Soltari Lancer

The conditional first strike is the tell that this card was built to win mirrors it would almost never fight. Shadow creatures connect with anyone lacking the keyword and can only be blocked by other shadow bodies, which means the Lancer's evasion is rarely contested: most decks fielded no shadow at all, so the 2/2 just walked in unopposed. First strike that only switches on while attacking is therefore insurance, not the main draw. It wins the one combat that can actually happen (another shadow creature stepping in front), while deliberately declining to make the Lancer a defensive wall. That asymmetry keeps the card pointed forward, which is exactly where the white shadow line wanted its creatures: this is the aggressive middle of that progression, the body that hits harder in the rare contested swing without ever earning a reason to hold back on defense. The whole package is honest about what shadow was: an evasion engine whose drawback is that it only ever fights itself, and the first strike is the rider that makes the Lancer the one you would rather have when two shadows finally meet.