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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Legion Loyalist
Image from Wizards.com

 Legion Loyalist
- Gatecrash

Reviewed February 26, 2013

Constructed: 4.12
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 2.75

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Legion Loyalist

There's just something funny about a 1/1 trampler. The Loyalist offers an amazing boon to its brothers-in-arms, but as a 1/1, I doubt it'll live long enough to do it twice. Like the Battle Cry mechanic from Mirrodin Beseiged, Battalion is built for alpha strikes. And like Signal Pest from the same set, Legion Loyalist is actually pretty worthless unless you're attacking with him and a bunch of other dudes. But at least Signal Pest had an evasive ability. Legion Loyalist can grant himself an evasive ability if he has back-up, but practically everyone can find a "nontoken creature" to block with. He can't make much use out of trample either, so unless all your other attackers also have Battalion and provide power/toughness boosts, he's going to struggle.

He's good as the icing on the Batallion cake, but worthless in a deck that isn't devoted to the ideal. I guess he really is a Loyalist!

Constructed - 3.5
Casual- 4
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 2

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Legion Loyalist
 
This card is mostly pretty self-explanatory, as we all have the experience of being attacked by one or more creatures with one or more of the abilities the Loyalist grants, and the attendant memories of how hard it can be to deal with. The only thing standing in this guy's way in Standard is, arguably, the competition - Champion of the Parish has an almost Tarmogoyf-like growth curve, and Dryad Militant has a static ability relevant against control decks. If anyone ever finds a way to put them all in one deck, be afraid.
 
(Of course, neither of those cards has the Boros watermark, which you might find yourself building around at some tables!)
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 2/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Legion Loyalist which is a one mana Red 1/1
goblin soldier with Haste and Battalion that gives creatures you control
First Strike, Trample, and evasion against creature tokens until end of
turn.  This is an impressive creature that two of the most supported
types in the game and abilities that make it valuable from turn one up
to and including a final alpha strike in the endgame.  The Loyalist ends
stalemates, can get in early for some quick damage, or force unequal
blocks because of First Strike.  A great benefit to a goblin or Red
soldier deck and a card that will see many tournaments for the
foreseeable future.

In Limited this is good for the same reasons as Constructed, aside from
the types having less value, and is an excellent card to open in Sealed
when playing Boros or Gruul.  In Booster it is worth the first pick both
for the possible finishing effect in combat, though it can still be
played on turn one for damage and possibly building into Battalion, and
to prevent someone else from using it against you.  It also becomes a
magnet for removal, which can help more direct threats survive or at
least encourage blocking it which can be exploited on that turn.

Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 4.0

John
Shultis
Phoenix
Gaming
     Welcome back to the Pojo.com card of the day section. Today we are looking at the Legion Loyalist from Gatecrash. Legion Loyalist is a rare red creature goblin soldier that costs one red mana and is a 1/1. Legion Loyalist has haste and has a Battalion ability that gives attacking creatures you control first strike and trample and says that attacking creatures cannot be blocked by tokens this turn. 
     There really is nothing not to love about the Legion Loyalist. It is simply one of the best creature cards printed and has some of the best Battalion abilities. Evasion, and two combat tricks all for one creature that will drop so early in the game is truly amazing. 

     I'm really not sure what else can even be bothered to be said. Fits in any deck that runs red. We have seen a great deal of Mono-Red decks using this, as well as Gruul, Boros, Jund, and Naya decks. So well versatile it is ridiculous! 

Limited: 5/5
Constructed: 5/5
Casual: 5/5
Multiplayer: 3/5

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