Loyal Subordinate (CMM)

Loyal Subordinate
Casting Cost: {2}{B}
Card Type: Creature - Zombie
Power/Toughness: 3/1

Card Text:
Menace
Lieutenant - At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you control your commander, each opponent loses 3 life.

Flavour Text:
Zombies work best when they're fed appropriately, so it's prudent to let them eat on the job.

Artist: Kev Walker

Loyal Subordinate exemplifies the relentless and persistent nature of zombies in the Magic: The Gathering universe. For a moderate casting cost of {2}{B}, players get a 3/1 Zombie, which, while fragile, poses a significant threat due to its Menace ability. Menace ensures that the Loyal Subordinate can't be blocked except by two or more creatures, making it harder for the opponent to deal with it in combat.

However, the primary strength of this creature lies in its Lieutenant ability. The Lieutenant mechanic, prominent in Commander format games, activates a potent effect as long as you control your deck's commander. In this case, the Loyal Subordinate siphons life from each opponent, draining them of 3 life each combat if the conditions are met. This consistent life loss can swiftly tilt games in your favor, especially in multi-player settings where its impact is multiplied.

The flavour text, "Zombies work best when they're fed appropriately, so it's prudent to let them eat on the job," offers a grim humor typical of black in MTG. It plays on the theme of zombies craving flesh and hints that feeding these undead minions might be the key to their loyalty and effectiveness.

Kev Walker's artwork, given his style and the card's theme, likely features the Loyal Subordinate in a dark, eerie setting, perhaps looming out of shadows or fog, hunger evident in its posture. The menace and loyalty of the creature, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the macabre, would be perfectly encapsulated.

In decks tailored for the Commander format, especially those that capitalize on life-draining strategies, Loyal Subordinate proves to be a potent tool, both for its combat capabilities and its consistent ability to diminish opponents' life totals.