Always Watching MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Vigilance allows creatures to attack without compromising defense, enhancing battlefield control.
  2. Triple white mana cost limits use to specific decks, affecting versatility.
  3. Strategically powerful in creature-focused decks, granting across-the-board buffs.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Nontoken creatures you control get +1/+1 and have vigilance.

"We pray to Avacyn on high. On snow-white wings fearless you fly. Keep safe our souls. Keep safe our lives. May angels watch us from the skies." —Children's prayer


Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the key strengths of Always Watching is its ability to boost your entire team without necessitating additional cards. This means that each of your creatures becomes a more significant threat on their own, effectively giving you an edge in resources without losing card count from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Always Watching doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in the form of mana or tokens, it allows you to be more efficient with the resources you have. Your creatures gain vigilance, meaning they can attack and still be ready to block, saving you from potentially needing to invest in more creatures just for defense.

Instant Speed: Although Always Watching is not an instant itself, it indirectly impacts instant-speed interactions. With vigilance on your creatures, you can maintain a strong defense while keeping mana available for instant-speed interactions, giving you the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves without sacrificing offensive pressure.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some enchantments which can offer benefits without additional costs, Always Watching requires you to have a stable board presence to be effective. Without creatures to buff, its value plummets, leaving it as a dead draw in situations where you’re struggling to maintain creatures on the field.

Specific Mana Cost: Always Watching comes with a triple white mana cost, which may not be easily splashed in multicolored decks. This can make it challenging for players running three or more colors to consistently cast it, limiting its playability to mono-white or two-color decks where white mana is abundant.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Always Watching is a commitment in the early game. Players may find that dedicating their third turn to non-creature spells could lead to a loss of momentum, especially when other lower-cost enchantments or creatures could provide immediate on-board advantages or interact with the opponent’s strategy more directly.


Reasons to Include Always Watching in Your Collection

Versatility: Always Watching offers a substantial boon to any deck focusing on non-token creatures. Its ability to give your creatures +1/+1 and vigilance means that it fits smoothly into various deck archetypes, bolstering both offense and defense.

Combo Potential: The static buff and vigilance provided complement numerous strategies. It’s particularly powerful in decks that capitalize on tapping and untapping creatures for value, since vigilance allows those creatures to remain ready to activate those abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta heavy with creature-based strategies, Always Watching allows your creatures to stay alert for both attacking and defending, giving you a critical advantage in maintaining board presence and pressure against your opponents.


How to Beat Always Watching

Always Watching presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, offering vigilant buff-ups to all non-token creatures under your opponent’s control. This card stands out by augmenting three key aspects simultaneously: attack strength, defense robustness, and strategic flexibility. Unlike cards that boost only during either offense or defense, Always Watching is a constant threat that cannot be ignored.

The key to handling this enchantment lies in targeted removal or counterplay strategies. Look to include spells like Disenchant, which can remove Always Watching without much cost. Cards such as Negate are also efficient in pre-empting the threat, allowing you to counter it as it tries to hit the field. Moreover, sweepers like Wrath of God can bypass the vigilance advantage by clearing all creatures regardless of their untapped status. Understand that card advantage is crucial; minimize the impact of Always Watching by keeping the board state manageable and preventing your adversary from gaining a wide field of vigilant attackers.

Handling Always Watching requires a blend of foresight and controlled aggression. By integrating removal, control elements, and board wipes into your deck, you can mitigate the enhancement it provides and maintain the upper hand in the face of vigilant opposition.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the dynamics of Always Watching can truly transform your game. Staying informed and prepared is key when incorporating such a strategic card into your deck. It’s not simply about the individual cards but about the synergy and power they unlock when combined. As you refine your deck, consider the interplay of resource management, the value of card advantage, and the strategic edge provided by Always Watching. Interested in enhancing your strategic outlook and evolving your gameplay? We’re here with insights and guidance to expand your collection and sharpen your skills. Explore further with us and embrace the full potential of your MTG plays.


Cards like Always Watching

Always Watching is a standout enchantment in Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to grant vigilance to non-token creatures while boosting their strength and toughness. Its closest analog can be seen in Glorious Anthem, which similarly provides a universal power and toughness boost to creatures you control. However, Glorious Anthem lacks the added advantage of vigilance that Always Watching offers.

Another card worth considering is Intangible Virtue. It focuses on tokens, providing both a boost in size and vigilance, offering a more specialized advantage compared to Always Watching’s broad support to all creatures. Speckled across MTG’s history are enchantments like Honor of the Pure, which exclusively pumps White creatures, a slight variance in the supportive role Always Watching plays by encompassing a wider scope of creature types in its embrace.

Assessing the suite of enchantments available, Always Watching provides a uniquely beneficial combination of creature enhancement and the strategic flexibility afforded by vigilance, allowing creatures to participate in attack without leaving your defenses open.

Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Intangible Virtue - MTG Card versions
Honor of the Pure - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - Urza's Saga (USG)
Intangible Virtue - Innistrad (ISD)
Honor of the Pure - Magic 2010 Promos (PM10)

Cards similar to Always Watching by color, type and mana cost

Damping Field - MTG Card versions
Farmstead - MTG Card versions
Cooperation - MTG Card versions
Noble Steeds - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Empyrial Armor - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Cessation - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Samite Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Tattoo Ward - MTG Card versions
Sparring Regimen - MTG Card versions
Shielded by Faith - MTG Card versions
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Cage of Hands - MTG Card versions
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions
Guardian's Magemark - MTG Card versions
Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions
Damping Field - Antiquities (ATQ)
Farmstead - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Cooperation - Ice Age (ICE)
Noble Steeds - Alliances (ALL)
Aura of Silence - The List (PLST)
Empyrial Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Pariah - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Cessation - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Arrest - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Glorious Anthem - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Samite Sanctuary - Prophecy (PCY)
Tattoo Ward - Odyssey (ODY)
Sparring Regimen - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Shielded by Faith - Signature Spellbook: Gideon (SS2)
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Oblivion Ring - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Cage of Hands - Commander Legends (CMR)
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - The List (PLST)
Guardian's Magemark - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Celestial Dawn - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Always Watching MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Always Watching and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Always Watching Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Chase Stone.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 12015normalblackChase Stone
22016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 1s2015normalblackChase Stone
32018-11-16Game NightGNT 72015normalblackChase Stone
42020-09-26The ListPLST SOI-12015normalblackChase Stone
52023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 102015normalblackChase Stone

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Always Watching has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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