Deepwood Legate MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Shade
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	132
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Pete Venters

Key Takeaways

Deepwood Legate’s reduced cost ability can offer considerable card advantage in the right deck.
Its flash ability enhances gameplay with instant speed versatility, disrupting opponent strategies.
Challenges arise with high mana requirements and potential discard setbacks when using Legate.

Text of card

If an opponent controls a forest and you control a swamp, you may play Deepwood Legate without paying its mana cost. oo B Deepwood Legate gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Deepwood Legate has the potential to become an asset in your hand, especially when playing against an opponent with a forest. Its conditional cost reduction ability may allow you to cast it for free, retaining your hand size and applying pressure on the battlefield without sacrificing cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Deepwood Legate does not directly produce additional mana or Treasure tokens, its potentially reduced casting cost can accelerate your resource usage. By spending less mana to cast it, you effectively save resources that can be used to play other spells or abilities in the same turn, thereby increasing your overall resource efficiency.

Instant Speed: While Deepwood Legate itself is not an instant, its flash ability grants it instant-speed playability. This allows for surprise blocks or for it to be strategically played at the end of your opponent’s turn, ensuring you’re always optimized for untapped mana during your own turns and keeping your opponents guessing about your next move.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Deepwood Legate necessitates parting with a card to reap its benefits. In tight situations where each resource is vital, having to discard could set back your game plan, especially when you’re in need of maintaining pressure or options in hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Deepwood Legate requires a precise color composition in your mana pool. Its dependency on a substantial amount of green mana can pigeonhole the card into mono-green or two-color decks that heavily feature forests, potentially limiting its compatibility in a diverse meta.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial outlay of four mana, Deepwood Legate’s cost efficiency is debatable. In the competitive scene, players might find cards of a similar or lower mana investment that can offer more impactful board presence or strategic advantage, reducing the occasions where Deepwood Legate is the go-to choice.

Reasons to Include Deepwood Legate in Your Collection

Versatility: Deepwood Legate has a flexible casting cost, which can be reduced in a multiplayer game, making it a valuable addition to decks that operate on varied mana availabilities.

Combo Potential: This card scales well in games with multiple opponents, working seamlessly with strategies that target or capitalize on numerous players, enhancing deck synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where decks with multiple colors are prevalent, Deepwood Legate’s ability to become unblockable by simply controlling a Forest showcases its potential impact on the game state.

How to Beat Deepwood Legate

Deepwood Legate is a unique card in MTG that can find a home within decks that capitalize on the green faction’s ability to control the board through creatures. Its power lies in the potential to cost nothing as long as an opponent controls a Forest and you control a Swamp. This sneaky creature can be challenging to face due to its stealthy nature and cost-reduction ability.

To tackle Deepwood Legate effectively, consider maintaining removal spells that do not depend on targeting such as board wipes or spells that force each creature to be sacrificed. This circumvents the Legate’s ability to come into play undetected and at potentially no cost. Additionally, managing the types of lands opponents have access to can diminish the Legate’s advantage—land destruction or transformation spells can greatly reduce the circumstances where the Legate may become a free asset. Lastly, always be prepared with instant-speed interaction to handle the Legate the moment it hits the board, ensuring it doesn’t get a chance to swing the game in your opponent’s favor.

Though it possesses a certain stealth and cost-related trickiness, Deepwood Legate’s impact can be mitigated with a well-prepared defense strategy and a keen eye on land control.

Cards like Deepwood Legate

Deepwood Legate finds its niche in the realm of green creatures of Magic: The Gathering. This card is notorious for its unique ability to become unblockable if an opponent controls a non-green land. In comparison, Silhana Ledgewalker shares a semblance with its inherent hexproof and evasion, being unblockable except by creatures with flying. However, the Legate’s cost reduction feature for each Forest you control sets it apart, offering synergies in a Forest-heavy deck that Silhana Ledgewalker lacks.

Moving to a different angle, we see Skulking Ghost. While it doesn’t match the unblockable attribute, it compensates with being cost-efficient and evasive as a flying creature. The Legate, in contrast, forgoes flying for potential unblockability and a variable casting cost that could be an advantage in land-rich settings. Another counterpart is Thrun, the Last Troll, which is also challenging to block due to being untargetable, yet it carries a higher mana value and lacks the Legate’s cost adaptability based on lands.

What sets Deepwood Legate apart in the green roster is its flexibility, playing a strategic role in games where land type control can tip the balance. It’s this balancing act between evasion, casting cost, and board conditions that make Deepwood Legate a card worth considering in specific MTG green decks.

Thrun, the Last Troll - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Deepwood Legate by color, type and mana cost

Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - MTG Card versions

Demon of Catastrophes - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deepwood Legate MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Deepwood Legate and other MTG cards: