Fortune, Loyal Steed: Tributes to MTG's Early History

In TCG ·

Fortune, Loyal Steed — MTG card art from Outlaws of Thunder Junction

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Tributes to MTG's Early History

For fans who chased the glow of early-angle white strategies and the lore of knightly valor, Fortune, Loyal Steed is a shining throwback with a modern twist. This Legendary Creature — Beast Mount arrives from the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, released in 2024, carrying the timeless white ethos of protection, order, and strategic tempo. At a glance, the 2W mana cost for a 3-mana, 2/4 creature feels like classic fortitude—enough to earn a spot in a stalwart position on the battlefield while still leaving room to accelerate or react. 🧙‍🔥💎

What you’re really paying for here is a graceful nod to history wrapped in a playful, game-winning engine. Fortune enters the battlefield with a scry 2, a touchstone ability that mirrors the long-standing Magi’s habit of peering one step down the road to shape the next draw. In decks built around tempo or control, that scry acts as a steady hand on the wheel, guiding you through the early turns with a hint of inevitability. The "Saddle 1" ability—a nod to a riding mechanic introduced in this set—adds a delightful mechanical layer, letting you attach Fortune to a creature and ride the narrative forward. 🎨

Design Notes: How the Horse Becomes a Hero

  • Mana cost and body: A modest 2W for a 2/4 legendary Creature — Beast Mount that can hold its own in the early game while providing a sturdy platform for midgame plans. The white color identity emphasizes resilience, cavalry discipline, and a dash of chivalrous strategy. ⚔️
  • Scry on entry: Fortune’s enters-the-battlefield scry 2 is the classic generosity of white manipulation: you get to shape your next draw, whether you’re hunting answers or digging for the exact combo piece. This mirrors the era when players learned to balance tempo with inevitability. 🧭
  • Saddle and the attack trigger: When you attack with Fortune while saddled, the end-of-combat exile-and-rebounce effect creates a dynamic rider-and-steed dichotomy. Exiling Fortune and a saddled creature, then returning them to owners’ battlegrounds, tempers aggression with a reset—letting you swing decisively, then restore the board state in a way that echoes classic stalemate-breakers. It’s a design flourish that feels like old-school MTG, refreshed for today’s duels. 🔗

Strategic takeaways: playing with the saddle

Fortune rewards calculated risk and careful attachment. Here are practical angles you can experiment with in your next game night 🧙‍🔥:

  • Saddle as tempo catalyst: Attach Fortune to a smaller, evasive creature to threaten meaningful end-of-turn swings while keeping your more fragile threats protected behind a sturdy mount. The cost of saddling—represented by the “Saddle 1” mechanic—encourages you to weave this attachment into your broader curve rather than viewing it as a one-off play. ⚔️
  • Combining scry with ramp into a late-game lean: The early scry 2 smooths draw steps, letting you curate answers to aggro boards or fetch the precise removal you need. In glide-y white decks, Fortune’s presence can turn early pressure into a controlled march toward a decisive endgame. 🎯
  • Exiling and reassembly as a board-state reset: The end-of-combat exile clause creates novel outplay windows—if your opponent overextends, you can leverage the temporary removal to reset combat math and reestablish dominance with your seated mount the next turn. It’s a small but meaningful toolkit for resource pacing. 🧭
“In many ways, this card captures the romance of early white strategies—protective tempo, reliable threats, and that old-world loyalty to the rider and mount you’ve committed to the board.” —MTG lore-leaning fans everywhere 🧙‍🔥

Art, flavor, and the collector’s eye

Art by Artur Nakhodkin delivers a vivid, sculpted feel that befits a legend. The frame effect is marked as legendary, and the artwork channels a stoic, loyal steed ready to bear a champion into the fray. This isn’t just a pretty face on a board; it’s a storytelling piece that evokes the moment when a noble rider found fortune on the field of battle. The Outlaws of Thunder Junction setting theme lands well with fans who appreciate the fusion of frontier whimsy and timeless knightly virtue. The card’s rarity is rare, and it’s accessible in both foil and non-foil variants, making it a welcome addition for a variety of collector budgets. 🎨💎

From a gameplay perspective, Fortune offers a flexible fit in white-centered archetypes, including creature-enhanced tempo decks and casual boss-combat mazes. Its economical mana cost, sturdy body, and the evocative saddle mechanic invite players to craft moments where a single mount can change the tempo of the game. The card also serves as a friendly reminder of MTG’s early history—how a simple effect can echo the complexity of a well-tought-out turn sequence and still feel fun at the kitchen-table level. 🎲

Collectibility and price snapshot

As a rare from a newer set, Fortune, Loyal Steed is a compelling buy for players who enjoy both the nostalgia and the freshness of modern MTG. Current market figures show a modest price point that makes it accessible for many collectors and players alike, while foils offer a touch more sparkle for those who chase a little extra shine in their decks. The joy of owning a legendary mount with a story to tell is part of what keeps MTG’s community buzzing year after year. 🧙‍🔥

Beyond the tabletop joy, the card also shines in casual conversations about early history and design philosophy. The way its features weave together scry, saddling, and a midrange body provides a microcosm of how MTG designers balance risk, reward, and flavor in a single card. It’s the kind of piece that makes you smile when you realize how far the game’s roots reach—and how far the game has grown since those beginnings. 🎲

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