Leonin Warleader – MTG Secret Lair

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Cat tribal really seems like it should be a no-brainer for Magic to use. Then again, so did an Arthurian theme, and look how long we had to wait for that. Mechanically, the Warleader is a variation on one of white’s most powerful themes and has the stats to end a game without any assistance. It’s slightly unusual for the tokens to have an ability, and while lifelink can be somewhat situational, it can also mess up an opponent’s calculations. While Leonin Warleader goes well with any kind of Glorious Anthem effect, the cat-specific tribal cards are even better: Regal Caracal and King of the Pride both stand out and are absolutely overwhelming with the Warleader’s continuous stream of tokens.

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

Providing one’s own army in a single creature is an excellent strategy to try to win games with, and Leonin Warleader definitely offers that ability to the enterprising deck. Under normal conditions, it can start cranking out two additional attackers each turn with lifelink, and they even attack with the Warleader! Some might dismiss them as weak fodder, but added value on the attack means it’s possible to snowball one’s life total even higher. Sticking an anthem effect on board helps even more, since they tend to play best with a lot of smaller creatures, and Cats have been getting some improved tribal synergies in recent sets. You might find that, despite the tendency of the 1/1 creatures to die, you’re still getting solid value, as the Warleader hits decently hard on his own.

As always, being a 4/4 with no protection isn’t ideal, and Leonin Warleader isn’t a Constructed staple by any means. It’s a fun card to play with, though, and it can take over a game once it starts attacking. Pair it with the Selesnya Cat shell for maximum value and feline ferocity…and do note that the tokens that come in off of his trigger, while attacking, do not need to be attacking the same target as the big boss kitty.

Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander: 3.75

Phat
Pack
Magic
YouTube

Hello everyone and welcome back to Pojo’s Card of the Day!

Today we’re looking at another Secret Lair card and this is one of my favorites and I assume that it’ll be one of the most sought after kits!

So let’s take a look at this pretty kitty Leonin Warleader!

At first glance this thing looks pretty standard of a white card, it has a thicc body and brings some buddies to back it up. In almost every format this guy is going to be rocking the all-star package because of his efficiency as a creature who is on par for mana to power. (2WW for a 4/4) White is also the King of anthem effects and being able to drop a Crusade/Glorious Anthem/Honor of the Pure after plopping this bad boy on the table is going to lead for an incredible alpha strike.

Also this guy makes lifelinking kitty-cats! This helps in the race for when White Weenie needs a bit more of a top-end card.

In Commander this guy is simply solid, you’ll probably want to stack him in an Ajani style deck with lots of planeswalkers that pump out the counters. Ajani, Mentor of Heroes and Ajani- Actually. Any Ajani would fit great with these styles of cards, thematically and synergy wise.

Unfortunately his place in Constructed simply doesn’t cut it with the amount of power-creep we’ve seen in recent years. There’s simply too many other creatures for similar mana costs that surpass him, sure his ability is repeatable but cards like Regal Caracal at least leave something behind when they land in play.

In limited though? This guy is a bombshell! Don’t simply run him out first chance though, let them burn through their removal before you plop this down and watch them struggle for an answer.

Constructed: 2/5 – He’s okay, a decent top end for the Mono White deck in the sideboard if anything.
Commander: 4/5 – In Commander you want value, and this guy can help provide it in a go-wide anthem style deck.
Multiplayer: 5/5 – A fun card for sure that helps you attack and defend at the same time with kitty friends
Limited: 5/5 – I daresay first pickable in a draft format, he’s strong and most drafts are removal light so you can use him to run away with the game.
Cube: 2/5 – Fine for the mid-rangey go-wide decks but doesn’t provide enough value to warrant most decklist spots.

Phat Pack Magic is a channel dedicated to Magic: the Gathering and creating awesome coverage of local events for formats like Cube, rare pack drafts, and coming soon, Pioneer!  Check it out at YouTube.com/PhatPackMagic