Linebreaker Baloth MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Beast
Abilities	Enlist
Released	2022-09-09
Set symbol
Set name	Dominaria United
Set code	DMU
Power	4
Toughness	5
Number	168
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Brent Hollowell

Key Takeaways

Linebreaker Baloth’s board presence offers a significant advantage in creature-based strategies.
It requires careful hand management due to its discard requirement for activation.
Its uncounterability and size make it a solid choice against control-heavy metas.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Linebreaker Baloth MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria United, 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 Linebreaker Baloth and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Enlist (As this creature attacks, you may tap a nonattacking creature you control without summoning sickness. When you do, add its power to this creature's until end of turn.) Linebreaker Baloth can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Linebreaker Baloth can enhance your board presence with its substantial power and toughness, offering a solid advantage in terms of creatures on the field.

Resource Acceleration: As part of the green color identity, which excels in mana ramping, this creature can potentially be played earlier than turn five, speeding up the deployment of your threats.

Instant Speed: This creature benefits from abilities or spells that place creatures onto the battlefield at instant speed, allowing for unexpected blocks or end-of-turn plays to surprise an opponent.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of the Linebreaker Baloth is the need to discard another card to utilize its main feature. This might not be ideal when your hand is already depleted or when every card you hold is crucial for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Necessitating an exact mana combination can be restrictive. The Linebreaker Baloth requires a mix of green mana and other sources which makes it less flexible in decks not heavily oriented towards green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a substantial mana requirement, this creature may arrive too late in the game to influence the early board state. There are times other cards could provide more immediate impact or versatility for the same, or even less, mana investment.

Reasons to Include Linebreaker Baloth in Your Collection

Versatility: Linebreaker Baloth can be a dynamic addition to green decks that focus on creature-based strategies. Its substantial power and toughness for the cost make it a solid choice in both aggressive and mid-range decks.

Combo Potential: This creature benefits significantly from power-boosting effects and can become a lethal threat when combined with cards that grant trample or other evasion abilities, maximizing its impact when it attacks.

Meta-Relevance: With its inherent ability to be uncounterable, Linebreaker Baloth stands as a steadfast option against control decks that rely heavily on counterspells. Its presence on the board can quickly turn the tide in your favor in a meta where blue control decks are prevalent.

How to beat Linebreaker Baloth

Linebreaker Baloth emerges as an imposing presence on the battlefield with its potent ability to gain Hexproof until the end of turn whenever you activate a land’s ability. This not only makes it a resilient creature that can evade targeted removals but can also become a formidable blocker or an aggressive attacker under the right conditions.

To overcome this green behemoth, it is critical to employ strategies that do not rely solely on targeted spells. Board wipes and global removals, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, can effectively clear the field without needing to target the Baloth directly. Furthermore, countering the spell upon its cast, with counterspells like Negate or Essence Scatter, prevents it from ever hitting the board.

Another angle is to disrupt the opponent’s land activations with cards like Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin, hamstringing the Baloth’s Hexproof ability indirectly. It is important to plan ahead and either prevent the Linebreaker Baloth from resolving or ensure that you have an answer like a board wipe in hand to deal with it once the lands start to animate and give it Hexproof. Strategic foresight will serve as your key to victory against this massive creature.

Cards like Linebreaker Baloth

Linebreaker Baloth serves as a powerful creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering due to its hefty 4/4 stats paired with the Beast subtype. This places it within a proud lineage of green creatures like Leatherback Baloth, which boasts similar overall power and toughness without an activation cost. Where Linebreaker Baloth shines, though, is in its potential to become a major force when you have a full party, turning into an aggressive 8/8 creature that can turn the tides on an unsuspecting opponent.

Another creature that shares the theme of size augmentation is Rubblebelt Raiders. While it starts as a less imposing figure on the board, its prowess grows with every attack, potentially outscaling the fixed increase that Linebreaker Baloth offers. Verdurous Gearhulk also enters the fray with the ability to distribute +1/+1 counters amongst creatures, including itself, immediately affecting the board state which Linebreaker Baloth cannot do without a full party.

Evaluating these giants in MTG gameplay, Linebreaker Baloth is a potent card for decks focusing on party mechanics, mixing solid base stats with the chance for a significant power spike. It stands as a testament to green’s dominance in creating sizeable creature threats in the game.

Cards similar to Linebreaker Baloth by color, type and mana cost

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Linebreaker Baloth has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2022-09-09	Once a creature with power 3 or greater has blocked this creature, changing the power of the blocking creature won’t cause this creature to become unblocked.
2022-09-09	The attacking player chooses whether to tap a creature for an enlist ability immediately after they tap the creatures that they have chosen to attack with. You can’t choose to enlist a creature later.
2022-09-09	To enlist a creature, that creature must be untapped, it must not be attacking (even if it has vigilance), and it must have haste or have been under that attacking player’s control since the beginning of their current turn.
2022-09-09	When a player taps a creature for an attacking creature’s enlist ability, that attacking creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the tapped creature’s power. This is a triggered ability that goes on the stack immediately after attackers have been declared in the declare attackers step.
2022-09-09	You may tap only one creature for an enlist ability of an attacking creature, and a single creature can’t be tapped for more than one enlist ability.