Lashknife MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Number	9
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Hannibal King

Key Takeaways

Lashknife’s card replacement effect maintains pressure without losing hand momentum.
Instant speed play allows reaction and strategy adaptation during an opponent’s turn.
Despite versatility, Lashknife’s specific mana cost may limit its integration into some decks.

Text of card

If you control a plains, you may tap an untapped creature you control instead of paying Lashknife's mana cost. Enchanted creature has first strike.

Those it won't scare, it scars.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lashknife offers strategic flexibility by potentially replacing itself in your hand. This can keep your options open and maintain the pressure on your opponent without losing momentum.

Resource Acceleration: While Lashknife doesn’t directly generate mana or treasure, its low casting cost can accelerate your board presence. Casting it early can lead to quicker deployment of other spells, effectively speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Lashknife at instant speed gives you the upper hand, allowing you to react to your opponent’s moves or optimize your own strategy during their turn. This adaptability can be key in shifting the game in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lashknife mandates sacrificing a card from your hand to unleash its potential. For players whose hands are already depleted, this drawback can be a double-edged sword, potentially leaving them at a strategic disadvantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Featuring a mana cost that necessitates one white mana, Lashknife’s inclusion could be restrictive, especially for multi-colored decks where mana flexibility is crucial for seamless gameplay.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the mana value involved in casting Lashknife, players might find themselves contemplating their choices, as other cards in the same cost bracket might deliver equal or superior effects with less stringent requirements.

Reasons to Include Lashknife in Your Collection

Versatility: Lashknife is a valuable asset for various deck builds due to its ability to serve multiple roles. It can act as both removal and a way to give your creatures shadow, allowing them to evade blockers and attack directly.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that capitalize on unblocked attackers or benefit from creature removal. Its dual functionality can be a crucial component in executing your game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where combat tricks and removal are vital, Lashknife offers an edge by providing cost-effective creature interaction. It can shift the tide of battle in your favor, making it a tactical choice for competitive play.

How to beat

The Lashknife card offers versatility on the battlefield with its ability to bolster your creatures’ defenses in Magic: The Gathering. Similar to other protective spells, it grants your creature not only a power boost but also the First Strike ability. However, every card has its counter and understanding how to navigate against Lashknife can give you the upper hand.

Removal spells that don’t target, such as Wrath of God or Damnation, can effectively sidestep Lashknife’s protective capabilities. Playing control elements that alter combat outcomes, like Dolmen Gate, which prevents your creatures from sustaining combat damage, can also undermine Lashknife’s advantages. Alternatively, employing instant-speed removals like Path to Exile before the buff comes into effect disrupts your opponent’s strategies, maintaining pressure on the battlefield.

In essence, strategically timing your removals or utilizing global effects allows you to dismantle the benefits bestowed by Lashknife. By foreseeing your opponent’s moves and neutralizing their threats before they manifest, you maintain control of the game’s flow, demonstrating Lashknife’s vulnerabilities in MTG. Mastery of this tactic can shift the balance in your favor, rendering your opponent’s Lashknife less impactful.

Cards like Lashknife

Lashknife stands out as a unique enchantment in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It resembles cards like Dead Weight, providing the ability to decrease an opposing creature’s power. Yet, Lashknife boasts an added strategic layer by also potentially bolstering your own creatures’ power.

Comparing it to other enchantments, such as Grasp of Darkness, highlights that while Grasp offers a greater immediate power reduction, it doesn’t grant the long-term power boost that Lashknife can provide through domain. Similarly, there’s Dark Favor, which, like Lashknife, increases the power of your creatures but at the cost of loss of life and without affecting opponents.

Analyzing these alternatives reveals why Lashknife can be a versatile choice in player decks. Not only can it hinder an opponent’s creature, but it can also turn the tides by amplifying your own creature’s power as the game progresses, adapting to the changing battlefield of Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Lashknife by color, type and mana cost

Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions

I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions

Circle of Protection: Green - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lashknife 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 Lashknife and other MTG cards: