Shield of the Realm MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact — Equipment
Abilities	Equip
Released	2018-04-27
Set symbol
Set name	Dominaria
Set code	DOM
Number	228
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Manuel Castañón

Key Takeaways

Shield of the Realm provides creature protection and can lead to indirect card advantage.
The card’s equip ability at instant speed allows for flexible defense during combat.
Despite its benefits, mana specificity and discard requirements may limit its utility.

Text of card

If a source would deal damage to equipped creature, prevent 2 of that damage. Equip

Benalish glazeplate is stained with salts from the Rift Era and enchanted to deflect blows.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Although Shield of the Realm doesn’t generate card advantage in the traditional sense by drawing cards, it allows you to protect your key creatures from being destroyed or damaged. This can indirectly translate into card advantage over time as you maintain board presence and your vital pieces last longer throughout the duel.

Resource Acceleration: Shield of the Realm is cost-effective for its defensive abilities. Costing only two mana makes it a highly efficient tool for conserving your resources while playing other spells or establishing a board presence. This can lead to a form of resource acceleration as you’re able to do more with less.

Instant Speed: While Shield of the Realm itself is not an instant, its equip ability can be activated at instant speed. This provides the flexibility to adapt to threats in the middle of combat or in response to an opponent’s actions, thus preserving your creatures and outmaneuvering your opponent without committing resources prematurely.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shield of the Realm necessitates players to discard another card which could be a setback when your hand is already running thin on options.

Specific Mana Cost: This equipment card requires a precise mana investment that may not seamlessly integrate into decks not focused on white mana resources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its mana value, some players consider Shield of the Realm costlier than alternative defensive options available within the same mana range.

Reasons to Include Shield of the Realm in Your Collection

Versatility: The Shield of the Realm card serves as a robust defensive equipment that can be utilized across a swath of MTG deck archetypes. Its ability to reduce damage to the equipped creature ensures that it fits well in both aggressive strategies seeking to protect key players, and control decks aiming to sustain their defense.

Combo Potential: This particular card shines in its synergy with abilities that trigger on damage prevention or equipment interactions. It can be a cornerstone in intricate combos, turning seemingly innocuous creatures into durable threats or leveraging the recurring protective feature in prolonged matches.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where direct damage and creature-targeted removal are prevalent, Shield of the Realm gains substantial value. Offering significant resilience, this MTG card can shift the tide of battle by outlasting opponents’ resources and rendering their removal less effective.

How to Beat Shield of the Realm

In MTG, Shield of the Realm is known for its capacity to reduce damage that would be dealt to the equipped creature. This ability makes it a sturdy defensive artifact, providing a significant durability boost to your creatures. It’s a tool often used to protect key pieces on the board, making them harder to remove through damage.

Dealing with this defensive equipment requires a shift in strategy. Focusing on removal spells that don’t deal damage is an effective way to bypass the shield’s protection. Cards that cause a creature to be sacrificed or that exile it outright can negate the damage reduction benefit from the shield. Alternatively, one can employ board wipes that don’t deal damage but instead destroy or exile creatures regardless of any protective artifacts they might be equipped with.

Understanding that the artifact equips for a mere two mana cost, it’s critical to have your removal at the ready, or to apply pressure on your opponent’s resources before they can effectively use it to their advantage. Strategies that force discards or counter the casting of such artifacts can also prove valuable in maintaining the upper hand against Shield of the Realm.

Cards like Shield of the Realm

Shield of the Realm is a unique artifact in Magic: The Gathering, known for its protective abilities. It shares similarities with equipment cards like Accorder’s Shield, which also offers a boost in defensive capabilities. Accorder’s Shield grants an additional toughness and the vigilance ability, but it doesn’t have the damage reduction feature that Shield of the Realm provides.

Considering other comparable artifacts, there’s Swiftfoot Boots, which not only increases defense but also confers hexproof and haste. While it doesn’t reduce damage like Shield of the Realm, the additional abilities make it a formidable choice for different strategic reasons. Then, we have the classic Darksteel Plate, which offers indestructibility—a different, yet effective, approach to safeguarding your creatures. Although it lacks the direct damage mitigation, indestructibility can be crucial in avoiding destruction from board wipes and combat.

What makes Shield of the Realm stand out in its class is its straightforward damage reduction ability, which often turns lethal threats into mere nuisances. Each of these artifacts finds its place on the battlefield, but Shield of the Realm’s resilience gives it a unique edge in direct combat scenarios.

Cards similar to Shield of the Realm by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shield of the Realm MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria, 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 Shield of the Realm and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shield of the Realm has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-04-27	If a creature is equipped with two Shields of the Realm, 4 damage will be prevented. Three Shields of the Realm will prevent 6 damage, and so on.
2018-04-27	If multiple replacement effects would modify how damage would be dealt, the controller of the permanent being dealt damage chooses the order in which to apply those effects.
2018-04-27	If multiple sources would deal damage to the equipped creature at once (for example, several blocking creatures), 2 damage from each of those sources is prevented.