Legion LoyalistHow it works & interactions with other cards

Unpacking the Battalion Ability

Legion Loyalist features the Battalion keyword, which triggers during the Declare Attackers step. To activate this ability, you must declare Legion Loyalist and at least two other creatures as attackers at the same time. These creatures do not need to attack the same player or permanent; you can spread your threats across multiple opponents, planeswalkers, or battles while still meeting the requirement.

Resolution and Combat Keywords

Once the Battalion ability triggers and resolves, every creature you currently control gains first strike and trample until the end of the turn. Additionally, your creatures gain a unique evasion property: they cannot be blocked by creature tokens for the remainder of the turn. Note that even if Legion Loyalist or your other attackers are removed from the battlefield after the ability has triggered, the effect still resolves and applies to your remaining creatures.

Common Misconceptions

A frequent mistake is thinking the Battalion effect only applies to the three attacking creatures. In reality, it affects all creatures you control, including those that were not declared as attackers. Another key detail is that the ability checks for three attackers only at the moment you declare your attack. If a creature enters the battlefield already attacking later in the step, it does not count toward triggering Battalion.

Strategic Timing

Because Legion Loyalist has Haste, it is an excellent top-deck in the mid-game to surprise an opponent. It is most effective when your opponent relies on small tokens, such as Saprolings or Soldiers, for defense, as the 'can't be blocked by tokens' clause effectively makes your army unblockable against those strategies.

Interaction examples

Building the Battalion

Ornithopter of ParadiseRagavan, Nimble Pilferer

You control Legion Loyalist, Ornithopter of Paradise, and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. When you declare all three as attackers, Legion Loyalist's Battalion ability triggers. Upon resolution, even the zero-power Ornithopter of Paradise gains trample and first strike, and your Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer can easily bypass an opponent's 1/1 Spirit tokens to trigger its combat damage ability.

Dashing into Combat

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

If you already have a creature on the board and cast Legion Loyalist, then cast Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer for its Dash cost, both have haste. If you attack with all three, Battalion triggers. This shows how haste creatures can be saved in hand to ensure a Battalion trigger happens exactly when you need it.