Leovold, Emissary of Trest MTG Card

Leovold turns opponent’s strategies into your card advantage, dominating the card flow in-game. Steady card draw indirectly leads to accelerated resource management, boosting your gameplay. Instant speed interactions with Leovold ensure high adaptability and constant advantage.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Elf Advisor
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

Each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn. Whenever you or a permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, you may draw a card.

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."

Cards like Leovold, Emissary of Trest

Leovold, Emissary of Trest has earned a unique spot in the roster of legendary creatures. Its ability to stop opponents from drawing more than one card each turn is paralleled by few. Notably, Narset, Parter of Veils offers similar disruptive potential, limiting opponents to drawing only one card each turn while also digging through the deck to find noncreature, nonland cards.

Another kin in Leovold’s niche is Spirit of the Labyrinth. This enchantment creature stifles drawing to just one card per turn. While Spirit of the Labyrinth affects all players including its controller, Leovold cunningly circumvents this, allowing the player who controls it to draw freely. Then there is Notion Thief, a card that directly opposes additional draws, not by restricting, but by redirecting the draw to the Notion Thief’s controller, similar to how Leovold allows its controller an additional draw when an opponent would draw cards.

In essence, Leovold, Emissary of Trest stands out among its peers for combining disruption with an asymmetric advantage – a potent combination that continues to make it a formidable card in varied MTG formats.

Narset, Parter of Veils - MTG Card versions
Spirit of the Labyrinth - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions
Narset, Parter of Veils - MTG Card versions
Spirit of the Labyrinth - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Leovold, Emissary of Trest. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Sultai MidrangeSultai Midrange VintageSultai MidrangeVintage League 2024-05-02
UBGUBG LegacyLegacy League 2024-05-09
ElvesElves LegacyElvesLegacy Challenge 32 2024-05-08
5c Control5c Control Legacy5c ControlLegacy Challenge 32 2024-05-01
BUG BeanstalkBUG Beanstalk LegacyBeanstalk ControlLisbon Legacy League 2024 // 6th Qualifier
Beanstalk ControlBeanstalk Control LegacyBeanstalk ControlLegacy Challenge 32 2024-04-28

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Leovold, Emissary of Trest shines in handing you control over card flow in the game. When this elf advisor is on the battlefield, any attempt by an opponent to cause you to discard or draw cards incredibly works in your favor, as each occurrence permits you to draw a card, effectively turning their strategies into opportunities for you to gain card superiority.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly acting as a mana accelerator, Leovold’s ability to ensure a steady draw for you can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. With more cards coming into your hand, your options for land plays and mana sources expand, allowing you to effectively fuel your spells and abilities faster.

Instant Speed: The sneaky nature of Leovold allows you to cleverly interact at instant speed with the numerous draw and discard spells in your arsenal. You can manipulate each draw or targeted discard moment to your advantage by ensuring an extra card in your hand, thus maintaining high responsiveness and adaptability throughout the match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Leovold, Emissary of Trest makes each opponent draw only one card each turn, which may seem beneficial, but it can backfire if you’re facing a strategy focused on graveyard synergies. By limiting card draw, you might inadvertently fuel your opponent’s tactics that capitalize on discarding cards.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of one green, one blue, and one black mana to cast, which necessitates a deck built around these colors. This can be restrictive as it makes the card less flexible and harder to include in a variety of decks outside the Sultai color combination.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three generic mana with three different colored requirements, he’s a significant early game investment. Other commanders or creatures may offer more immediate board impact or have lower mana costs which make them more easily deployable in the crucial early turns of a game.

Reasons to Include Leovold, Emissary of Trest in Your Collection

Versatility: Leovold, Emissary of Trest offers a flexible role in various deck builds. As a legendary creature, it can serve as a powerful commander or a dynamic addition to the 99. Its ability to restrict opponents’ draws while letting you benefit from their actions makes it a dynamic card in any game.

Combo Potential: This card creates opportunities for numerous synergies and can be the linchpin in combos that aim to lock down opponents’ abilities to draw cards. Combined with specific spells or abilities, Leovold can transform into a formidable engine for card advantage and game control.

Meta-Relevance: Leovold, Emissary of Trest remains a relevant choice in metas dominated by intense card draw strategies. By limiting your opponents’ drawing capabilities, it disrupts their plans while cultivating your hand, maintaining a crucial edge in both casual and competitive play.

How to Beat Leovold, Emissary of Trest

Leovold, Emissary of Trest is a formidable presence in many MTG decks, notorious for his ability to shut down opponents’ card draw while accumulating advantage for his controller. Overcoming this card requires strategic plays that circumvent its control mechanism. One way to outsmart Leovold is through removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes. Cards like Damnation or Toxic Deluge can clear the board without giving Leovold’s controller the upper hand.

Moreover, manipulating the stack is key. Casting instant-speed draw spells in response to Leovold’s ability can ensure you draw cards before the restriction applies. Similarly, using effects that force a player to draw multiple cards, like Wheel of Fortune, while Leovold is not on the board, can set you ahead before your opponent has a chance to deploy their strategy.

To effectively counter Leovold, it’s also crucial to limit his ability to generate card advantage. Utilizing proactive discard effects to dismantle your opponent’s hand can negate the card advantage Leovold could provide. In essence, precise timing, targeted removal, and stack manipulation are vital tactics in turning the tide against Leovold, Emissary of Trest’s oppressive tactics in MTG.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Leovold, Emissary of Trest MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown and Treasure Chest, 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 Leovold, Emissary of Trest and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Leovold, Emissary of Trest Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-08-26 and 2018-12-07. Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 772015NormalBlackMagali Villeneuve
22016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 602015NormalBlackMagali Villeneuve
32018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2022015NormalBlackMagali Villeneuve

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Leovold, Emissary of Trest has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderBanned
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2018-12-07 If an opponent hasn’t drawn any cards in a turn and a spell or ability instructs that player to draw multiple cards, that player will just draw one card. However, if the draws are optional, the player can’t choose to draw, even if they could draw one card this way.
2018-12-07 If you and a permanent you control each become the target of the same spell or ability an opponent controls, Leovold’s ability will trigger twice. The same is true if two permanents you control become the target of the same spell or ability an opponent controls.
2018-12-07 Leovold will “see” cards drawn by opponents earlier in the turn before it entered the battlefield, although Leovold can’t affect cards drawn before it entered the battlefield. For example, if an opponent draws two cards, then Leovold enters the battlefield, that opponent can’t draw more cards that turn, but the two drawn cards are unaffected.
2018-12-07 Replacement effects (such as that of dredge or Laboratory Maniac’s ability) can’t be used to replace draws that Leovold disallows. However, if an opponent’s first draw is replaced (by a dredge ability, for example), that draw didn’t happen and Leovold won’t stop the next draw.
2018-12-07 Your opponents can draw a maximum of one card each on each player’s turn. Subsequent card draws during that turn are ignored.