Iron Lance MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Number	300
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Scott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

Iron Lance offers card advantage by enabling creature removal while building your own board.
Its instant speed equip ability provides significant flexibility during changing game states.
Despite its benefits, Iron Lance’s discard requirement and high mana cost can be limiting.

Text of card

o3, oc T: Target creature gains first strike until end of turn.

"The only way to get Mercadians to fight on the front lines is to give them really long weapons." —Gerrard

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Iron Lance grants the ability to potentially remove an opponent’s creature, effectively developing your board presence while disrupting theirs.

Resource Acceleration: Through its equip ability, Iron Lance can offer a mana-cost-efficient way to enhance your creatures, allowing for optimized resource distribution across other spells and abilities in your turn.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of equipping at instant speed means you can adapt to the changing state of the game, ensuring you’re always poised to make the most impactful plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Iron Lance necessitates discarding a card to activate its key ability. This can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re already behind in card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Iron Lance demands a precise combination of mana types. If your deck struggles to produce the necessary mana or is focused on a different color strategy, inserting Iron Lance could disrupt your mana curve and hinder consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Iron Lance offers a significant combat boost, its mana investment is substantial. In the context of the game’s current meta, investing such a high cost on an equipment card could prove inefficient when other cards provide similar or greater value for less.

Reasons to Include Iron Lance in Your Collection

Versatility: Iron Lance is a flexible addition that can be easily integrated into various deck archetypes. Its role as a utility artifact means it’s not just for one specific kind of deck, broadening its application across your MTG collection.

Combo Potential: The equipment nature of Iron Lance allows it to synergize with creatures that benefit from being equipped. This opens up possibilities for powerful combinations with cards that trigger upon equipping, enhancing both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Meta-Relevance: Equippable cards like Iron Lance maintain relevance in fluctuating metagames by empowering creature-focused strategies. Whether the meta favors aggressive playstyles or a more midrange approach, the boost provided by Iron Lance can be a deciding factor in games.

How to beat

Iron Lance is a noteworthy card within the MTG arsenal, offering a unique twist on enhancing creatures’ capabilities. As a card that can turn a simple creature into a formidable attacker, it poses a strategic challenge. To effectively neutralize the advantages Iron Lance provides, consider employing artifact removal spells or abilities. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant are excellent counters, as they can directly target and eliminate the threat of Iron Lance before it tips the battlefield balance.

Another viable strategy is to focus on direct creature removal. If Iron Lance is already equipped and boosting an opponent’s creature, removing that creature from play removes the immediate threat. Use spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile, which are efficient removal options that can deal with the buffed creature directly. This way, Iron Lance becomes a relic without a host, significantly diminishing its impact on the game.

In summary, while Iron Lance can create significant advantages for your opponent, it can be overcome. Through smart removal choices, be they targeted at the artifact itself or the creatures it enhances, you’re equipped to dismantle the strategies Iron Lance might support and tilt the game back in your favor.

Cards like Iron Lance

Magic: The Gathering includes a colorful repertoire of equipable items, and Iron Lance can be seen as an interesting comparison within this group. It shares similarities with other equipment cards like Short Sword, which also provides a modest boost to the equipped creature’s power. Where Iron Lance distinguishes itself is in its ability to potentially grant first strike, giving the player a tactical advantage during combat.

Another card worthy of comparison is the Bonesplitter, a classic equipment that offers a more significant boost in power. While lacking the strategic edge of granting first strike, its higher power boost can sometimes be more impactful on the game. Additionally, there’s Marauder’s Axe, which, like Iron Lance, bestows a power bonus. However, it does not afford the option for first strike, highlighting Iron Lance’s beneficial combat trick potential.

In evaluating these cards, Iron Lance finds its niche by combining a moderate power increase with the conditional combat utility. For players valuing versatility and control in combat scenarios, Iron Lance earns its place in the pantheon of equipment cards in Magic: The Gathering.

Bonesplitter - Arena League 2003 (PAL03)

Cards similar to Iron Lance by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)

Jandor's Saddlebags - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)

Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)

Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)

Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)

Swiftfoot Boots - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Iron Lance 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 Iron Lance and other MTG cards: