lashknife Barrier takes a direct approach by providing a static buff, reducing the damage your creatures would take by 1.
Comparatively, there’s also Light of Sanction, a similar enchantment that prevents damage to your creatures from your own spells, a protective measure that differs from Lashknife Barrier’s broad shield. Asceticism, more costly in mana, offers regeneration but doesn’t reduce damage like Lashknife Barrier. Additionally, we see a resemblance to cards like Privileged Position. It gives your other permanents hexproof, guarding them against targeted spells or abilities, yet again it doesn’t address damage reduction.
Considering these alternatives, Lashknife Barrier presents itself as a noteworthy choice for players looking to fortify their defenses without relying on creature-specific or situational cards. In the spectrum of protective spells, it provides steady and assured resistance against a range of threats.
Cards similar to Lashknife Barrier by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: One defining strength of Lashknife Barrier is its potential to offer card advantage. Once it’s on the battlefield, it protects your creatures with an additional layer of durability, meaning any creature targeted by a spell or ability gets you a card, keeping your hand full and ready to respond.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana acceleration, Lashknife Barrier accelerates your board state’s resilience. By ensuring that your creatures are tougher to remove, it indirectly conserves the resources otherwise spent on recasting creatures, allowing you to allocate mana towards more impactful plays and advance your strategy.
Instant Speed: Lashknife Barrier doesn’t have instant speed itself, but its effect works well with instant-speed interactions. Since your creatures get a shield the moment it hits the field, it synergizes excellently with instant-speed spells, as it can make combat tricks or creature features like flash significantly more effective, giving you an edge during battles.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although Lashknife Barrier can be a key card in some decks, the requirement to have another card to discard can pose a hurdle, particularly in late-game scenarios where every card in hand counts.
Specific Mana Cost: Lashknife Barrier requires specific mana—two colorless and one white mana—to cast. This can be restrictive and doesn’t always align with the mana base of multi-colored decks, potentially limiting its versatility in various strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Lashknife Barrier may compete with other cards at the same cost point that provide immediate impact or more substantial board presence. Many players find that its cost is somewhat steep given the effect, which doesn’t offer direct card advantage or immediate interaction with opponents’ threats.
Reasons to Include Lashknife Barrier in Your Collection
Versatility: Lashknife Barrier offers a unique form of protection that can be a boon for decks focused on creature persistence. By reducing all damage done to your creatures by 1, it helps maintain a strong board presence against sweepers and damage-based removal.
Combo Potential: The card can work wonders in combo setups that involve multi-purpose triggers. When your creatures become tougher to remove, it opens up space for you to execute your strategy with less fear of interruption from your opponents.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta that sees a lot of burn decks or strategies relying on deal damage to creatures, Lashknife Barrier can significantly weaken an opponent’s offensive power. This utility makes it a valuable sideboard card, if not a mainstay, depending on the decks you frequently face.
How to beat
Lashknife Barrier is an intriguing enchantment that grants both a defensive shield and card draw to players in MTG. The main ability to consider is its function that gives all creatures you control the ability to survive an extra hit that would otherwise destroy them. Unlike effects that offer outright indestructibility or regeneration, Lashknife Barrier doesn’t prevent the damage but cushions its impact, thus changing the combat math in your favor.
To effectively counter this card, consider strategies that sidestep the defensive buff it provides. Look at direct removal spells that don’t deal damage, such as exile effects, or cards that force the player to sacrifice creatures, which aren’t prevented by damage mitigation effects like Lashknife Barrier. Moreover, since the enchantment only aids creatures already on the battlefield, applying pressure before it comes into play or dealing with creatures as they enter can be an effective tactic.
Ultimately, bypassing or negating the protective barrier established by Lashknife Barrier calls for a careful selection of spells and abilities that remove creatures from the game or alter combat dynamics. Keeping these counters in mind can help you maintain control over the battlefield, even when your opponent leverages this unique enchantment.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Lashknife Barrier MTG card by a specific set like Planeshift and Mystery Booster, 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 Lashknife Barrier and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Lashknife Barrier Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2001-02-05 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Paolo Parente.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001-02-05 | Planeshift | PLS | 9 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Paolo Parente | |
| 2 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 157 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Paolo Parente | |
| 3 | The List | PLST | PLS-9 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Paolo Parente |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Lashknife Barrier has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |