Loxodon Mender MTG Card


Loxodon Mender - Mirrodin
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Elephant Cleric
Released2003-10-02
Set symbol
Set nameMirrodin
Set codeMRD
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number12
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byHeather Hudson

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage: recovers key permanents, turning the tide of a match by regaining resources.
  2. Demands artifact presence and white mana, potentially limiting its integration in diverse decks.
  3. Versatile recovery and life-gain abilities make it a valuable asset in artifact-centric strategies.

Text of card

, : Regenerate target artifact.

The Auriok believe that in the hands of a loxodon, no weapon can be broken.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Loxodon Mender brings value by potentially retrieving a key permanent from your graveyard to your hand. Whether it’s a pivotal creature or a powerful artifact, this can shift the momentum in your favor by recouping lost resources.

Resource Acceleration: Not directly impacting mana resources, the Loxodon Mender enables a different type of acceleration by bypassing the need to redraw cards you’ve already used. This means you can get back into the game without waiting for additional draws.

Instant Speed: The ability to return a permanent card at instant speed cannot be understated. Flexibility is critical in gameplay, and Loxodon Mender offers you the opportunity to react during your opponent’s turn or end phase, which can be strategically advantageous and surprising for your opponent.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Loxodon Mender card requires you to have another artifact card in play to activate its ability. This reliance on another card type can be cumbersome if your deck isn’t artifact-heavy or if you’re facing removal-heavy opponents.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands both white and generic mana. Its specific mana cost can make it challenging to cast in multicolored decks that are not heavily white-based, potentially reducing the card’s versatility in a range of strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is steep for its stats and effect, the Loxodon Mender may not always provide the best value for your deck, especially when faster, more efficient options are available for artifact recovery or creature support.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Loxodon Mender offers a flexible role in a variety of decks, excelling in lifegain and artifact-centric strategies. Its ability to repair damaged permanents makes it a valuable inclusion not just in creature-focused builds but also in decks emphasizing durability and long-term board presence.

Combo Potential: This card works well with mechanics that involve sacrificing or tapping artifacts for benefits, as it can repeatedly restore them. It can also form synergies with cards that have effects when they become untapped, offering creative deck builders numerous opportunities for powerful interactions.

Meta-Relevance: With artifacts being a constant in many powerful decks across formats, having a reusable way to repair them keeps key pieces in play longer. Loxodon Mender can be a subtle yet impactful card that helps maintain an edge against opponents in a meta where artifact disruption is prevalent.


How to beat

The Loxodon Mender is a card that has captured the attention of many players for its ability to meld formidable defenses with potent life gain. In the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, contending with this card requires a tactical approach. One effective strategy is to employ instant-speed removal spells before the Mender has the chance to act. Cards like Murder or Path to Exile can dispatch the Mender with no time for it to make an impact. Another route is to go on the offensive with abilities that bypass the combat step, leveraging direct damage spells or abilities to whittle down an opponent’s life without engaging the Mender directly.

Ensnaring the Mender in the web of countermagic is also a sound tactic, with counterspells like Cancel or Mana Leak stymieing it before it even hits the battlefield. Lastly, players can outpace the Mender’s life-gain with aggressive creature strategies or combo decks that can end the game before the Mender’s influence grows. Understanding the subtleties of your deck and the myriad of tools at your disposal can turn the tide against a seemingly indomitable Loxodon Mender.


Cards like Loxodon Mender

Loxodon Mender joins the ranks of life-gaining creatures in Magic: The Gathering with its particular set of abilities. It’s often compared to cards like Leonin Relic-Warder for its potential to remove artifacts and enchantments, although the Mender does so while also restoring health. This dual functionality offers a unique advantage on the battlefield where strategic artifact management parallels life preservation.

Another card that echoes the life gain trait is Healer’s Hawk, a creature with lesser mana cost and flying capability, granting not only life with each attack but also aerial defense. However, unlike Loxodon Mender, it lacks the utility to influence the board beyond its combat interactions. Then we have Kitchen Finks, which provides a repeated life gain through its persist ability, even though it doesn’t offer the artifact and enchantment control the Mender does.

Therefore, within a deck emphasizing life gain and board control, Loxodon Mender exhibits a compelling combination of sustaining life points while simultaneously dealing with problematic non-creature permanents, thus occupying a unique position among its peers in Magic: The Gathering.

Leonin Relic-Warder - MTG Card versions
Healer's Hawk - MTG Card versions
Kitchen Finks - MTG Card versions
Leonin Relic-Warder - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Healer's Hawk - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Kitchen Finks - Shadowmoor (SHM)

Cards similar to Loxodon Mender by color, type and mana cost

Personal Incarnation - MTG Card versions
Pearl Dragon - MTG Card versions
Cho-Arrim Bruiser - MTG Card versions
Radiant Solar - MTG Card versions
Guardian Archon - MTG Card versions
Archon of Coronation - MTG Card versions
Shieldmage Elder - MTG Card versions
Noble Templar - MTG Card versions
Silverstorm Samurai - MTG Card versions
Oathsworn Giant - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Duskrider Peregrine - MTG Card versions
Crovax, Ascendant Hero - MTG Card versions
Lairwatch Giant - MTG Card versions
Spirit of the Hearth - MTG Card versions
Sun Titan - MTG Card versions
Auriok Survivors - MTG Card versions
Aegis Angel - MTG Card versions
Auratouched Mage - MTG Card versions
Angelic Skirmisher - MTG Card versions
Personal Incarnation - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Pearl Dragon - Mirage (MIR)
Cho-Arrim Bruiser - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Radiant Solar - Forgotten Realms Commander (AFC)
Guardian Archon - Commander 2021 (C21)
Archon of Coronation - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Shieldmage Elder - Onslaught (ONS)
Noble Templar - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Kiora (DDO)
Silverstorm Samurai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Oathsworn Giant - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Kjeldoran Gargoyle - Coldsnap (CSP)
Duskrider Peregrine - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Crovax, Ascendant Hero - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Lairwatch Giant - Lorwyn (LRW)
Spirit of the Hearth - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Sun Titan - Magic 2011 (M11)
Auriok Survivors - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Aegis Angel - Magic Origins (ORI)
Auratouched Mage - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Angelic Skirmisher - Gatecrash (GTC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Loxodon Mender MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Loxodon Mender and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Loxodon Mender has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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