Guardian Zendikon MTG Card


Guardian Zendikon grants resilience, transforming lands into creatures without sacrificing mana generation. This card suits landfall and graveyard synergistic strategies, enhancing deck interactions and versatility. Despite its mana cost and specificity, Guardian Zendikon can fortify defenses in enchantment-focused decks.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Text of card

Enchant land Enchanted land is a 2/6 white Wall creature with defender. It's still a land. When enchanted land is put into a graveyard, return that card to its owner's hand.


Cards like Guardian Zendikon

Guardian Zendikon stands out in the roster of enchantment auras in Magic: The Gathering. It shares its core mechanic with other Zendikon cards, such as Corrupted Zendikon, by transforming a land into a creature. However, Guardian Zendikon differentiates itself by turning the land into a vigilant defender with a 2/6 stat line, aimed at bolstering your defenses early on.

Looking at other protective auras, Conviction offers a different angle, providing a smaller boost to toughness and the flexibility of returning it to your hand. Whereas Guardian Zendikon puts a land to work, Conviction keeps focused on enhancing creatures already on the battlefield. Then there’s Indomitable Will, which also increases creature survivability with a slight power and toughness boost but lacks the land-creature transformation that characterizes Guardian Zendikon.

Ultimately, when stacking up the features and examining the strategic application of Guardian Zendikon within various decks, it holds its unique position. The card finds its strength in providing a solid defensive option while also maintaining the value of the land it enchants, an attribute that resonates well with players looking for resilience on the battlefield.

Corrupted Zendikon - MTG Card versions
Conviction - MTG Card versions
Indomitable Will - MTG Card versions
Corrupted Zendikon - MTG Card versions
Conviction - MTG Card versions
Indomitable Will - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Guardian Zendikon by color, type and mana cost

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Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions
Damping Field - MTG Card versions
Farmstead - MTG Card versions
Cooperation - MTG Card versions
Noble Steeds - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Empyrial Armor - MTG Card versions
Cessation - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Samite Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Tattoo Ward - MTG Card versions
Sparring Regimen - MTG Card versions
Shielded by Faith - MTG Card versions
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Cage of Hands - MTG Card versions
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions
Guardian's Magemark - MTG Card versions
Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Guardian Zendikon’s ability to return to your hand when the enchanted land is destroyed offers a strategic edge. It helps you maintain card presence on the board, effectively countering a removal spell directed at your land.

Resource Acceleration: Enchanting a land with Guardian Zendikon transforms a basic resource into a potential blocker or attacker without losing the ability to produce mana. This versatility accelerates your resource utility, giving you more options with the same amount of lands.

Instant Speed: Although Guardian Zendikon is not an instant itself, it allows for instant-speed interaction opportunitiies. For example, by enchanting a land during your main phase, you can bluff holding an instant in hand, subtly influencing opponent’s decisions during their turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although not a condition of Guardian Zendikon itself, many enchantment-centric decks require discarding cards for synergy. This card could potentially be a liability when resources are scarce and you are forced to choose between key pieces in your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Guardian Zendikon demands a strict mana requirement for casting, specifically one green mana. This makes it less flexible, as it demands a particular type of mana which might not always be readily available, especially in multi-color decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its ability to turn land into a creature, Guardian Zendikon’s mana cost might be considered high. Other cards offer the ability to animate lands at a lower cost or provide additional benefits beyond what Guardian Zendikon offers. In a game where efficiency is key, this could be a significant drawback for players considering this card for their deck.


Reasons to Include Guardian Zendikon in Your Collection

Versatility: Guardian Zendikon can be an ideal addition for decks that need to stabilize quickly. This enchantment offers a defensive shift, turning your land into a vigilant creature that can defend and still be tapped for mana.

Combo Potential: This card has synergy with landfall mechanics and graveyard strategies. When the creature it becomes dies, the land returns to your hand, ready to be played again for another landfall trigger or to be recycled with other enchantments.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive starts are common, Guardian Zendikon provides an early blocker to deter attackers. Its relevance increases in environments where enchantments matter and where players need to balance defense and resource availability.


How to beat

Guardian Zendikon transforms any land into a vigilant defender, but its true strength lies in the land it enchants. With this enchantment, even a single land can become a formidable roadblock. To overcome it, players should consider removal spells that specifically target enchantments or focus on destroying the enchanted land. By disrupting the land’s status, the Guardian Zendikon’s effect is nullified, taking away your opponent’s vigilant guardian. Additionally, creature removal spells can temporarily clear the path, though this is less efficient as the enchantment remains poised to reactivate upon another land. Board wipes also serve as a comprehensive solution, cleaning the slate of all creatures, including those animated by auras like Zendikon.

To dilute the Guardian Zendikon’s effectiveness, adjusting strategies to circumvent the need to attack can be beneficial. Opting for non-combat win conditions or employing flying and unblockable creatures can bypass the grounded defense that Guardian Zendikon offers. Lastly, leveraging land destruction or land bounce spells offers a strategic advantage, effectively dealing with the root of the enchantment’s power. By considering these tactics, MTG players can strategically dismantle the defensive leverage that Guardian Zendikon presents.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Guardian Zendikon MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake and Conspiracy, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Guardian Zendikon and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Guardian Zendikon Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-02-05 and 2014-06-06. Illustrated by John Avon.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-02-05WorldwakeWWK 62003NormalBlackJohn Avon
22014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 712003NormalBlackJohn Avon

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Guardian Zendikon has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Guardian Zendikon card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2010-03-01 An ability that turns a land into a creature also sets that creature’s power and toughness. If the land was already a creature, this will overwrite the previous effect that set its power and toughness. Effects that modify its power or toughness, such as the effects of Disfigure or Glorious Anthem, will continue to apply, no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for counters that change its power or toughness (such as +1/+1 counters) and effects that switch its power and toughness.
2010-03-01 An attacking or blocking creature that stops being a creature is removed from combat. This can happen if a Zendikon enchanting an attacking or blocking creature leaves the battlefield, for example. The permanent that was removed from combat neither deals nor is dealt combat damage. Any attacking creature that the land creature was blocking remains blocked, however.
2010-03-01 If a Zendikon and the land it’s enchanting are destroyed at the same time (due to Akroma’s Vengeance, for example), the Zendikon’s last ability will still trigger.
2010-03-01 If a Zendikon’s last ability triggers, but the land card it refers to leaves the graveyard before it resolves, it will resolve but do nothing.
2010-03-01 The enchanted permanent will be both a land and a creature and can be affected by anything that affects either a land or a creature.
2010-03-01 When a land becomes a creature, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won’t trigger.