Iron Man, Master of MachinesHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Growing Threat

Iron Man features a static ability that grants him +1/+0 for each other artifact you control. This counts every artifact on your side of the board except for Iron Man himself. Because he has flying, this power boost makes him difficult to block, allowing him to soar over ground defenses and threaten your opponent's life total directly.

Triggering the Draw

To utilize Iron Man's card-drawing ability, an artifact must have entered the battlefield under your control at some point during the current turn before his attack trigger resolves. This ability checks for the 'intervening if' condition both when he attacks and when the ability resolves. If you haven't played an artifact yet that turn, the ability will not trigger at all when he is declared as an attacker.

Vigilance and Defense

Because Iron Man has vigilance, he does not tap to attack. This is crucial for his role as a 'Master of Machines,' as it allows him to utilize his increased power to block on your opponent's turn. Combined with his flying ability, he can effectively guard against both ground-based and airborne threats without sacrificing your offensive momentum.

Strategic Timing

To maximize Iron Man, you should prioritize playing at least one artifact during your first main phase before moving to combat. This ensures his draw condition is met. If you have artifacts with flash or ways to put artifacts onto the battlefield at instant speed, you can even satisfy this condition unexpectedly, though it must happen before the Declare Attackers step.

Interaction examples

Automated Logistics

Solemn Simulacrum

During your first main phase, you cast Solemn Simulacrum. When it enters the battlefield, you search for a land. When you move to combat and attack with Iron Man, his ability checks if an artifact entered this turn. Since Solemn Simulacrum is an artifact, the condition is met, and you draw a card. Additionally, Iron Man gets +1/+0 from the presence of the Simulacrum.

Doubling the Tech

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Human' or 'Hero' as its type, it will affect Iron Man. First, Iron Man gets +1/+0 because Roaming Throne is an artifact. Second, if an artifact entered this turn and Iron Man attacks, his triggered ability triggers twice due to the Throne's effect, allowing you to draw two cards instead of one.