Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Artifact — Equipment |
| Abilities | Equip |
| Released | 2004-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Champions of Kamigawa |
| Set code | CHK |
| Number | 265 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Arnie Swekel |
Key Takeaways
- Recovering creatures post-destruction ensures resource retention and strategic advantages in gameplay.
- Attachment to the Samurai subtype can be restrictive but also thematic and powerful in suitable decks.
- While mana-intensive, its inclusion can offer versatile and meta-resistant options for many strategies.
Text of card
Equipped creature gets +3/+1. Whenever equipped creature is put into a graveyard from play, return that card to play under your control if it's a Samurai. When Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho is put into a graveyard from play, remove equipped creature from the game. Equip
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When equipped creature gets destroyed, Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho ushers an advantage by returning that creature back to your hand, ensuring that you don’t lose your investment and maintain hand resources.
Resource Acceleration: By empowering equipped Samurai to be more resilient, this equipment can help maintain board presence and potentially accelerate your game plan through efficient, recurring creature usage.
Instant Speed: While Oathkeeper itself isn’t an instant, the recursive ability it confers operates at instant speed, offering strategic flexibility to recover your key creatures during any phase of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho comes with an attached condition that can be a double-edged sword. Equipping it requires that you sacrifice a Samurai. While thematic, this can lead to a loss of board presence, making it a risky play if your Samurai are your main offensive force.
Specific Mana Cost: This artifact has a color identity specific to white mana, which means its integration is potentially limited to decks that heavily feature or at least can accommodate white mana. For decks that don’t conform to this requirement, it becomes a less viable option.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial investment to cast and equip Oathkeeper is significant. With a combined cost of six mana (three to cast and three to equip), it demands a lot from your mana resources. Given that some alternative equipment cards or creature enhancements come at a lower cost, it competes for a slot in decks where mana efficiency is key.
Reasons to Include Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho in Your Collection
Versatility: Just like a Swiss Army knife in your pocket, Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho slides smoothly into numerous deck builds. Its power to reanimate legendary creatures makes it a must-have for any Commander decks exploiting these potent figures.
Combo Potential: Giving you that ‘aha!’ moment, this card has synergy with strategies centered around death triggers and recursion. It turns every legendary creature into an ongoing threat, creating endless possibilities for combos and clever plays that can catch opponents off-guard.
Meta-Relevance: In a game that’s as much about staying relevant as it is about strategy, Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho holds its ground. Given its ability to withstand diverse Meta shifts – owing to its inherent flexibility and resilience – this card endures as a formidable asset in many strategic scenarios.
How to beat
Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho is a unique artifact that can significantly boost creature strategies in a Magic: The Gathering deck. This equipment card not only provides a power and toughness increase to the equipped creature but also revives it as a Spirit with additional bonuses after it dies, which presents a persistent challenge for opponents. To counter this card effectively, one must focus on direct disruption tactics.
Strategic removal of the artifact itself is key. Artifact removal spells like Naturalize or Disenchant can be utilised to dismantle the equipment before its resurrection ability triggers. Alternatively, exile effects on the creature it’s equipped to, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, ensure the creature doesn’t return from the graveyard. Lastly, general graveyard disruption with cards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Leyline of the Void can stop the ability from triggering, nullifying the impact of Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho in the game.
When facing decks wielding this powerful equipment, it is essential to keep these answers at the ready. A timely removal or graveyard hate can easily turn the tides, neutralizing the potent advantages granted by Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho, and securing your path to victory.
Cards like Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho
Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho echoes other notable equipments in Magic: The Gathering that bolster the abilities of creatures they’re attached to. A close comparison can be made to Tenza, Godo’s Maul, which also provides a lift in power and toughness and has a specific interaction with Samurai creatures. Oathkeeper, however, grants an additional life beyond combat with its resurrection ability for Samurai.
Another piece of equipment that may come to mind is Sword of the Animist. Both cards assist in ramping up your board presence, but Sword of the Animist focuses on land acceleration, unlike Oathkeeper’s resurrection trigger. Moreover, while Sword of the Animist helps build your mana base, Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho ensures a Samurai’s return to the battlefield, preserving and extending your tactics.
Ultimately, within the sphere of MTG equipment cards, Oathkeeper, Takeno’s Daisho holds its unique charm with its Samurai-centered abilities. It strikes a balance between offensive enhancement and sustaining your forces, marking its place in decks that value resilience and accrued power through combat and strategic plays involving the Samurai subtype.
Cards similar to Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho MTG card by a specific set like Champions of Kamigawa, 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 Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-12-01 | Oathkeeper’s second ability checks whether the card’s creature type is Samurai, not whether the creature was a Samurai when it left the battlefield. |
