Lumbering Battlement MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Beast
Abilities Vigilance
Power 4
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Its ability to exile creatures offers significant card advantage and battlefield protection.
  2. Flickering creatures at instant speed with Lumbering Battlement can double resource gains.
  3. High mana cost requires strategic deck building to maximize the Battlement’s potential.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Vigilance When Lumbering Battlement enters the battlefield, exile any number of other nontoken creatures you control until it leaves the battlefield. Lumbering Battlement gets +2/+2 for each card exiled with it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lumbering Battlement’s unique ability to exile any number of other non-token creatures you control and put a +1/+1 counter on it for each grants you significant card advantage. This strategic play not only safeguards your key creatures from removal but can also set up for a game-winning return play.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the Lumbering Battlement can be a part of a strategy that accelerates your resources. By temporarily removing creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects, you can later return them to the battlefield to reuse those abilities, effectively doubling your resource gain in certain scenarios.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate its flicker effect at instant speed is enormously powerful. This grants the flexibility to respond to threats or optimize your board state on the fly. A well-timed activation during a complex board state can easily turn the tides of a match in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Lumbering Battlement demands a notable strategic setup, as it exiles your own creatures. This mechanic can be likened to a discard requirement since you’re temporarily removing these cards from play which may reduce your battlefield presence.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes both generic and white mana, the Lumbering Battlement requires a mana base tailored to accommodate white spells. This may restrict its inclusion only to decks where white mana is plentiful.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Five mana for an initial 4/5 body may seem steep, especially in a format where tempo plays are key. While its ability can be powerful, the high cost can slow your game down if you’re unable to capitalize on the Battlement’s exile ability immediately.


Reasons to Include Lumbering Battlement in Your Collection

Versatility: Lumbering Battlement can be included in a variety of deck archetypes, particularly those that seek to leverage enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects or need defensive capabilities. As a creature that can both protect your board and potentially reset your own ETB creatures for additional value, it offers a multitude of strategic options.

Combo Potential: This creature has inherent synergies with decks focused on combo plays. By exiling your own creatures with useful ETB effects, you can create a loop that allows you to gain those benefits multiple times. Additionally, with enough creatures underneath it, Lumbering Battlement can become an overwhelmingly large attacker that can end games if not properly dealt with.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies prevail, having a card like Lumbering Battlement that can disrupt opponent plays while providing you with a considerable blocker can be quite significant. Its ability to keep other creatures safe from removal or board wipes until the time is right can be a game-changer.


How to beat Lumbering Battlement

Lumbering Battlement stands as a unique creature in the world of MTG, mainly due to its ability to exile other creatures you control and grow more formidable with each one it tucks away beneath its shell. It can function as a protective measure as well as a combat trick, often catching opponents off-guard and escalating through the ranks of a formidable battlefield presence.

But how can you strategize effectively against this behemoth? Removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation, can clear the board without having to engage with the Battlement’s complex ability. Enchantment-based removals such as Detention Sphere or exile effects like Path to Exile bypass the need to deal with the exiled creatures at all.

Moreover, countering the creature with spells like Mana Leak or Negate before it can enter the battlefield is a clean and efficient way to prevent its ability from even starting. Additionally, forcing it to fight a creature it cannot easily defeat via spells like Domri’s Ambush or Prey Upon can also be a straightforward solution to the threat it poses.

Addressing Lumbering Battlement necessitates a blend of timing and the right choice of removal to ensure that the advantage it delivers to the opposing side is neutralized promptly before its protective shell becomes a fortress impossible to breach.


Cards like Lumbering Battlement

Lumbering Battlement offers a unique spin on creature control in the world of Magic: The Gathering. It’s akin to other creatures that manipulate the battlefield, like Restoration Angel. Restoration Angel can exile another creature you control and then return it to play, but it only targets a single creature, whereas Lumbering Battlement can house multiple creatures beneath its vast frame.

In comparison, we have the Felidar Guardian, which also flickers a single creature when it enters the battlefield. While Felidar Guardian has seen its share of combo decks, the Battlement stands out with its potential to become a colossal blocker and swing win conditions with its ability to accumulate exiled creatures’ power and toughness. Another parallel can be drawn to Skybind, an enchantment that utilizes the constellation mechanic to exile multiple non-enchantment permanents, but it involves a different method of interaction and generally fits into more enchantment-focused decks.

Evaluating the various intricacies and strategic uses of these cards reveals the distinctive place Lumbering Battlement holds. It can dramatically alter board presence and offer both offensive and defensive advantages, making it a mighty contender among its MTG kin.

Restoration Angel - MTG Card versions
Felidar Guardian - MTG Card versions
Skybind - MTG Card versions
Restoration Angel - Avacyn Restored Promos (PAVR)
Felidar Guardian - Aether Revolt (AER)
Skybind - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

Cards similar to Lumbering Battlement by color, type and mana cost

Veteran Bodyguard - MTG Card versions
Rashida Scalebane - MTG Card versions
Avenging Angel - MTG Card versions
Lancers en-Kor - MTG Card versions
Radiant, Archangel - MTG Card versions
Master Healer - MTG Card versions
Angel of Mercy - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - MTG Card versions
Border Patrol - MTG Card versions
Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - MTG Card versions
Sigardian Savior - MTG Card versions
Celestial Gatekeeper - MTG Card versions
Collector Protector - MTG Card versions
Kiyomaro, First to Stand - MTG Card versions
Belfry Spirit - MTG Card versions
Petra Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Barrenton Medic - MTG Card versions
Ivory Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Shu Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Conclave Phalanx - MTG Card versions
Veteran Bodyguard - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Rashida Scalebane - Mirage (MIR)
Avenging Angel - Tempest (TMP)
Lancers en-Kor - Stronghold (STH)
Radiant, Archangel - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Master Healer - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Angel of Mercy - The List (PLST)
Serra Angel - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Border Patrol - Judgment (JUD)
Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Sigardian Savior - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Celestial Gatekeeper - Legions (LGN)
Collector Protector - Unhinged (UNH)
Kiyomaro, First to Stand - Saviors of Kamigawa Promos (PSOK)
Belfry Spirit - Guildpact (GPT)
Petra Sphinx - Masters Edition (ME1)
Barrenton Medic - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Ivory Gargoyle - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Shu Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Conclave Phalanx - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lumbering Battlement MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance Promos and Ravnica Allegiance, 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 Lumbering Battlement and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Lumbering Battlement Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-01-25 and 2019-01-25. Illustrated by Simon Dominic.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-01-25Ravnica Allegiance PromosPRNA 15s2015normalblackSimon Dominic
22019-01-25Ravnica AllegianceRNA 152015normalblackSimon Dominic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Lumbering Battlement has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-01-25 Auras attached to the exiled creatures will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creatures will cease to exist. When the cards return to the battlefield, they will be new objects with no connection to the cards that were exiled.
2019-01-25 If Lumbering Battlement leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you can’t exile any nontoken creatures.
2019-01-25 If a card you chose to exile leaves exile or somehow never moved to the exile zone in the first place, Lumbering Battlement doesn’t get +2/+2 for that card.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks