Gryff Vanguard MTG Card

Avacyn Restored (AVR)
2012-05-04 - Number 59

Gryff Vanguard - Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed (DDQ)

Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed (DDQ)
2016-02-26 - Number 25

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Knight
Abilities	Flying
Power	3
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Gryff Vanguard is a powerhouse for maintaining card flow and sustaining game momentum in MTG.
Strategic instant-speed play offsets its discard requirement and specific mana cost considerations.
Comparisons with similar cards highlight Gryff Vanguard’s unique balance of card draw and board presence.

Text of card

Flying When Gryff Vanguard enters the battlefield, draw a card.

"Ghouls smashed the door, but I heard the call of the gryffs and knew we were saved." —Ekka, shopkeeper of Hanweir

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gryff Vanguard ensures you keep your hand filled by letting you draw a card upon its entry to the battlefield. This is pivotal for sustaining pressure and outpacing your opponents in longer matches.

Resource Acceleration: While Gryff Vanguard itself doesn’t produce additional resources, its ability to potentially replace itself in your hand can indirectly lead to resource acceleration by drawing into mana-producing spells or creatures.

Instant Speed: Although Gryff Vanguard is not an instant, its flash ability allows it to be played at instant speed, which gives you the flexibility to cast it at the end of your opponent’s turn or in response to certain actions, maximizing your strategic options.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Gryff Vanguard demands a card to be discarded upon entering the battlefield. This can be a significant setback when your hand is already depleted, or you’re holding onto key pieces for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting Gryff Vanguard requires a blend of blue and generic mana, which can be tricky for decks that aren’t centered around blue or have a restrictive mana base, potentially causing it to remain stuck in your hand.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana value of five, you might find that Gryff Vanguard enters the fray too late or competes with other impactful five-mana spells. Lower cost alternatives could provide a similar level of board presence or card advantage without the steep investment.

Reasons to Include Gryff Vanguard in Your Collection

Versatility: Gryff Vanguard is a flexible addition to decks that capitalize on fliers or value blue draft strategies. Its ability to draw a card upon entering the battlefield makes it a solid pick for virtually any deck seeking to maintain card advantage.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with strategies that bounce creatures to generate repeated value or with flicker effects for continuous draw. Also, being a creature, it pairs nicely with anything that cares about creature spells or enters-the-battlefield triggers.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where card draw is king, Gryff Vanguard holds its own. As a creature that can affect the board state and hand size simultaneously, it can be particularly potent against slower, more controlling decks.

How to beat

Gryff Vanguard has emerged as a creature card that can make an impressive appearance on the battlefield in MTG. Its ability to draw a card upon entering the battlefield makes it a valuable play for those looking to maintain a healthy hand size while developing their board presence. Yet, the card’s impact can be minimized, offering strategies for opponents to gain the upper hand.

To effectively counter Gryff Vanguard, consider employing instant-speed removals. Cards like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can manage the threat before its card draw ability triggers. In addition, since Gryff Vanguard depends on its enter-the-battlefield effect, cards that negate such abilities, like Hushbringer or Torpor Orb, can greatly diminish its value. Lastly, keeping pressure with aggressive plays can force the Gryff Vanguard player to use it defensively, thereby mitigating the upside of the card’s ability to contribute to the game’s tempo.

Tackling Gryff Vanguard strategically can ensure this card doesn’t tip the scales too heavily in your opponent’s favor. By applying the right removals or employing disruptive creatures, you can maintain control of the game flow, lessening the impact of this aerial threat.

Cards like Gryff Vanguard

Gryff Vanguard is a unique creature card in the realm of MTG, offering a fresh take on the classic flying creature archetype. When compared with others like Cloudfin Raptor, Gryff Vanguard doesn’t evolve, but it presents a straightforward approach, providing card draw upon entering the battlefield. This ability to replenish your hand mirrors the function of Elvish Visionary, though the Visionary swings to the elven side with a lesser power and toughness but at a lower cost.

Another card worth comparing is Exclusion Mage. It doesn’t supply card draw, yet it shares the tempo-gaining aspect by bouncing opposing creatures back to their owner’s hand. Gryff Vanguard forgoes this in favor of bolstering your card advantage. Similarly, we can look to Cloudkin Seer – it does offer the same mana cost for a flying creature that draws a card. However, Gryff Vanguard typically gives you a more substantial presence on the board with its higher toughness, making it a sturdier choice in games that drag into the later turns.

Measuring up Gryff Vanguard against its counterparts, it becomes evident that it holds its place with an advantageous blend of card draw and a respectable body for gliding above the battlefield skirmishes in MTG.

Cards similar to Gryff Vanguard by color, type and mana cost

Vesuvan Doppelganger - MTG Card versions

Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - MTG Card versions

Timin, Youthful Geist - MTG Card versions

Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions

Azami, Lady of Scrolls - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gryff Vanguard MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed, 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 Gryff Vanguard and other MTG cards: