Laccolith Rig MTG Card


Laccolith Rig - Nemesis
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant
Released2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set nameNemesis
Set codeNEM
Number88
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byMassimilano Frezzato

Key Takeaways

  1. Laccolith Rig increases creature value by adding strategic combat options, enhancing board presence.
  2. It offers quick playability with a low-cost to cast and equip, accelerating your game pace.
  3. Instant speed attachment can surprise opponents, creating unexpected blockers or attackers during combat.

Text of card

Whenever enchanted creature becomes blocked, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to target creature. If you do, enchanted creature deals no combat damage this turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Laccolith Rig provides a strategic advantage by transforming any creature into a potential threat that needs to be addressed. This means each creature you have can be seen as more valuable, tactically turning your board presence into a more formidable arsenal.

Resource Acceleration: This equipment card has a low casting cost and equips for an equally modest amount, thus speeding up your game by allowing for other plays or the ability to equip multiple creatures in a single turn without significant resource depletion.

Instant Speed: The ability to attach Laccolith Rig at instant speed provides significant flexibility during gameplay. This instant speed interaction can catch opponents off guard by creating surprise blockers or attackers that can disrupt their strategy and decision-making process during the heat of battle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Laccolith Rig may not require you to discard, but its niche effect ties up creatures in your hand, which might otherwise be played to establish board presence. This can be a disadvantage in fast-paced games where every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Laccolith Rig is relatively specific, requiring two red mana. This restricts its inclusion to decks with a strong red mana base, potentially limiting its versatility in multicolored or colorless strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Laccolith Rig does provide an interesting combat trick by redirecting damage, its initial mana investment of four is quite high. Considering other cards in the mana cost bracket, you might find alternatives that offer more immediate impact on the game.


Reasons to Include Laccolith Rig in Your Collection

Versatility: Laccolith Rig can be a tactical addition to many deck archetypes that look to exploit the assigned combat damage mechanics. It’s particularly useful in decks that employ creatures with damaging abilities or those that want to bypass blockers.

Combo Potential: The equip card holds potential for combination plays, where it can be teamed with creatures that have tap or untap abilities, to trigger multiple effects. It is also suitable in decks where damage redirection or doubling is a theme, enabling a wide range of synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In metas where creature-heavy decks are prevalent, Laccolith Rig gains significance. Its ability to leverage combat interactions can disrupt opponent strategies and provide an edge in creature-based matchups. It’s a hidden gem that might catch opponents by surprise and thus carries value in certain meta environments.


How to beat

Laccolith Rig is an intriguing enchantment that can turn any creature into a potential threat to other creatures, by redirecting its combat damage to target creature the opponent controls instead of hitting the opponent’s life total. Understanding its mechanics can be key to countering its strategic advantage on the battlefield.

To outplay an opponent using Laccolith Rig, it’s wise to manage creature removal spells or effects that can bypass the enchantment’s redirecting ability. Employing instant-speed spells that can destroy or exile creatures before damage is assigned, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade, can mitigate the impact of Laccolith Rig. Additionally, you can take advantage of the fact that Laccolith Rig only triggers when the enchanted creature becomes blocked, so allowing it to go unblocked or using effects that prevent it from attacking can neutralize the enchantment’s threat.

The key is to maintain board control and dispose of the enchanted creature swiftly before its controller can leverage the Rig’s power. Specifically, staying vigilant about enchantment removal options like Disenchant can prove particularly useful, removing the threat altogether. Thus, Laccolith Rig, while potentially powerful, can be overcome with strategic play and timely removal.


Cards like Laccolith Rig

Laccolith Rig presents a unique mechanism within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, granting the ability to manipulate combat outcomes. It echoes the functionality of cards like Basilisk Collar, which also provides a method to deal with creatures upon engagement. While Basilisk Collar delivers deathtouch and lifelink, enhancing your creatures in combat, Laccolith Rig offers a strategic alternative, rerouting damage to a target of choice, thereby circumventing traditional combat damage resolution.

Another analogous utility comes from Nemesis Mask, which forces all your opponent’s creatures to block the masked creature if able. Similar to Laccolith Rig, it can manipulate blockers but in a different aspect; instead of redirecting damage, it centralizes combat towards a single creature. Slightly differing in approach, Laccolith Rig allows for on-the-fly tactics in any combat scenario, shifting potential damage to key threats or problematic planeswalkers.

Considering their strategic value, these cards each have situational advantages. Laccolith Rig excels by offering controlled damage distribution, providing MTG players with an alternative pathway to influence the battlefield. Each card’s potential is maximized when aligned with the right deck and game situation, showcasing the diverse strategic layers of MTG.

Basilisk Collar - MTG Card versions
Nemesis Mask - MTG Card versions
Basilisk Collar - Worldwake (WWK)
Nemesis Mask - Darksteel (DST)

Cards similar to Laccolith Rig by color, type and mana cost

Earthbind - MTG Card versions
Firebreathing - MTG Card versions
Burrowing - MTG Card versions
Storm World - MTG Card versions
Eternal Warrior - MTG Card versions
Immolation - MTG Card versions
Imposing Visage - MTG Card versions
Ironclaw Curse - MTG Card versions
Veteran's Voice - MTG Card versions
Crown of Flames - MTG Card versions
Tahngarth's Rage - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Blade - MTG Card versions
Reflexes - MTG Card versions
Mark of Fury - MTG Card versions
Seal of Fire - MTG Card versions
Need for Speed - MTG Card versions
Crackling Club - MTG Card versions
Genju of the Spires - MTG Card versions
Quest for Pure Flame - MTG Card versions
Quest for the Goblin Lord - MTG Card versions
Earthbind - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Firebreathing - Magic 2012 (M12)
Burrowing - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Storm World - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Eternal Warrior - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Immolation - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Imposing Visage - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ironclaw Curse - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Veteran's Voice - Alliances (ALL)
Crown of Flames - Invasion (INV)
Tahngarth's Rage - Tempest (TMP)
Flowstone Blade - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Reflexes - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Mark of Fury - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seal of Fire - Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra (JVC)
Need for Speed - Odyssey (ODY)
Crackling Club - Torment (TOR)
Genju of the Spires - The List (PLST)
Quest for Pure Flame - Zendikar (ZEN)
Quest for the Goblin Lord - Worldwake (WWK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Laccolith Rig MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Laccolith Rig and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Laccolith Rig has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-10-04 If placed on a Laccolith creature, both this card’s ability and the Laccolith’s ability will trigger and have their effect.
2004-10-04 If this is on an opponent’s creature, the controller of this card (not the creature’s controller) decides whether to use this card’s ability or not, and decides what the target will be.
2004-10-04 It can target any creature on the battlefield, not just one of the ones blocking it.
2004-10-04 The ability allows you to deal damage during the declare blockers step of combat, which is well before even first strike creatures deal damage.
2004-10-04 The ability is optional. You can decide to allow it to deal combat damage as normal.
2004-10-04 The ability triggers even if a spell or ability makes it blocked, instead of being blocked by a creature.
2006-10-15 Moving the enchantment after the ability triggers will not affect which creatures are affected.

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