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Commander Nexus
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  3. Leonardo, Cutting Edge

Command zone

Leonardo, Cutting Edge

Leonardo, Cutting Edge

Legendary Creature — Mutant Ninja Turtle

Leonardo wants a deck that gains life over and over and gets rewarded for it. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.

  • Mana cost1 genericwhite
  • White ()
  • Power / toughness1 / 1
  • RarityRare

Sneak white (You may cast this spell for white if you also return an unblocked attacker you control to hand during the declare blockers step. He enters tapped and attacking.)

Lifelink

Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Leonardo.

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Themes

Cards That Fit Leonardo, Cutting Edge

Picked for what they do in Leonardo's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Leonardo's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Leonardo, Cutting Edge

explain how Leonardo works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

Although a creature put onto the battlefield this way is attacking, it was never declared as an attacking creature. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks won't trigger when that creature enters attacking.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Leonardo's last ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, planeswalkers, and/or battles at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

If a creature spell's sneak cost was paid, the creature it becomes enters tapped and attacking the same player, planeswalker, or battle as the creature that was returned to its owner's hand to pay its sneak cost. This is a rule specific to sneak; in other cases, when a creature is put onto the battlefield attacking, that creature's controller chooses which player, planeswalker, or battle it's attacking.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

If Leonardo is dealt lethal damage at the same time that you gain life, he won't receive a counter from his last ability in time to save him.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something or "equal to the number" of something, that life is gained as one event and Leonardo's last ability triggers only once.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

In a Two-Headed Giant game, life gained by your teammate won't cause Leonardo's last ability to trigger, even though it caused your team's life total to increase.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

Leonardo's last ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it's 1 life from Illegitimate Business or 3 life from Guac & Marshmallow Pizza.

Wizards of the Coast 27 Jan 2026

Spells can only be cast for their sneak costs any time you could play an instant during the declare blockers step on your turn (after your opponent has decided whether to block).

8 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Leonardo, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWPlayers write colors as letters: W for white.LifegainLifegain decks gain life over and over and use cards that reward each gain with extra cards, creatures or damage to opponents. Everyone starts at 40 life in Commander, so the extra life also keeps you safe while you set up.Open the Lifegain pageLifegain PayoffTurns life gain into an actual effect: draining opponents, drawing cards, or growing creatures each time you gain life. Without one of these, gaining life mostly just delays things. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Sanguine BondOpen the Lifegain Payoff pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters page