Loyal Guardian MTG Card


Loyal Guardian offers card advantage during combat, accelerating your control over the game’s flow. It enhances creatures’ power, indirectly speeding up your victory through greater damage potential. As an instant-speed card, this guardian dovetails perfectly with combat phase tactics without delay.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Rhino
Abilities Lieutenant,Trample
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Trample Lieutenant — At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you control your commander, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Each scar on its hide is a badge of honor.


Cards like Loyal Guardian

The Loyal Guardian is an intriguing choice for Commander players looking to bolster their creature forces. Resembling cards such as Juniper Order Ranger, which provides a permanent boost to creatures each time it or another creature enters the battlefield, Loyal Guardian takes a different approach. With its Trample ability and the unique mechanic to bolster every creature you control during your combat on your turn, it offers a slightly slower yet potent advantage.

When considering parallel cards, Tuskguard Captain surfaces as a creature with a similar ability to give +1/+1 counters, thanks to its Outlast ability. Albeit this acts in a more controlled manner, giving you the choice of when to buff your creatures, it doesn’t provide the immediate, broad-spectrum enhancement that Loyal Guardian grants. Additionally, Abzan Falconer offers a way to turn +1/+1 counters into a more aggressive advantage by endowing creatures with flying. Nevertheless, the Guardian’s ability is automatic and indeed clinches its status as a formidable card amongst those that manipulate +1/+1 counters.

Comparing these options, Loyal Guardian is a strong contender, especially in games that favor creature-heavy strategies, due to its recurring and expansive augmentation of your battlefield’s presence.

Juniper Order Ranger - MTG Card versions
Tuskguard Captain - MTG Card versions
Abzan Falconer - MTG Card versions
Juniper Order Ranger - MTG Card versions
Tuskguard Captain - MTG Card versions
Abzan Falconer - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Loyal Guardian lets you bolster your hand every time you command your creatures into battle, keeping a solid grip on the game by drawing you extra cards.

Resource Acceleration: By enhancing your creatures’ power, this card indirectly boosts your potential to knock down opponents faster, thereby accelerating your path to victory.

Instant Speed: Though it operates at the speed of your combat phase, this trusty Guardian reacts instantly to your command, allowing seamless integration with your battle strategy and no delays to your tactical advances.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Integrating Loyal Guardian into your deck means dealing with its effect, which may require discarding cards, potentially causing you to surrender valuable hand assets and diminish your strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature comes with a particular mana cost that includes green, potentially restricting its seamless inclusion only to green-based or multicolor decks, thus possibly not aligning with every player’s strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the necessity for a larger mana investment to field Loyal Guardian, players might find it offers less immediate board impact compared to other options with lower mana requirements, which could be a setback in faster-paced matches.


Reasons to Include Loyal Guardian in Your Collection

Versatility: Loyal Guardian thrives in Commander decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters. Its adaptability stems from its ability to seamlessly incorporate into various strategies, amplifying the strength of your creatures across the board.

Combo Potential: This card’s inherent ability to bolster your creatures every combat enhances synergies with other cards that benefit from counters. It can be the linchpin in combos that exponentially increase creature power or work towards alternative win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capability to quickly scale up your creature’s sizes, Loyal Guardian can become crucial when facing metas filled with attrition-based gameplay or when resilience against board wipes is necessary. Commanders that emphasize creature combat or growth will find a strong ally in this guardian.


How to Beat

Overcoming Loyal Guardian in your MTG matches requires a certain finesse, given its ability to bolster your opponent’s creatures. A key strategy is disruption. Consider cards that can counter creature abilities or prevent the Guardian’s ability to trigger. Board wipes are an effective way to clear the field, negating the continual growth of creatures caused by this formidable Commander’s lieutenant ability.

Spot removal is another tactic, where cards like Path to Exile or Hero’s Downfall can remove the Guardian before the combat phase, thus stifling the +1/+1 counter distribution. Don’t overlook the power of exile effects either, as they can permanently handle Loyal Guardian without triggering any death-related abilities.

Lastly, employ enchantments that limit your opponents’ ability to capitalize on Loyal Guardian’s strengths. Imposing an enchantment like Cursed Totem can effectively shut down its triggered ability, providing a hurdle that must be addressed before any buff could be distributed. By integrating these strategies, you’ll stand a much better chance against a deck that relies on the gradual, but powerful, growth of its forces through the prowess of the Loyal Guardian.


BurnMana Recommendations

Sifting through the MTG multiverse for the perfect cards to add muscle to your deck can be daunting, but Loyal Guardian offers a unique edge in creature-based strategies. Whether you’re looking to ramp up your offensive quickly with a rain of +1/+1 counters or seeking to dominate the board through sheer creature force, Loyal Guardian carves out a formidable presence in your lineup. Are you ready to transform your creature combat into a relentless onslaught? Dive deeper with us into strategies that unlock the full potential of Loyal Guardian in your MTG collection and witness its power in elevating your gameplay to unprecedented heights.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Loyal Guardian MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2018, 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 Loyal Guardian and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Loyal Guardian Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by Robbie Trevino.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 707212015NormalBlackRobbie Trevino
22018-08-09Commander 2018C18 312015NormalBlackRobbie Trevino
32022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1212015NormalBlackRobbie Trevino
42023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 3042015NormalBlackRobbie Trevino

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Loyal Guardian has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2018-07-13 If you don't control your commander as the lieutenant ability resolves, you won't get its effect.
2018-07-13 If you have multiple commanders, you need to control only one for the lieutenant effect to happen.
2018-07-13 The lieutenant effect happens only once each combat, even if you somehow control multiple commanders (perhaps because you have two commanders with a partner ability from the Battlebond™ set).