Dakmor LancerHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Dakmor Lancer has a single triggered ability that triggers when it enters the battlefield. This ability requires a target: one nonblack creature. If there are no legal targets (for example, if every other creature on the board is black or if there are no other creatures), the ability is simply removed from the stack with no effect. However, if a legal target exists, you must choose one, even if it belongs to you.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, you cast Dakmor Lancer and it enters the battlefield. Second, the enter-the-battlefield ability is put onto the stack, and you choose a target nonblack creature. Third, players have a chance to respond with spells or abilities. Finally, if the target is still legal, the creature is destroyed and put into its owner's graveyard.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is forgetting the 'nonblack' restriction. You cannot target creatures that have black in their color identity, such as multicolored creatures that include black. Additionally, remember that this is a mandatory trigger; if the only nonblack creature on the board is your own, you must target and destroy it.

When to Play It

Dakmor Lancer is best utilized in the mid-to-late game when your opponent has deployed a high-value nonblack threat. Because it costs six mana, it is often used as a stabilizer to reclaim board control while adding to your own devotion or creature count for synergistic effects.

Interaction examples

Drain and Destroy

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

If you have Gray Merchant of Asphodel on the field and then play Dakmor Lancer, the Lancer adds two pips to your devotion to black. While the Lancer's ability destroys a threat, any subsequent devotion checks—such as another Gray Merchant entering later—will count the Lancer's {B}{B} in its mana cost to increase the life drain.

The Grim Toll

Syr Konrad, the Grim

With Syr Konrad, the Grim on the battlefield, casting Dakmor Lancer creates a deadly chain reaction. When the Lancer enters and destroys a nonblack creature, that creature dies and is put into the graveyard. This triggers Syr Konrad, dealing 1 damage to each opponent.

Knight Synergy

Syr Konrad, the Grim

Both Dakmor Lancer and Syr Konrad, the Grim share the Knight creature type. This means any effects in your deck that buff Knights or trigger when a Knight enters will apply to both, allowing the Lancer to serve as both removal and a tribal payoff.