Lone Wolf MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Wolf
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Direct damage dealing bypasses blockers, enhancing Lone Wolf’s offensive utility in matches.
  2. Instants safeguard Lone Wolf, bolstering its role within resource-accelerating green strategies.
  3. While powerful, Lone Wolf’s utility is curbed by its specific mana cost and efficiency concerns.

Text of card

If Lone Wolf attacks and is blocked, you may choose to have it deal its damage to the defending player instead of to the creatures blocking it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lone Wolf’s unique ability to deal direct damage to the opponent can bypass traditional blockers, enabling a more consistent damage flow and potential card advantage if combined with cards that benefit from dealing damage to an opponent.

Resource Acceleration: Though Lone Wolf itself doesn’t provide direct resource acceleration, its synergy with green decks that focus on ramping up allows it to come out earlier and pressure opponents, effectively complementing a strategy built on accelerating resources.

Instant Speed: While Lone Wolf operates at sorcery speed, its potency in a green deck leans on the abundance of instant speed spells in the color that can protect it, remove threats, or augment its damage capacity during the combat phase, indirectly benefiting from the instant-speed dynamics of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To maximize the effectiveness of the Lone Wolf, a player might need to factor in discarding strategies, which can be less advantageous when the hand is already lean on cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Lone Wolf’s need for green mana means it’s primarily locked into decks that can produce that resource, potentially limiting its broader application across different deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Efficiency is key in MTG, and while Lone Wolf’s abilities can be powerful, its mana cost is on the higher side when compared to other creatures that might offer similar offensive capabilities for less investment.


Reasons to Include Lone Wolf in Your Collection

Versatility: Lone Wolf offers an intriguing dynamic in green-based decks, ideal for players who enjoy strategies that bypass traditional combat damage barriers.

Combo Potential: Due to its unique combat damage ability, Lone Wolf pairs well with cards that increase its power or provide evasion, unlocking powerful offensive combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment that often focuses on creature-based board states, Lone Wolf can be a dependable card, effectively sneaking damage past fortified defenses.


How to beat

Lone Wolf is a unique creature in the world of MTG, acclaimed for its ability to enable damage to be dealt directly to a player, bypassing potential blockers. This particular trait makes it a nemesis for decks that heavily rely on creatures for defense. To outmaneuver Lone Wolf, the strategy is not to outpopulate the battlefield with creatures, but instead to focus on removal spells. Single-target removals like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can effectively handle Lone Wolf before it becomes an unstoppable force. Additionally, playing counter spells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak can preempt your opponent’s attempt to cast Lone Wolf, maintaining control over the game.

Board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can also be a clean solution to reset the playing field, ensuring that Lone Wolf doesn’t get the chance to assert dominance. In essence, efficient removal and disruption are key in maintaining an advantage against Lone Wolf, thereby preventing it from single-handedly chipping away at your life total. Keep your tactics sharp and your counters ready, and Lone Wolf’s howls will hardly be a whisper against your deck’s fortified strategy.


Cards like Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf stands out in the realm of combat-oriented creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It shares similar traits with creatures like Pride of Lions, which also allows you to decide whether combat damage is dealt to the defending player. What distinguishes Lone Wolf is its evasion ability, granting it the unique capability to sneak through enemy lines untouched by blockable creatures. In contrast, Pride of Lions is a more aggressive creature with a higher power.

Diving into the green creature pool, we find Silhana Ledgewalker which offers a blend of evasion and can’t-be-blocked traits akin to Lone Wolf. However, Silhana Ledgewalker is more subtle, with a lower power and cannot ensure the same damage output as Lone Wolf. Another card worth comparing is Thorn Elemental – a formidable creature that can direct its damage directly to the player, a strength it shares with Lone Wolf, yet it is more mana-intensive and comes with a higher power and toughness.

When examining these cards in the context of creature-based strategies, Lone Wolf secures a spot thanks to its efficient cost, evasion tactic, and the constant threat it poses, making it a card that commands attention on the battlefield.

Pride of Lions - MTG Card versions
Silhana Ledgewalker - MTG Card versions
Thorn Elemental - MTG Card versions
Pride of Lions - Starter 1999 (S99)
Silhana Ledgewalker - Guildpact (GPT)
Thorn Elemental - Urza's Destiny (UDS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lone Wolf MTG card by a specific set like Portal Second Age and Urza's Legacy, 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 Lone Wolf and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Lone Wolf Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1998-06-24 and 2003-07-28. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-06-24Portal Second AgeP02 1311997normalblackMichael Weaver
21999-02-15Urza's LegacyULG 1051997normalblackUna Fricker
31999-05-01Portal Three KingdomsPTK 1401997normalwhiteYang Jun Kwon
41999-07-01Starter 1999S99 1301997normalwhiteUna Fricker
52001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 2541997normalwhiteDouglas Shuler
62001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 254★1997normalblackDouglas Shuler
72003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 262★2003normalblackUna Fricker
82003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 2622003normalwhiteUna Fricker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lone Wolf has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-04-27 If blocked by a creature with banding, the defending player decides whether or not the damage is assigned “as though it weren’t blocked”.
2018-04-27 When assigning combat damage, you choose whether you want to assign all damage to blocking creatures, or if you want to assign all of it to the player or planeswalker this creature is attacking. You can’t split the damage assignment between them.
2018-04-27 You can decide to assign damage to the defending player or planeswalker even if the blocking creature has protection from green or damage preventing effects on it.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks