Legion Lieutenant MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Vampire Knight
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances Vampire creatures, making them more potent on the battlefield and increasing deck efficiency.
  2. Its two-color requirement may limit deck building but ensures a targeted and powerful strategy.
  3. While not an instant, its immediate effect on Vampires can significantly shift the momentum of a game.

Text of card

Other Vampires you control get +1/+1.

"We long ago abandoned the things that make humans weak: friendship, marriage, family. All that remains is the strength of our devotion."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: As a pivotal part of Vampire tribal decks, the Legion Lieutenant excels at enhancing your board presence. While it doesn’t directly provide card draw, the Lieutenant’s ability to bolster your creatures turns each Vampire draw into a more potent threat, indirectly contributing to card advantage through quality over quantity.

Resource Acceleration: The Legion Lieutenant itself does not generate additional mana or resources. However, it serves as an acceleration tool by empowering your Vampire army, making each creature a more formidable force. This, in turn, can lead to accelerated victory, effectively outpacing the need for traditional resource acceleration.

Instant Speed: Although the Legion Lieutenant is not an instant, its influence on the battlefield is immediate. By offering a static buff to other Vampires the moment it enters the field, it can instantly turn the tide of battle in your favor, mimicking the surprise factor typically associated with instant speed plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Legion Lieutenant itself does not demand a discard, the gentleman’s cost in vampire decks often requires tough decisions on which resources to let go. This can be a delicate balance that might not always work in your favor, particularly if your hand is running thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Legion Lieutenant demands both white and black mana, which necessitates a strict adherence to a two-color deck build. Straying from this can leave you with a powerful card stuck in your hand if your mana sources don’t align.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The need for dual mana for a 2/2 creature could be considered a bit steep, considering other two-drops can offer similar or greater stats or abilities. The boost to other vampires is significant, but if you’re playing against a non-creature heavy deck or faster aggro decks, the mana investment may not pay off as quickly as needed.


Reasons to Include Legion Lieutenant in Your Collection

Versatility: Legion Lieutenant serves as an indispensable boost for Vampire tribal decks. With its ability to grant a +1/+1 to other Vampire creatures you control, it can seamlessly adapt to various aggressive and midrange deck strategies, elevating your board presence significantly.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with numerous Vampires, enhancing the effectiveness of token-generating cards or abilities. It promotes a robust combination of offense and defense, enabling game-winning plays that can overwhelm opponents quickly.

Meta-Relevance: Given the consistent presence of tribal decks in the meta, including those centered around Vampires, Legion Lieutenant holds a place of solid competitive significance. Its ability to strengthen your creatures across the board makes it a timely addition and can tip the scales in matches where creature superiority determines the outcome.


How to Beat Legion Lieutenant

Legion Lieutenant stands as a linchpin in Vampire tribal decks within Magic: The Gathering, providing a valuable power and toughness buff to fellow vampires. Taking this creature off the board swiftly is key to dismantling your opponent’s strategy. Utilizing removal spells remains one of the most straightforward ways to neutralize the Lieutenant. Options like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can dispatch it promptly, mitigating the threat it poses.

Additionally, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation are effective against wider vampire strategies, clearing not just the Lieutenant but all creatures your opponent controls. It’s crucial to leverage these spells wisely, timing them optimally to maximize their impact. Engaging in strategic creature combat can also blunt the Lieutenant’s edge, carefully selecting blockers or attackers to avoid unfavorable trades bolstered by its buff.

Keep in mind that smart playing and understanding Vampire deck mechanics go a long way. Being prepared with sideboard cards specifically designed to counter these strategies will significantly increase your odds in any game where Legion Lieutenant is a key feature.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering your MTG gameplay takes more than just a powerful card like Legion Lieutenant. It’s about strategy, adaptation, and understanding the mechanics of your deck. Whether it’s building a Vampire tribal deck that capitalizes on synergy or ensuring your mana base can support a Legion Lieutenant efficiently, every choice counts. With the right combination of cards, knowledge, and tactics, the Legion Lieutenant can bolster your army, paving the way to victory. Dive deeper into deck building strategies and enhance your gameplay. Unlock the full potential of your Vampire deck and edge out the competition. Join the conversation and empower your MTG experience.


Cards like Legion Lieutenant

Legion Lieutenant holds a unique position within the pantheon of buffs for the vampire tribe in Magic: The Gathering. Resembling lords such as Lord of Atlantis for merfolk or Goblin Chieftain for goblins, it offers a valuable boost to its tribe. Unlike Lord of Atlantis, however, Legion Lieutenant doesn’t grant a secondary ability like islandwalk, focusing solely on amplifying the power and toughness of fellow vampires. Nevertheless, it does offer the buff at a lower mana cost compared to the Goblin Chieftain, streamlining early-game dominance for vampire decks.

Another vampire-centric counterpart is Captivating Vampire. While also giving a boost to vampire creatures, this card incorporates an additional layer of utility by enabling control of opponent’s creatures under certain conditions. This does come at an increased mana cost and a requirement for a larger number of vampires on the battlefield for maximal effect. Then there’s the Stromkirk Captain which provides not only a stat increase but also the ever-useful first strike ability to vampires, allowing them to better control combat engagement.

Evaluating the synergy and efficiency within vampire-themed decks, Legion Lieutenant emerges as a solid option that supports aggressive strategies and tribal cohesion without compromising mana curve balance.

Lord of Atlantis - MTG Card versions
Goblin Chieftain - MTG Card versions
Captivating Vampire - MTG Card versions
Stromkirk Captain - MTG Card versions
Lord of Atlantis - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Goblin Chieftain - Resale Promos (PRES)
Captivating Vampire - Magic 2011 (M11)
Stromkirk Captain - Dark Ascension (DKA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Legion Lieutenant MTG card by a specific set like Rivals of Ixalan and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander, 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 Legion Lieutenant and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Legion Lieutenant Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-01-19 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Zezhou Chen.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-01-19Rivals of IxalanRIX 1632015normalblackZezhou Chen
22023-11-17The Lost Caverns of Ixalan CommanderLCC 2752015normalblackZezhou Chen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Legion Lieutenant has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-01-19 Because damage remains marked on a creature until it's removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to another Vampire you control may become lethal if Legion Lieutenant leaves the battlefield during that turn.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks