Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem MTG Card
| Type | Emblem — Gideon |
| Released | 2015-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Battle for Zendikar |
| Set code | BFZ |
| Number | 12 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | emblem |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Eric Deschamps |
Key Takeaways
- Confers a consistent power and toughness boost, making every creature a bigger threat on the battlefield.
- Indirect resource acceleration by strengthening creatures, leading to quicker victories and robust defenses.
- Meta-defining through its persistent influence on creature-centric strategies, remaining relevant throughout the game.
Text of card
Creatures you control get +1/+1.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The emblem created by Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is a powerful tool, effectively increasing the power of all your creatures and adding overwhelming pressure on your opponent. Once obtained, it provides a permanent advantage on the board state that opponents must answer to, often requiring them to expend more resources than they normally would. This continuous card quality boost can lead to card advantage as your opponent struggles to deal with an ever-strengthening army.
Resource Acceleration: Gideon’s emblem doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the traditional sense of producing mana or drawing cards. However, it accelerates the game’s resource – your creatures, by boosting their stats. This in turn often results in faster wins, as your creatures can apply more pressure and defend more robustly against attacks. The emblem is a one-time effect that pays dividends every turn thereafter without additional cost, maximizing the effect of your current and future creature plays.
Instant Speed: While the emblem itself isn’t an instant speed interaction, the planeswalker that produces it, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, can be used at sorcery speed which strategizes around this limitation. The emblem can be activated right before your turn begins, immediately applying the boost for your attack phase and catching your opponent off guard. In a control deck, having the emblem ready transitions seamlessly into your turn, pressuring the opponent without pause.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While creating Gideon’s emblem is powerful, it necessitates sacrificing the planeswalker itself. This requirement forces the player to discard, in a sense, a valuable asset which could otherwise provide ongoing advantages on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: To cast Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, players must have access to both white mana and a total of four mana. This specific mana cost restricts this emblem’s creation to decks that can consistently provide the necessary white mana, potentially limiting its inclusion only to white or white-heavy decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: An initial investment of four mana specifically to generate the emblem may not always be the most efficient use of resources, particularly when compared to other four-mana cards or planeswalkers that offer immediate impact or multiple abilities upon entering the battlefield.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem card offers a continual advantage that can bolster a wide array of deck types, from aggressive strategies that benefit from a permanent buff to creature tokens, to control decks that seek to maintain a dominating presence on the board.
Combo Potential: This emblem pairs exceptionally well with cards that generate creature tokens, multiplying your forces and compounding threats your opponents must answer. Its ability to provide a lasting boost creates opportunities for synergies that can turn the tide of a game.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to influence the battlefield in a very direct and persistent way, this emblem has a place in any meta that values creatures and combat. Its immutable nature ensures that once it is in effect, it will continue to be a source of strength for your creatures throughout the duel.
How to beat
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar’s emblem in Magic: The Gathering is a potent effect that grants an army of creatures a consistent power boost. Unlike other emblems that might have more circumstantial effects, Gideon’s emblem provides a permanent +1/+1 increase to your creatures, solidifying a dominant board presence that can be challenging to overcome.
To address this emblem’s impact, focusing on strategies that don’t rely on combat can be pivotal. Board wipes like “Wrath of God” clear all creatures regardless of buffs, “Evacuation” can reset the field, and “Tragic Arrogance” allows you to pick what stays and goes, ignoring the emblem’s influence. Utilizing spells that take control of an opponent’s creatures, such as “Control Magic” or “Confiscate,” lets you turn their enhanced threats against them.
Overall, success against Gideon’s emblem lies in rendering the buff irrelevant by either wiping or stealing creatures, or employing alternative win conditions such as mill strategies. It’s also essential to prevent Gideon from reaching his emblem in the first place, either through direct damage spells, countermagic or by applying pressure to demand answers from your opponent early on.
Cards like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem
The Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem represents a powerful, persistent advantage in the battlefield of Magic: The Gathering. Comparable to other Planeswalker emblems like Elspeth, Knight-Errant’s which grants indestructible to a single creature, Gideon’s emblem elevates the entire field by giving a static +1/+1 boost to your creatures. The difference lies in Gideon’s emblem affecting all creatures you control, transforming even the most modest of armies into a formidable force, while Elspeth’s targets only one.
Another emblem to consider is Sorin, Solemn Visitor’s, which provides an edge in creature sustain with its lifelink ability to each creature you control. It’s a formidable emblem, especially in lifegain strategies, yet the continuous buff to creature power from Gideon’s emblem can often end games more swiftly. Gideon’s emblem also mirrors the mechanics of static anthems like Glorious Anthem, though as an emblem, it’s immune to removal, giving it an unassailable edge.
When reflecting on the potency and permanence of emblems in gameplay, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar’s emblem undoubtedly holds a significant standing within Magic: The Gathering for its ability to bolster every creature and impact the game unchallenged.
Cards similar to Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar, 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 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar Emblem and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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