Lieutenant Kirtar MTG Card

Odyssey (ODY)
2001-10-01 - Number 29

Lieutenant Kirtar - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
2023-01-13 - Number 265

Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
2023-01-13 - Number 12

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Legendary Creature — Bird Soldier
Abilities	Flying
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Lieutenant Kirtar excels in controlling the board by removing multiple threats over time.
Its instant-speed sacrifice offers strategic flexibility and surprise defensive actions.
Despite mana cost and resource trade-offs, Kirtar’s utility and combo potential are significant.

Text of card

Flying o1o W, Sacrifice Lieutenant Kirtar: Remove target attacking creature from the game.

"His strengths are pride, devotion, and ambition. His weaknesses are the same." —Pianna, nomad captain

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Lieutenant Kirtar comes with the ability to potentially remove multiple problematic creatures. By sacrificing itself and paying some additional mana, this card provides continuous utility over the time it remains on the field, offering a way to keep your opponent’s board clear and maintain the upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Lieutenant Kirtar may not directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense of ramping mana, its ability to keep the battlefield in check allows for a more efficient use of resources. By selectively removing threats, players can focus their mana and actions on furthering their own board state and strategy without being bogged down by opposing creatures.

Instant Speed: The ability to sacrifice Lieutenant Kirtar at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to threats at crucial moments, even during an opponent’s turn. This element of surprise can disrupt enemy plans, protect your life total, and give you the upper hand when timing is everything in a tight match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Lieutenant Kirtar’s ability necessitates that you sacrifice him, which means you’re losing not just a creature but an officer with potentially strategic abilities. This creates a scenario where you’re trading resources in a way that might not always align with your play strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Costing three specific mana – two white and one of any color – makes Lieutenant Kirtar a card that requires a dedicated mana base. This could potentially restrict him to mono-white or two-color decks, thus limiting deck-building flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of three for a 1/2 flyer, Lieutenant Kirtar might be seen as inefficient compared to other cards with similar or lower costs offering greater offensive or defensive capabilities. This could impact his viability in competitive play where mana efficiency is crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Lieutenant Kirtar offers flexibility across various formats with its ability to provide control over the battlefield. Its flying capability adds a level of defense and it can serve as both an offensive and defensive asset in several deck archetypes.

Combo Potential: Lieutenant Kirtar’s sacrifice ability can be pivotal in decks that capitalize on creature death or exile effects. It synergizes with strategies aiming to disrupt opponents’ plans while advancing your own board state without needing additional mana investment.

Meta-Relevance: Given the ever-shifting landscape of the MTG metagame, Lieutenant Kirtar’s utility in removing key opponent threats is consistently valuable. In environments where creatures play a central role, having Kirtar as a response option can give players a significant edge.

How to beat

Lieutenant Kirtar is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering with its ability to keep opponents at bay. Bearing evasion with flying and a noteworthy sacrifice ability to counter target spell when it carries threshold, it’s a defensive card that also maintains board presence. To effectively counter this strategy, remove it before the threshold is met, diminishing its controlling impact. Efficient removal spells that don’t rely on targeting a flying creature or instant-speed interaction to address it before the sacrifice ability resolves are keys to overcoming Lieutenant Kirtar’s control.

A consideration is edict effects which force a player to sacrifice a creature. As Lieutenant Kirtar often commands the skies alone, it becomes a prime target for such tactics. Furthermore, graveyard management can be pivotal, hindering the threshold from becoming active. By keeping graveyards clean, Lieutenant Kirtar remains a simple creature without its spell-countering prowess. Additionally, board sweepers prove advantageous—they disregard its flying and reset the playing field, negating the card’s threshold advantage.

With these strategies, players can navigate the challenges posed by Lieutenant Kirtar and maintain the upper hand.

Cards like Lieutenant Kirtar

Lieutenant Kirtar, a unique creature within the Magic: The Gathering universe, stands out among the ranks of white flying creatures. Comparable in some respects to Aven Mindcensor, which also boasts flying and can disrupt opponents’ search abilities. However, Lieutenant Kirtar carries the additional utility of being able to sacrifice itself to exile target attacking creature, giving it a tactical edge in defensive maneuvers.

Examining other cards, Remorseful Cleric emerges as a contender, offering both flying and graveyard disruption by sacrificing itself. While the Cleric doesn’t directly interact with attacking creatures, its role in controlling graveyard strategies can be crucial in certain matchups. Then there’s Hallowed Spiritkeeper, which after death, leaves behind a legion of vigilant spirits proportionate to the number of creatures in your graveyard, exemplifying versatility in both offense and defense.

Assessing their roles in gameplay, Lieutenant Kirtar demonstrates a blend of aerial threat and precise control, making it a card worth considering in decks that value both flying prowess and the ability to answer direct threats on the battlefield.

Hallowed Spiritkeeper - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Lieutenant Kirtar by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Lieutenant Kirtar MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Dominaria Remastered, 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 Lieutenant Kirtar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Lieutenant Kirtar Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Paolo Parente.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2001-10-01	Odyssey	ODY	29	1997	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente
2	2023-01-13	Dominaria Remastered	DMR	265	1997	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente
3	2023-01-13	Dominaria Remastered	DMR	12	2015	Normal	Black	Paolo Parente