Lunar Avenger MTG Card

Fifth Dawn (5DN)
2004-06-04 - Number 136

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number 5DN-136

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Golem
Abilities	Sunburst
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Grants card advantage in artifact-heavy decks, synergizing well with artifact strategies, counter manipulation, and recovery plays.
Aids in resource acceleration through imposing board presence, potentially requiring opponents to respond to its growing threat.
Though lacking instant speed abilities, smart play with Lunar Avenger allows for counter redistribution, maintaining board control.

Text of card

Sunburst (This comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost.) Remove a +1/+1 counter from Lunar Avenger: Lunar Avenger gains your choice of flying, first strike, or haste until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lunar Avenger, being an artifact creature, often aligns with deck strategies that reward you for playing artifacts, potentially offering consistent card advantage as you draw into more synergistic pieces or recover from board wipes.

Resource Acceleration: This card can be a key player in artifact-centric decks that focus on ramping up resources quickly. Its potential to grow larger with the addition of more artifacts enables a faster and more threatening board presence, contributing to resource acceleration by pressuring opponents and demanding answers.

Instant Speed: While Lunar Avenger doesn’t operate at instant speed, its modular ability interacts favorably with instant speed tricks in the game. By holding onto modular triggers until the last possible moment, you can smartly redistribute counters in response to removal or during combat, ensuring you maintain a strong presence on the board.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Lunar Avenger requires discarding a card to activate its ability, presenting a challenge if your hand is already depleted or if every card is crucial for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: As an artifact creature with a cost that includes generic mana, Lunar Avenger still necessitates a certain mana pool setup to successfully integrate into a multicolor deck efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the need to pay not just for putting it on the battlefield but also for its ability to accrue counters, players may find the investment in Lunar Avenger hefty when other creatures could potentially yield quicker battlefield impact.

Reasons to Include Lunar Avenger in Your Collection

Versatility: Lunar Avenger offers flexibility across various deck archetypes given its modular ability. Being able to adapt to different board states by either growing in power or providing a needed ability, it thrives in decks that manipulate +1/+1 counters or have a strong artifact theme.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to gain a range of keywords such as flying, first strike, or trample allows it to be a linchpin in combo-oriented decks. It synergizes well with strategies that involve proliferating or moving counters, making it a potent force that becomes more threatening as the game progresses.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where artifacts or counters are part of the prevailing strategies, Lunar Avenger demonstrates significant utility. Its ability to scale with the game and adjust to various scenarios makes it a worthy contender in the fluctuating battlefield of MTG’s meta.

How to beat Lunar Avenger

Lunar Avenger, a formidable artifact creature, offers a unique modular mechanic that can make it a growing threat in any MTG match. When attempting to deal with this adaptable menace, consider using instant-speed removal. Cards like Shatter or Disenchant that can target artifacts directly at an opportune moment—preferably before Lunar Avenger amasses too many +1/+1 counters—are particularly effective.

A key strategy is to keep the battlefield clear of other artifact creatures, specifically those with modular that could die and further empower the Lunar Avenger. Additionally, applying pressure with threats that must be dealt with immediately can divert your opponent’s focus and resources, providing you with a window to eliminate Lunar Avenger before it becomes too powerful.

Another angle is to play around Lunar Avenger’s ability. It requires a large number of artifacts to remain consistently threatening. Introduce cards that limit artifact abilities or counter play mechanics, like Stony Silence or Karn, the Great Creator, to undermine the Avenger’s potential. Effectively, when prepared with targeted removals and strategic interference, you can keep Lunar Avenger in check and on the defensive, blunting its impact on the game.

Cards like Lunar Avenger

Lunar Avenger holds a unique position in the realm of artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering. Its affinity with counters makes it a noteworthy comparison to Arcbound Ravager, a creature that also leverages counters for power. However, Lunar Avenger stands out with its ability to accrue +1/+1 counters each time you play a spell of the same color as a card you exile from your graveyard. Unlike Arcbound Ravager, which sacrifices artifacts to bolster itself, Lunar Avenger requires no such sacrifice, providing a more sustainable path to strength.

Another card that echoes the counter-gathering theme is Hangarback Walker. Much like Lunar Avenger, Hangarback Walker evolves by placing +1/+1 counters each turn. Yet, Hangarback Walker can also function effectively as a defensive tool, as it creates Thopter tokens upon death, based on the number of counters it had, adding value even in demise. Lunar Avenger, although missing this defensive utility, offers potential for more controlled and larger growth due to its synergy with spellcasting.

Overall, analyzing the abilities and synergies of Lunar Avenger in comparison to other counter-centric cards showcases its potential for strategic deck integration. It’s an artifact creature that can smoothly scale in power, particularly in a spell-heavy deck that can feed its growth consistently.

Cards similar to Lunar Avenger by color, type and mana cost

Mishra's War Machine - MTG Card versions

Death-Mask Duplicant - MTG Card versions

Pilgrim of the Fires - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lunar Avenger MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn and The List, 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 Lunar Avenger and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lunar Avenger Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2004-06-04 and 2004-06-04. Illustrated by Paolo Parente.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2004-06-04	Fifth Dawn	5DN		136	2003	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente
2	~~2020-09-26~~	The List	PLST		5DN-136	2003	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lunar Avenger has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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