Lamplighter of Selhoff MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Horror |
| Released | 2016-04-08 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Shadows over Innistrad |
| Set code | SOI |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 72 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Clint Cearley |
Key Takeaways
- Lamplighter of Selhoff offers card advantage, accelerating your game with extra resources and strategic depth.
- While powerful, it requires discarding to activate, and a specific mana composition can be limiting.
- Despite its drawbacks, it brings versatility and combo potential to blue-black decks, enhancing graveyard strategies.
Text of card
When Lamplighter of Selhoff enters the battlefield, if you control another Zombie, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
For stitchers and necro-alchemists, it's important that work can continue at all hours.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Lamplighter of Selhoff can grant a continuous flow of card advantage if you manage to untap with it multiple times. This edge is pivotal in outpacing your opponent with more options in hand.
Resource Acceleration: Not only does Lamplighter of Selhoff potentially draw you extra cards, but it can also help accelerate your resources by enabling you to exploit untapped zombies for mana, effectively paving the way for bigger plays ahead of schedule.
Instant Speed: Its skulk ability ensures it can often attack unblocked and therefore trigger its tap ability at instant speed during the declare blockers step, offering a surprising element of tactical depth to your game plan.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: A significant downside of the Lamplighter of Selhoff is the necessity to discard a card to activate its ability. This condition can pose a problem, especially in situations where your hand is already depleted, and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The Lamplighter demands a specific blend of mana to cast—a double blue and two generic—which might not always align smoothly with your mana base, particularly in multi-colored decks that don’t heavily rely on blue mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its mana value of four, the Lamplighter of Selhoff offers a 3/5 body, which can be underwhelming. There are numerous alternatives available that can deliver more immediate board presence or value for the same or lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Lamplighter of Selhoff in Your Collection
Versatility: Lamplighter of Selhoff is a great addition to any blue-black deck, serving as both a sizable creature and a means to bolster hand advantage each turn.
Combo Potential: With its ability to let you draw and then discard a card, this spectral common from Shadows over Innistrad sets up graveyard strategies and works well with madness or reanimator decks.
Meta-Relevance: In a metagame that appreciates incremental card advantage, Lamplighter of Selhoff can become a persistent threat that demands an answer, making it a relevant choice for many game scenarios.
How to beat
Lamplighter of Selhoff is a versatile creature card that can pose a significant threat if left unchecked on the battlefield. Known for its ability to enable card draw while establishing a significant board presence, it becomes crucial to dismantle its advantages early on. A common strategy is to prioritize removal spells that can deal with the Lamplighter quickly. Direct damage spells such as Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push can be particularly effective, as they can remove the Lamplighter before your opponent capitalizes on card draw.
However, players should also consider the timing of their removal. Given that Lamplighter of Selhoff can force a card draw upon entering the battlefield if there’s another Zombie, it’s wise to react before this trigger resolves or in response to the creature being cast. Alternatively, countering the creature spell outright with counterspells like Counterspell or Mana Leak can prevent the Lamplighter from affecting the game at all. Denying the draw potential and keeping board state control are key in curtailing the advantage this card can provide to your opponent.
Finally, keeping a watch on your opponent’s graveyard can be useful, as many decks that run Lamplighter may have means of reanimating creatures. Graveyard hate cards, like Rest in Peace, can ensure the Lamplighter doesn’t see the light of day again once removed. By considering these strategies, you can effectively neutralize the threat of Lamplighter of Selhoff and maintain dominance in your game.
Cards like Lamplighter of Selhoff
Lamplighter of Selhoff stands out within the spectrum of creature cards in the Magic: The Gathering universe. It’s commonly likened to other cards that have the threshold mechanic such as Stitched Mangler. Although both creatures share a set mana value of five and harness abilities activated upon entry, Lamplighter of Selhoff adds an additional advantage – it allows you to draw a card if there’s a zombie in your graveyard. Stitched Mangler, by contrast, temporarily taps a target creature without any card draw benefit.
Another related card is Advanced Stitchwing, which also revolves around the theme of reanimation from the graveyard. The Stitchwing distinctly enables the return to the battlefield from the graveyard, a nod to recyclable potential, but it doesn’t offer the direct card advantage that Lamplighter of Selhoff does upon entering the playfield. The Advanced Stitchwing is also part of the family of cards that demands discarding as part of its cost for return, while Lamplighter of Selhoff’s card draw is conditional but cost-free.
Deciding between these cards will often hinge on the presence of zombies in your graveyard and the desire for immediate card advantage versus recurring battlefield presence. Lamplighter of Selhoff’s utility in a strategic zombie-themed deck might just give it the lantern light to guide your way to victory.
Cards similar to Lamplighter of Selhoff by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Lamplighter of Selhoff MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Lamplighter of Selhoff and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Lamplighter of Selhoff has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
