Loyal Apprentice MTG Card


Loyal Apprentice can bolster your board with Thopters, enhancing board presence without depleting your hand. Its tokens with haste can surprise opponents, serving as both defenders and swift aggressors. While potent in red decks, its specific mana cost and competition in the two-drop slot are limitations.
Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Artificer
Abilities Haste,Lieutenant
Power 2
Toughness 1

Text of card

Haste Lieutenant — At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you control your commander, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying. That token gains haste until end of turn.

Those with knowledge are wise to listen to those with imagination.


Cards like Loyal Apprentice

Loyal Apprentice earns a place in Magic the Gathering as a creature card with a loyalty towards its commander, bringing a unique twist to token-generating abilities. Cards that bear a resemblance to it include Young Pyromancer, a creature that creates tokens upon casting an instant or sorcery spell. Both Loyal Apprentice and Young Pyromancer produce tokens, but Loyal Apprentice’s tokens come with the additional perk of having flying and haste, and its loyalty triggers conditionally during combat on your turn if you have a commander.

Another comparison can be drawn with Thopter Engineer. Much like Loyal Apprentice, the Thopter Engineer provides tokens with flying. However, the Engineer takes it a step further by granting haste to all artifact creatures you control. While Thopter Engineer isn’t limited to combat phases or the presence of a commander, Loyal Apprentice gains advantage in decks built around commander synergy.

Therefore, understanding the strategic advantages of Loyal Apprentice within commander decks showcases its strength in MTG, where commitment to a commander can yield rapid and aerial threats each combat phase.

Young Pyromancer - MTG Card versions
Thopter Engineer - MTG Card versions
Young Pyromancer - MTG Card versions
Thopter Engineer - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Loyal Apprentice features an ability that, once you have the city’s blessing, can create additional Thopter tokens every turn. This consistent token generation can mean a steady increase in your board presence without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: The Thopter tokens produced by Loyal Apprentice not only serve as a form of card advantage but can also be utilized as chump blockers or, with the right synergies or enhancements, can be a source of incremental damage to hasten the game’s end in your favor.

Instant Speed: While Loyal Apprentice itself is not an instant, the tokens it creates have haste, allowing for immediate impact on the game state. This instancy in aggression can catch an opponent off guard or provide an unexpected line of defense.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Loyal Apprentice comes with no direct need to discard, it’s part of a deck’s strategy that sometimes may require discarding cards for added benefits or to activate abilities, potentially reducing your hand size without immediate restitution.

Specific Mana Cost: Loyal Apprentice demands red mana, specifically limited to including it primarily in red or multicolor decks, which could hinder its adoption in mono decks of another color or colorless artifact decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although its cost is only two mana, being a creature means it competes with other two-drop slots in a deck. There are creatures and spells at the same mana cost that may offer immediate impact or more powerful effects on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Loyal Apprentice in Your Collection

Versatility: Loyal Apprentice operates efficiently in a wide array of red-based decks. Its ability to create token creatures simply by having your commander on the battlefield makes it a valuable asset in commander-focused strategies and synergizes well with decks that capitalize on creature numbers.

Combo Potential: The Thopter tokens generated have flying, providing not just a reliable source of damage but also potential for combinations with artifacts and token strategies. Its adaptability can facilitate various combo setups by integrating with cards that benefit from the presence of tokens or artifact creatures.

Meta-Relevance: Given that swarm strategies and commander presence are prominent in certain metagames, Loyal Apprentice can be a cornerstone card. It ensures an immediate board impact in most games where fast development and aerial threats can dictate the pace of play.


How to Beat

Loyal Apprentice is a crafty card that could tilt the scales in the favor of its controller by producing an onslaught of Thopter tokens each combat. When confronted with such continuous value, swift removal of this creature is a priority. It’s essential to remove it before the beginning of combat—once Thopters start accumulating, the task becomes markedly more difficult. Fortunately, Loyal Apprentice is vulnerable early on due to its low toughness.

Instant-speed removal spells excel here, allowing you to target it before the combat phase. Consider those like Fatal Push or Lightning Bolt that can swiftly dispatch Loyal Apprentice without a steep mana investment. Board wipes can also reset the playing field if thopters have begun to swarm. Moreover, countermeasures such as Tormod’s Crypt ensure that recurring the Apprentice from the graveyard won’t be an option. Above all, prompt timing and precise removal will stem the potential tide of flying tokens and keep the advantage in your corner.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the dynamics of Loyal Apprentice is crucial for any MTG enthusiast aiming to sharpen their gameplay. Steady token generation and potential for immediate impact make this card a formidable ally in your deck, particularly within the commander format. If you desire to leverage these thopter tokens to your advantage or integrate this synergy in your red-based strategies, this card could very well be your key to swift aerial domination. We invite you to dive deeper and discover comprehensive strategies, optimal deck compositions, and advanced card interactions. Join the BurnMana community where knowledge meets passion, and every match is a step towards victory.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Loyal Apprentice MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2018, 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 Loyal Apprentice and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Loyal Apprentice Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2024-03-08. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 707532015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
22018-08-09Commander 2018C18 232015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
32020-09-26The ListPLST C18-232015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
42021-07-23Forgotten Realms CommanderAFC 1322015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
52023-02-03Phyrexia: All Will Be One CommanderONC 1022015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
62023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 2402015NormalBlackJoe Slucher
72024-03-08FalloutPIP 1902015NormalBlackIlker Yildiz
82024-03-08FalloutPIP 7182015NormalBlackIlker Yildiz

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Loyal Apprentice has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Loyal Apprentice card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2018-07-13 If you don't control your commander as the lieutenant ability resolves, you won't get its effect.
2018-07-13 If you have multiple commanders, you need to control only one for the lieutenant effect to happen.
2018-07-13 The lieutenant effect happens only once each combat, even if you somehow control multiple commanders (perhaps because you have two commanders with a partner ability from the Battlebond™ set).