Faith's Shield MTG Card

Indirect card advantage by protecting key permanents, ensuring they remain active on the board. Enhances game plan acceleration by preserving resources and building board presence swiftly. Versatility in real-time defense, shielding any permanent at instant speed against threats.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Fateful hour
Released	2012-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Dark Ascension
Set code	DKA
Number	7
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Svetlin Velinov

Text of card

Target permanent you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. Fateful hour — If you have 5 or less life, instead you and each permanent you control gain protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.

Cards like Faith's Shield

Faith’s Shield is a unique protective spell in the card pool of Magic: The Gathering. It’s in-line with spells like God’s Willing, which similarly offers protection from a color of your choice for a single creature. Faith’s Shield, however, stretches this protection to cover all your permanents if you’re at a precarious life total. This makes it incredibly versatile in safeguarding not just creatures, but also other valuable assets from targeted effects or damage, unlike the more narrow focus of God’s Willing.

Ajaxian Crusader provides an interesting parallel with its ability to grant protection when targeted, but it’s limited to a single creature. In terms of versatility and coverage, Faith’s Shield clearly has an upper hand. Another relative in this category is Brave the Elements, which shields multiple creatures from a chosen color for the turn. While it’s broader than God’s Willing or Ajaxian Crusader in terms of creature count, it still doesn’t compare to the potential full-board protection that Faith’s Shield could offer under the right circumstances.

Scrutinizing the expanded set of features and strategic potential, Faith’s Shield presents itself as an exceptional choice for players seeking comprehensive defense options in Magic: The Gathering, solidifying its status especially in formats where maintaining a high value permanents on the board is crucial.

Cards similar to Faith's Shield by color, type and mana cost

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Faith's Shield. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#	Name	Format	Archetype	Event
	4c Death's Shadow	Modern	Death's Shadow	Modern League 2024-03-21
	Infect	Modern	Infect	Modern Preliminary 2024-02-07 (1)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Faith’s Shield doesn’t directly let you draw cards, its potential to protect a key permanent could very well prevent a loss of resources on your side of the board. This indirectly maintains card advantage by ensuring your valuable creatures or planeswalkers stay in play to capitalize on their abilities turn after turn.

Resource Acceleration: Faith’s Shield isn’t a resource acceleration card in the traditional sense of providing extra mana. But, by saving your resources from destruction or removal, it accelerates your game plan. This protection can give you the edge in building up a board presence faster than your opponent.

Instant Speed: The fact that Faith’s Shield can be cast at instant speed adds a layer of versatility to your game. It allows you to react to your opponent’s actions, whether that’s by saving your creature from a removal spell or protecting yourself from a lethal attack. The ability to respond to threats as they arise without having to commit mana on your own turn keeps your opponents guessing and gives you the flexibility to adapt to any situation.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This advantage comes at a cost, as playing Faith’s Shield requires you to discard another card, potentially draining your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: It’s crucial to have white mana available to cast this spell. This limits the card’s flexibility, especially in multi-color decks that may not always have the right mana at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the mana cost involved, some players may find the cost a bit steep for the protection it offers. There are alternatives that might provide similar defensive benefits without the mana strain.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Faith’s Shield offers a powerful flexibility that can protect any permanent, not just creatures. Its capacity to shield a pivotal piece on your battlefield from targeted spells or abilities at a moment’s notice makes it a clutch card in tight situations.

Combo Potential: This card excels in its ability to facilitate combos by safeguarding key components of your strategy. Its use is not limited to defensive maneuvers; it can be a game-changer when you’re on the offensive and need to ensure your key players remain unaffected by opponents’ tricks.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where spot removals and targeted disruption are prevalent, Faith’s Shield becomes extremely valuable. It can give your crucial creatures or other permanents the protection they need to triumph over control decks and other interactive strategies.

How to beat

Faith’s Shield is a versatile protective spell in Magic: The Gathering, pivotal in safeguarding creatures and ensuring your strategy is undisturbed. Unlike other protection spells, Faith’s Shield has the potential to protect not just creatures but any permanent type on the battlefield. This includes lands, which can be critical in maintaining your mana base against land destruction strategies.

Facing off against Faith’s Shield calls for strategic play. Consider timing your removal spells when your opponent is low on white mana or after they have tapped out, reducing the chances they can cast it. Alternatively, utilizing board wipes that don’t target can circumvent Faith’s Shield’s protection, as it shields against targeted effects. Cards like Supreme Verdict or Toxic Deluge become invaluable when trying to clear the board while contending with such protection spells.

It’s crucial to recognize that Faith’s Shield’s potency increases when the casting player has a low life total due to its “fateful hour” ability. Inept timing can swing the tide in their favor. Therefore, holding back on reducing your opponent’s life total until you’re ready to deal with their permanents en masse can be a viable tactic to overcome the challenges presented by Faith’s Shield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Faith's Shield MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension, 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 Faith's Shield and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Faith's Shield has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2011-01-22	A player with protection from a color can’t be damaged, enchanted (including by Curses), or targeted by anything of that color.
2011-01-22	Faith’s Shield targets a permanent regardless of how much life you have. If that permanent is an illegal target when Faith’s Shield tries to resolve, Faith’s Shield won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. Neither you nor any of your permanents will gain protection from a color.
2011-01-22	You choose only one color (not one color per player and permanent). You choose the color as Faith’s Shield resolves.