While we don’t see many of them at all these days, errata to MTG card text were fairly common in the past. In the earlier stages of the game, more rules and power mistakes were made, which necessitated official tweaks by Wizards. Most cards that received errata were later reprinted with their corrected text, but those on the Reserved List were out of luck. This proved to be the case for Lifeline, one of the stranger MTG artifacts from the classic era. While the original text on this card is tantalizingly powerful, the updated version ain’t half bad either. In fact, it makes a very solid addition to a number of popular Commander decks.
Lifeline MTG
Lifeline is an incredibly obscure MTG card with a very unique effect. When you first read it, it seems completely busted. Whenever any creature dies, you get to bring it back under your control at end of turn, so long as there was another creature in play when it happened? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this is where the card’s errata comes in.
Basically, Lifeline was never intended to function in this way. Instead, it’s more of a symmetrical effect. Whenever a creature dies, if there was another creature in play at the time, it creates a trigger that brings the first creature back at end of turn under its owner’s control. This makes the card far less appealing, since your opponents get to enjoy the benefits just as much as you. They don’t have to shell out five colorless mana for them, either.
That said, there really isn’t another reanimation effect in the game like this. The requirement for another creature to be in play to get things back is basically irrelevant in Commander, since between four players, there’ll usually be at least a few creatures out. This essentially totally blanks single-target removal in the format, as if it weren’t dubious enough already. If you’re running a deck that wants to keep specific creatures around, then there’s little protection better than this.
Of course, every card has a weakness, and in Lifeline’s case, it’s board wipes. If every creature dies at once, none of them get to come back. You can hedge against this with sacrifice outlets, Flash Creatures, and Indestructible creatures/protection spells, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re building a strategy around the card.
Archetypal Advantage
While Lifeline is a niche card by the current numbers, showing up in just over 5,000 decks according to EDHREC, it’s actually a pretty strong addition to a number of established Commander archetypes. Perhaps most obviously, the card is a total banger in Aristocrats decks.
Lifeline works really well with sacrifice outlets, since they let you ditch creatures one by one to ensure you get a trigger for each. Even if your opponent drops a board wipe, you can sacrifice your creatures in response to ensure they come back later. Getting all of your fodder creatures back each turn is also a great way to speed up the clock on Blood Artist and co. It’s worth noting that Lifeline can trigger on each player’s turn, too, which means you’re looking at four resurrections per creature per turn cycle here.
Another great use for Lifeline is in Group Hug decks. These are all about offering advantages to your opponents so they target other players, and it’s hard to think of a bigger advantage than “immortal creatures.” Keeping your opponents’ boards alive means they’re always able to swing in each turn, and probably not at you since you’re the one keeping Lifeline around.
Naturally, the card is also fantastic in classic Reanimator lists. These decks tend to invest a lot of resources in getting big creatures into play early, which is risky since removal undoes all that. With Lifeline, your opponents’ efforts to deal with your massive threats will simply result in them bouncing back for more. It’s a great insurance policy for a strategy that often feels a bit feast or famine.
Surprising Side-Cases
On top of these broader applications, Lifeline is also great in some specific MTG Commander decks. For starters, it’s one of the easiest includes in Shirei, Shizo’s Caretaker I’ve ever seen. Shirei decks are all about resurrecting creatures every turn, and Lifeline essentially gives them a second copy of their fragile Commander. Even if your opponents keep Shirei at bay via Commander tax, you can just tutor up Lifeline and play your deck as normal.
Lifeline is also a stellar include in decks like Nemata, Primeval Warden, due to their built-in graveyard hate. With this legend out, your creatures will get to leverage Lifeline while opponents’ won’t, since they’ll go to exile on death. Vren, the Relentless is another great Commander you can use if you want to maximize Lifeline in this way.
Finally, Lifeline is excellent alongside Commanders who do the bulk of their work on entry. Big beaters like Etali, Primal Conqueror, and Kefka, Court Mage are prime examples, seeing play in cEDH due to their abusable enters triggers. Lifeline gives you an easy way to repeat these triggers when paired with a sacrifice outlet, which allows for some very quick wins in unprepared pods.
Ultimately, while Lifeline’s updated design is symmetrical, there are more than enough ways to break that symmetry and ride it to Commander victory. If you don’t mind that steep Reserved List price tag of $33, this is a card that can seriously jazz up a lot of lists.
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