Undead Leotau MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Cat |
| Abilities | Unearth |
| Released | 2008-10-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Shards of Alara |
| Set code | ALA |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 90 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Carl Critchlow |
Text of card
: Undead Leotau gets +1/-1 until end of turn. Unearth (: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
Cards like Undead Leotau
Undead Leotau offers a distinctive blend of attributes for creature cards in Magic the Gathering. Its closest analog is the Dreg Reaver, a creature that shares the same power and toughness. Both are formidable at holding the line defensively. Nevertheless, Undead Leotau stands out with an ability to resurrect it from the graveyard, giving players a resilient threat that can return to the battlefield and pressure opponents yet again.
Another peer in this space is Tenacious Dead. While lower in power and toughness, it offers a similar undead resurgence, bouncing back to life multiple times during a game. This ability keeps the pressure constant, much like Undead Leotau, though the latter can overshadow it with its sheer size. Then, there’s the returned Phalanx, which bears comparable stats but lacks the ability to self-reanimate. Instead, it comes with an inspired mechanic, providing a different form of recurring value.
Evaluating the aspects and strategic uses of these cards, Undead Leotau is particularly remarkable for its daunting presence and tenacity on the battlefield, embodying both aggressive and defensive roles with its enduring spirit.
Cards similar to Undead Leotau by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Undead Leotau provides solid card advantage to players by reincorporating itself from the graveyard. This recurring presence means that the card can effectively contribute to hand resources over several turns without additional cards being drawn.
Resource Acceleration: Piloting a deck with the Undead Leotau enables a form of resource acceleration by having a creature that can return to the battlefield. This reduces the need to spend further mana on casting new creatures and effectively bolsters your board presence without depleting your hand.
Instant Speed: The flexibility afforded by the Undead Leotau’s instant speed abilities can be a game changer. Since you can activate these traits at the end of your opponent’s turn, it enables strategic planning by giving you the option to respond to threats on the fly while keeping your opponents guessing about your next move.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Undead Leotau’s gameplay can be somewhat restrictive due to its discard requirement. This can pose a significant setback for players, especially when their hand is already depleted, or they are trying to maintain card advantage. Discarding valuable cards could cost you the momentum you need to outpace your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: The Undead Leotau card calls for a precise combination of mana, with an emphasis on black mana sources. This specificity can be challenging in multicolored decks that may struggle with mana consistency, potentially causing this creature to sit unused in your hand at critical times.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: In terms of mana efficiency, the Undead Leotau falls short when compared to other creatures within the same mana range. With its relatively high mana cost, players must weigh whether its impact on the battlefield justifies the upfront investment, particularly in faster-paced games where efficiency can make or break a match.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Undead Leotau offers a broad range of utility in diverse deck types. Its status as a creature brings inherent benefits to those looking to strengthen their battlefield presence while engaging in graveyard-centric strategies.
Combo Potential: With its zombie creature type, the card easily slots into undead synergistic combos. Its recurrence from the graveyard ability can be harnessed to feed sacrifice mechanics or other graveyard interaction requirements.
Meta-Relevance: Facing a meta that includes decks vulnerable to recurring threats, the Undead Leotau can offer consistent pressure. Its resilience in the play area aligns well with current strategies that focus on resource maximization and tenacious board states.
How to beat
The Undead Leotau card stands out in the realm of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, with its resurrection ability providing strategic advantages. This aspect makes the Undead Leotau somewhat daunting to face on the battlefield, as it can return from the graveyard to the battlefield. To successfully overcome this card, one should consider using graveyard disruption tools that are available within the game.
Graveyard hate cards such as Tormod’s Crypt can be a great equalizer, stripping the player’s graveyard of all cards and nullifying the Leotau’s revival ability. The use of exile effects can also be quite effective. Spells like Path to Exile remove the Leotau permanently from play, ensuring it doesn’t have the chance to make a dreaded comeback. Additionally, managing your removal spells wisely to ensure you have an answer ready when your opponent tries to trigger the Leotau’s return is key to your strategy.
Deck building with these counters in mind helps you stay one step ahead of your opponent, maintaining control over the game. Understanding the mechanics behind the Undead Leotau and having the right answers at the right time are quintessential to turn the tides in your favor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Undead Leotau MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara, 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 Undead Leotau and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Undead Leotau has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Undead Leotau card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | Activating a creature card’s unearth ability isn’t the same as casting the creature card. The unearth ability is put on the stack, but the creature card is not. Spells and abilities that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle) will interact with unearth, but spells and abilities that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul) will not. |
| 2008-10-01 | At the beginning of the end step, a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth is exiled. This is a delayed triggered ability, and it can be countered by effects such as Stifle or Voidslime that counter triggered abilities. If the ability is countered, the creature will stay on the battlefield and the delayed trigger won’t trigger again. However, the replacement effect will still exile the creature when it eventually leaves the battlefield. |
| 2008-10-01 | If a creature returned to the battlefield with unearth would leave the battlefield for any reason, it’s exiled instead — unless the spell or ability that’s causing the creature to leave the battlefield is actually trying to exile it! In that case, it succeeds at exiling it. If it later returns the creature card to the battlefield (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to the battlefield as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it. |
| 2008-10-01 | If you activate a card’s unearth ability but that card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that unearth ability will resolve and do nothing. |
| 2008-10-01 | Unearth grants haste to the creature that’s returned to the battlefield. However, neither of the “exile” abilities is granted to that creature. If that creature loses all its abilities, it will still be exiled at the beginning of the end step, and if it would leave the battlefield, it is still exiled instead. |