Leonin Elder MTG Card


Leonin Elder thrives in artifact-heavy decks, turning each entry into life points. Leverages instant-speed triggers to gain life, countering opponents’ moves. Its specific white mana cost may limit its use in diverse mana decks.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Cat Cleric
Power 1
Toughness 1

Text of card

Whenever an artifact comes into play, you may gain 1 life.

"The wisdom of the elders is just as much a weapon as a sword or spear. We must learn to wield it." —Ushanti, leonin seer


Cards like Leonin Elder

Leonin Elder is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering that caters to players who appreciate life gain strategies. This card finds its relatives in a niche that balances artifact interaction with incremental health benefits. A card closely resembling Leonin Elder is Sun Droplet, which also harnesses the power of artifact manipulation for life gain, albeit through a different mechanism where life is gained incrementally during upkeep.

Another card that echoes the life gain theme is Auriok Champion, providing life points as creatures enter the battlefield, suggesting a synergy with creature-heavy decks, unlike Leonin Elder’s preference for artifact presence. Additionally, Ajani’s Mantra stands out in the life gain category, offering a guaranteed increase in life total each turn but without the need for artifact interaction, giving it a more general application compared to the Elder.

Assessing Leonin Elder’s place in MTG, it is evident that it caters to a specific player style that values artifact play and strives for a defensive, life-centric approach. This solidifies its role in particular deck builds that want to exploit every artifact play for a stable increase in life total.

Sun Droplet - MTG Card versions
Auriok Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani's Mantra - MTG Card versions
Sun Droplet - MTG Card versions
Auriok Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani's Mantra - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Leonin Elder by color, type and mana cost

Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
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Benalish Hero - MTG Card versions
Icatian Infantry - MTG Card versions
Icatian Scout - MTG Card versions
Icatian Javelineers - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Warrior - MTG Card versions
Trade Caravan - MTG Card versions
Honor Guard - MTG Card versions
Volunteer Militia - MTG Card versions
Nomads en-Kor - MTG Card versions
Soul Warden - MTG Card versions
Resistance Fighter - MTG Card versions
Honorable Scout - MTG Card versions
Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions
Kor Duelist - MTG Card versions
Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions
Mother of Runes - MTG Card versions
Daru Mender - MTG Card versions
Eager Cadet - MTG Card versions
Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Leonin Elder offers a unique form of incremental card advantage. Every time an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, you gain life. In decks featuring numerous artifacts or token generation strategies, this can lead to a significant life advantage over time without spending additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: While Leonin Elder doesn’t directly increase your mana pool, the life gained from artifact plays can provide a buffer, allowing you to utilize life as a resource more freely. This indirect resource acceleration encourages more aggressive use of cards and abilities that cost life.

Instant Speed: Although Leonin Elder itself isn’t an instant, its ability triggers at instant speed. This means any artifact entering the battlefield on either player’s turn will net you life, keeping you resilient against opponents’ strategies and ready to respond to changing board states efficiently.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Leonin Elder doesn’t require an upfront discard, its ability to gain life may feel insignificant if you’re forced to discard more impactful cards for deck functionality.

Specific Mana Cost: Leonin Elder demands white mana, making it a less flexible option for multicolored or colorless decks focusing on a smooth mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its ability to gain life when an artifact enters the battlefield, the casting cost of a single white mana might not stack up favorably against more dynamic one-drop creatures or utility artifacts within the same mana range.


Reasons to Include Leonin Elder in Your Collection

Versatility: Leonin Elder is an asset to decks that revolve around artifact mechanics. The fact that it triggers off any artifact entering the battlefield means it can seamlessly integrate into a variety of deck builds, from aggressive Affinity types to more controlling Artifact-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks that churn out artifacts rapidly. Combine it with cards that produce artifact tokens or have frequent artifact cycling, and you’ll have a consistent source of life gain that can tip the scales in prolonged games.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames often fluctuate with artifact decks rising and falling in popularity, Leonin Elder can serve as a subtle but steady source of advantage. Its low casting cost and the passive benefit it provides can help players withstand aggressive starts and stabilize in longer matches.


How to beat

When facing off against the nimble Leonin Elder in Magic: The Gathering, it’s crucial to understand the card’s nuanced strengths in order to navigate a path to victory. This card may seem innocuous with its mere 1/1 stats, but it becomes formidable in the right deck, especially those crowded with artifacts. Every time an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, Leonin Elder provides you with a small but significant life boost. The key to dismantling its strategy is to limit artifact plays and focus on swift removal.

Adept players may turn to artifact disruption, such as using cards like Abrade or Shatter to remove artifacts from the play. These cards can deal with the artifacts that trigger Leonin Elder’s ability before the life gain becomes overwhelming. Other strategies include putting pressure early with aggressive creatures to outrun the life gain or employing control elements to prevent artifacts from being played altogether. It’s essential to keep pace with your opponent and not let the Leonin Elder’s seemingly modest gains snowball into a formidable advantage.

Ultimately, being proactive and hitting hard with prompt answers is the most reliable way to prevent Leonin Elder from tipping the scales in your opponent’s favor. Adaptability and sharp threat assessment will guide you to triumph over this feline foe.


BurnMana Recommendations

Perfecting your MTG gameplay often starts with refining the components of your deck. Leonin Elder might look like a humble card at first glance, but it holds potential to become a significant asset in artifact-heavy strategies. Its ability to provide life gain for each artifact that hits the battlefield lends it an edge in long and attritional matches. Interested in weaving Leonin Elder into your lineup? Dive in to understand how it can align with your play style, learn strategies to maximize its benefits, and identify scenarios where it outshines its peers. Join us for more insights and enhance your deck’s resilience.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Leonin Elder MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin and Salvat 2005, 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 Leonin Elder and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Leonin Elder Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2003-10-02 and 2005-08-22. Illustrated by Todd Lockwood.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12003-10-02MirrodinMRD 102003NormalBlackTodd Lockwood
22005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL L512003NormalWhiteTodd Lockwood

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Leonin Elder has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal