Green Ward MTG Card
1993-08-05 - Number 20
1993-10-04 - Number 21
1993-12-01 - Number 21
1993-12-10 - Number 21
1993-12-10 - Number 21
1994-04-01 - Number 20
1994-04-01 - Number 20
1994-06-21 - Number 20
1995-04-01 - Number 27
1995-04-01 - Number 27
2022-11-28 - Number 20
2022-11-28 - Number 317
| Card sets | Released in 12 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Enchantment — Aura |
| Abilities | Enchant |
Text of card
Target creature gains protection from green.
Cards like Green Ward
Exploring the array of protective spells within Magic: The Gathering reveals Green Ward as a classic option for safeguarding your creatures. It’s akin to Blue Ward and other ‘Ward’ cards that grant immunity to specified colors. What makes Green Ward distinctive is its exclusive focus on negating green spells, a niche safeguard reminiscent of the Circle of Protection cards that shield against color-specific damage.
Comparable enchantments like Lance offer similar defensive capabilities but add the advantage of first strike, broadening the tactical uses beyond merely color protection. Yet for those who face decks predominantly green in nature, Green Ward’s targeted defense can be unparalleled. Then you have Spectra Ward, which is more costly but yields more comprehensive protection, granting immunity from all colors and boosting the enshrined creature’s potency.
Assessing the overall utility and application of these enchantments spotlights Green Ward as a situational yet potent choice. It excels in Mono-Green matchups, carving itself a unique space within the suite of defensive MTG cards.
Cards similar to Green Ward by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Green Ward MTG card is particularly adept at protecting your key creatures, ensuring they remain on the battlefield to continue providing value turn after turn. This leads to sustained card advantage as it prevents opponents from easily removing your threats.
Resource Acceleration: While Green Ward itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, it aids in safeguarding mana-generating creatures. By ensuring your creatures survive, you effectively maintain your mana base, allowing you to cast more spells or larger threats earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: As an enchantment, Green Ward may not have instant speed, but its ability to be cast preemptively ensures that when your opponents are ready to act, your creatures are already shielded. This preemptive protection often forces opponents to spend their removal inefficiently or not at all, which can be as valuable as the flexibility offered by instant speed spells.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable downside of Green Ward is that it doesn’t come with a discard requirement, but rather, it faces other specific limitations that could deter players from including it in their decks.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Green Ward is exclusively green, which ties this protective spell solely to green or multicolor decks, thus restricting its versatility across the wide array of deck archetypes in the game.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though not exorbitant, the mana cost for Green Ward is one green mana, which can be considered high when compared to other protection options available in the game that provide a broader range of protection or additional benefits.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Green Ward offers a level of protection to your creatures that’s invaluable in games where color-specific targeting is commonplace. Its ability to shield your valuable creatures from any green-spell threats makes it a flexible addition to any deck that prioritizes long-term board presence.
Combo Potential: This enchantment opens up the floor for a variety of combos, especially in decks designed around creature-based strategies. By coupling Green Ward with creatures that have potent abilities, you effectively prevent opponents from disrupting your board, allowing your strategies to flourish unimpeded.
Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting sands of the meta, Green Ward’s capacity to safeguard key creatures keeps it relevant. In a landscape that often cycles through dominant colors, having an answer to scenario-specific threats—like that of a prevalent green deck—helps to ensure your setup weathers the competitive storm.
How to beat
The Green Ward is an aura in Magic: The Gathering that can be a nuisance if you’re unprepared. It grants protection from green to the enchanted creature, which can be a formidable shield against green-based decks. The key to overcoming Green Ward lies in its specificity. Since it only offers protection from green, creatures, spells, or abilities from other colors can interact with it without issue. Cards that cause loss of life or reduce the opponent’s life total can bypass the Ward untouched, as these are typically not color-specific.
Moreover, board wipes that don’t target, such as “Wrath of God” or “Damnation,” can remove the creature without being hindered by the protection granted by Green Ward. Another strategy involves using colorless artifacts or abilities, which are outside Green Ward’s scope of protection. Artifacts like “Brittle Effigy” can exile creatures, permitting you to directly deal with threats armored by the Ward. Additionally, using spells that force your opponent to sacrifice creatures can be an effective way around the Ward’s protection.
All in all, it’s critical to diversify your tactics and maintain a suite of answers that aren’t color-restricted when facing down enchantments like Green Ward. With the right mix of strategy and card choice, turning the tide against this protective spell is well within reach for savvy players.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Green Ward MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Green Ward and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
See MTG Products
Printings
The Green Ward Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Dan Frazier.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-08-05 | Limited Edition Alpha | LEA | 20 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 2 | 1993-10-04 | Limited Edition Beta | LEB | 21 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 3 | 1993-12-01 | Unlimited Edition | 2ED | 21 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dan Frazier | |
| 4 | 1993-12-10 | Intl. Collectors' Edition | CEI | 21 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 5 | 1993-12-10 | Collectors' Edition | CED | 21 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 6 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 20 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 7 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 20 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dan Frazier | |
| 8 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 20 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dan Frazier | |
| 9 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 27 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 10 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 27 | 1993 | Normal | White | Dan Frazier | |
| 11 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 20 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier | |
| 12 | 2022-11-28 | 30th Anniversary Edition | 30A | 317 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Dan Frazier |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Green Ward has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |