Lightwielder Paladin MTG Card

Enhances card flow with attack-triggered draw-discard, refining hand quality and sustaining momentum. Lifelink ability indirectly extends gameplay, granting more turns for resource accumulation and impactful plays. Presence forces opponents to play defensively, increasing the threat of your instant speed interactions.

Magic 2010 (M10)
2009-07-17 - Number 19

Lightwielder Paladin - Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (E01)

Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (E01)
2017-06-16 - Number 14

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Knight
Abilities	First strike
Power	4
Toughness	4

Text of card

First strike (This creature deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.) Whenever Lightwielder Paladin deals combat damage to a player, you may exile target black or red permanent that player controls.

Cards like Lightwielder Paladin

Lightwielder Paladin joins the roster of white creatures that can have a significant impact on gameplay. Notable similarities may be drawn with fellow knight, Silverblade Paladin, which also inherently possesses Double Strike. However, Lightwielder Paladin’s ability to gain strength and potentially decimate an opponent’s life while buffing itself each time it destroys a black or red creature certainly sets it apart.

Another creature that echoes Lightwielder Paladin’s ethos is Fiendslayer Paladin. Both creatures have the Paladin moniker and share a life-link ability, underscoring their role in giving the player a life advantage. Fiendslayer Paladin, though, has protection from black and red, adding a defensive edge that Lightwielder Paladin lacks.

Baneslayer Angel might also be considered as a parallel, with its remarkable life-link and flying abilities, offering a superior aerial threat and defensive lifeline. Yet, it doesn’t quite match the Paladin’s conditional strength growth and potential for direct player damage. Conclusively, Lightwielder Paladin holds its ground in MTG as a creature that can tip the scales in a battle against black or red decks, making it a strategic option for control and midrange white decks.

Cards similar to Lightwielder Paladin by color, type and mana cost

Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - MTG Card versions

Celestial Gatekeeper - MTG Card versions

Kiyomaro, First to Stand - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lightwielder Paladin can be an integral part of your strategy by granting an edge in the form of card filtering. Each time it attacks and deals damage to the opponent, you get to draw a card and discard a card, thereby refining the quality of your hand and maintaining card flow.

Resource Acceleration: Lightwielder Paladin does not directly offer resource acceleration; however, its lifelink ability can prolong the game. This indirectly preserves your life resources, giving you more turns to draw into lands or other forms of mana acceleration, thus enabling bigger plays as the game progresses.

Instant Speed: While the Lightwielder Paladin itself does not operate at instant speed, its presence on the battlefield ensures that your removal spells or combat tricks become more threatening. Knowing that any successful attack might draw you into more instant speed interactions, your opponents must play cautiously, often keeping mana open instead of committing to the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Utilizing the Lightwielder Paladin efficiently in your deck means grappling with the fact that it needs a steady supply of white spells. If you can’t consistently draw or produce white spells, its full potential might remain untapped, leaving you at a considerable disadvantage during key moments of play.

Specific Mana Cost: This Paladin marches onto the battlefield for a specifically white mana cost. This can pose deck building constraints, as you’ll need to ensure a reliable source of white mana, which might not fit seamlessly into multicolored or flexible mana base strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At five mana, the Lightwielder demands a significant investment before it can shine in battle. Given the pace of modern gameplay, decks may prioritize lower-cost cards that can affect the board state sooner, potentially leaving the Paladin as a less attractive option in highly competitive environments.

Reasons to Include Lightwielder Paladin in Your Collection

Versatility: Lightwielder Paladin offers a dual aspect of board control and life gain. Its ability to potentially clear out several smaller creatures makes it a flexible option for decks focusing on maintaining a clear battlefield while also contributing to your life total.

Combo Potential: This Paladin works well in synergy with cards that benefit from life gain or creature destruction. Its triggered ability can also be leveraged in decks focusing on “White Weenie” strategies or in combination with cards that give bonuses for killing creatures.

Meta-Relevance: As the MTG meta can fluctuate with creature-heavy decks, Lightwielder Paladin can serve as a useful sideboard choice or even as a main deck card in a meta dominated by aggro strategies. Its presence can deter opponents from overcommitting to the board, offering strategic advantages.

How to Beat Lightwielder Paladin

The Lightwielder Paladin card is a formidable force in the game of Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to gain +1/+1 for each white mana symbol in your mana pool, it can be a real challenge for opponents. This knight ally boasts first strike and a powerful ability to exile creatures it damages, making for a clean battlefield and giving its controller a significant advantage.

To counter this radiant force, consider using removal spells that don’t rely on dealing damage, as first strike won’t come into play. Instant-speed spells can be particularly useful, as you can wait for the paladin to attack or block and then respond before it deals damage. For a more strategic approach, employ cards that reduce the Paladin’s power or remove its abilities, making it a less significant threat on the board.

Overall, your strategy should focus on preventing the Lightwielder Paladin from leveraging its exiling ability, either through direct removal or by rendering it powerless. With a plan in place, this majestic Paladin’s light can be dimmed, letting you steer the game towards victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lightwielder Paladin MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2010 and Archenemy: Nicol Bolas, 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 Lightwielder Paladin and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Lightwielder Paladin Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2009-07-17 and 2017-06-16. Illustrated by D. Alexander Gregory.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2009-07-17	Magic 2010	M10		19	2003	Normal	Black	D. Alexander Gregory
2	2017-06-16	Archenemy: Nicol Bolas	E01		14	2015	Normal	Black	D. Alexander Gregory

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lightwielder Paladin has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2009-10-01	Lands are colorless (even if their frames have some colored elements to them). You can’t target a Swamp, a Mountain, or any other land with Lightwielder Paladin’s ability (unless some other effect has turned that land black or red).