Lux ArtilleryHow it works & interactions with other cards

Granting Sunburst

While Lux Artillery is on the battlefield, every artifact creature spell you cast gains the sunburst keyword. This means the creature will enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter for each different color of mana spent to cast it. For example, if you spend one red, one blue, and two colorless mana on a four-cost artifact creature, it will enter with two +1/+1 counters.

The End Step Trigger

The second ability of Lux Artillery is an 'intervening if' clause. This means the game checks if you control thirty or more counters across your artifacts and creatures at the exact moment your end step begins. If you have fewer than thirty counters at that time, the ability does not trigger at all. If it does trigger, the game checks the counter count again upon resolution; if the count has dropped below thirty by then, the ability does nothing.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is forgetting that Lux Artillery only grants sunburst to spells you 'cast.' If an artifact creature enters the battlefield directly from your library or graveyard without being cast, it will not gain sunburst from this artifact. Additionally, remember that sunburst counts the colors of mana, not the total amount of mana spent. Spending five green mana on a creature still only results in one counter.

When to Play It

Lux Artillery is best utilized in the mid-to-late game once you have established a diverse mana base. Because it needs thirty total counters to deal damage, you should aim to play it alongside creatures that already enter with counters or cards that can proliferate. Once you hit the threshold, dealing 10 damage to each opponent every turn creates an extremely short clock for your rivals.

Interaction examples

Enhancing a Classic Automaton

Solemn Simulacrum

If you have Lux Artillery on the battlefield and cast Solemn Simulacrum using one blue, one black, one red, and one white mana, the Simulacrum gains sunburst. It will enter the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters, making it a 6/6 creature in addition to its normal land-searching ability.

Color Fixing for Counters

Commander's Sphere

To maximize Lux Artillery, you need different colors. You can tap Commander's Sphere to produce a color of mana you might otherwise lack in your lands. If you use that specific color to cast an artifact creature, Lux Artillery ensures that creature gets an extra +1/+1 counter, bringing you closer to the thirty-counter requirement for the end-step burn.