Haunted Guardian MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Construct
Abilities	Defender,First strike
Released	2012-05-04
Set symbol
Set name	Avacyn Restored
Set code	AVR
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	216
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Daniel Ljunggren

Key Takeaways

Boosts defense without sacrificing card advantage, ideal for fending off aggressive plays.
Its low cost accelerates board development, supporting key spells and strategies later.
Demands artifact discard for defense, which may lead to card disadvantage challenges.

Text of card

Defender, first strike

"Drain the victim's blood, sell the corpse, and use the soul on guard duty. No muss, no fuss, no problems." —Olivia Voldaren

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Haunted Guardian is on the battlefield, it bolsters your defensive line without costing you card advantage. Its sheer presence can deter aggressive strategies, protecting your life total and maintaining board stability while you draw into your key pieces.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly providing mana or resource acceleration, Haunted Guardian’s affordable casting cost makes it a strategic early play. It allows you to develop your board quickly while still holding resources for pivotal spells later on.

Instant Speed: While Haunted Guardian itself is not an instant, its synergy with other instant speed spells can’t be ignored. With a formidable defender in place, you can better afford to wait on your opponent’s actions and react accordingly, making your instant spells that much more effective.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Haunted Guardian demands that you have another artifact you’re willing to discard just to enable its full defensive capabilities. This prerequisite can place you at a significant card disadvantage, particularly if your deck doesn’t consistently generate enough artifact tokens or has a tight grip on its artifacts.

Specific Mana Cost: With its two generic mana cost, Haunted Guardian fits easily into any deck’s mana curve. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always the optimal play for the early game, especially in decks that are color-intensive and need to stabilize their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana might not appear burdensome, when considering the return on investment, the Haunted Guardian may not live up to expectations. Its limited offensive capability could inhibit its usefulness in more aggressive strategies, leading players to consider alternatives that offer more versatility for the same, or lesser, investment.

Reasons to Include Haunted Guardian in Your Collection

Versatility: Haunted Guardian, a two-mana artifact creature, seamlessly slots into a variety of decks. Particularly beneficial in artifact-centric builds, it also serves as an efficient blocker given its high toughness.

Combo Potential: With its artifact nature, Haunted Guardian can synergize with cards that capitalize on artifact count, such as those that bolster your board for each artifact you control or provide cost reduction for artifact spells.

Meta-Relevance: Its specific resistance to multicolor spells can throw a wrench into many popular meta-game strategies, making it a tactical choice in formats where multicolor decks are prevalent.

How to beat

Haunted Guardian presents a peculiar challenge in the realm of artifact creatures in MTG. This sentinel may seem daunting with its unique ability that prevents it from attacking unless defending player controls an artifact, which isn’t always a given. A key method to outmaneuver Haunted Guardian is to limit artifact plays. Ensuring your battlefield is clear of artifacts can neutralize the Guardian’s offensive capabilities, rendering it a mere bystander in combat.

Alternatively, exploit its inability to block creatures with power 2 or less. Swarm strategies that deploy numerous small creatures can effectively bypass the Guardian’s defenses. Creature buffs are also a strategic solution; minor increases in power can allow for successful engagements against the Guardian. Removal spells that specifically target artifacts or creatures, like Naturalize or Doom Blade, can also cleanly deal with the Haunted Guardian, efficiently removing it from the battlefield.

Overall, understanding and anticipating the presence of Haunted Guardian can greatly diminish its threat. A combination of artifact control, strategic combat, and targeted removal will help maintain dominance over this animated armor.

Cards like Haunted Guardian

The Haunted Guardian is a unique artifact creature in Magic: The Gathering, presenting players with a distinct 2/1 defender adept at warding off attacks. When thinking about other cards within its niche, the Steel Wall comes to mind. This card is a straightforward 0/4 defender with a lower mana cost but doesn’t quite match the potential for offense that Haunted Guardian possesses.

Another relative in terms of functionality is the Wall of Tanglecord. Although its defense stats are higher, standing at a solid 0/6, it lacks the attack power of the Haunted Guardian. Furthermore, Guardian offers its controller the ability to deal with flying threats, a strategic advantage against decks that rely on aerial dominance.

Assessing them together, the Haunted Guardian shines in scenarios where you’d prefer a mix of defense and the ability to retaliate, particularly against flying creatures. Its specific set of skills slots it into a strategic position within the format, offering more than just a simple blockade.

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

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Haunted Guardian MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored, 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 Haunted Guardian and other MTG cards: