Guardian of Tazeem MTG Card


Guardian of Tazeem’s landfall taps threats, granting significant board control and tactical advantage in gameplay. Resource management is optimized, allowing players to develop their board without expending actions on enemies. Its ability mimics instant speed, disrupting opponents’ combat plans and providing a reactive playstyle.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Sphinx
Abilities Flying,Landfall
Power 4
Toughness 5

Text of card

Flying Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, tap target creature an opponent controls. If that land is an Island, that creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.


Cards like Guardian of Tazeem

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Guardian of Tazeem brings a unique blend of control and power to the battlefield. This card shares its space with other creatures that can manipulate the flow of the game. A classic example is Frost Titan, which also allows you to tap down an opponent’s permanents, but with the added benefit of direct targeting upon casting or attacking. While Guardian of Tazeem requires landfall to trigger its ability, Frost Titan’s effect is guaranteed with every attack or entrance.

Shepherd of the Seas is another card with a similar role. It doesn’t boast the landfall mechanic but instead grants you a scry every time you cast a spell. This provides a different kind of control over your game by improving the quality of your draws. On a slightly larger scale, Icefall Regent stands out for its ability to lock down opposing creatures and increase their cost; although more expensive to cast, this dragon offers a persistent hindrance to your adversary.

When considering battlefield influence and the potential to swing the tide of a match, Guardian of Tazeem offers a strategic advantage in decks that are land-rich and can frequently activate landfall. Each of these cards offers a way to assert dominance, yet Guardian of Tazeem aligns closely with players who value repeated board control attached to land drops.

Frost Titan - MTG Card versions
Icefall Regent - MTG Card versions
Frost Titan - MTG Card versions
Icefall Regent - MTG Card versions

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Dreamtail Heron - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Guardian of Tazeem’s landfall ability can help control the battlefield by consistently tapping potential threats every time you play a land. This built-in mechanic increases your options during gameplay and can tilt the advantage in your favor, especially in longer matches or in formats where board control is vital.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Guardian of Tazeem itself does not directly accelerate resources, it does allow you better resource management by potentially freezing opposing resources. Instead of allocating spells or attacks to deal with enemy creatures, the Guardian of Tazeem allows you to focus on developing your own board and resources efficiently.

Instant Speed: This blue behemoth may not be an instant, but its landfall-triggered ability acts at a pace akin to instant speed interactions. By tapping opposing creatures as lands enter the battlefield, it provides a reactive and impactful way to upset your opponent’s combat plans during their turn, all without needing to spend extra mana or cards from your hand.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Guardian of Tazeem itself does not require a card to be discarded, it may prompt deck choices that do. Decks focused on playing the card may need to include mechanisms to replenish the hand, compensating for this potential downside.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning the Guardian of Tazeem demands an exact mana combination, which includes double blue. This can be challenging for multicolor decks that may not always have the necessary islands to cast it promptly.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of 3 generic and 2 blue mana, the Guardian of Tazeem comes with a heavy investment. Given the investment, players might find themselves choosing between it and other impactful cards that could be played sooner or offer immediate board presence.


Reasons to Include Guardian of Tazeem in Your Collection

Versatility: Guardian of Tazeem’s ability to control the battlefield pace makes it a powerful addition to decks that focus on tempo. With its landfall ability, you can adjust the strategy based on the types of lands you play, making it a flexible card for multiple situations.

Combo Potential: This creature’s strength lies in its capacity to synergize with landfall-triggering cards or strategies that put multiple lands into play in a single turn. It can effectively lock down opponents’ creatures, pairing well with cards that manipulate land plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where controlling key threats is crucial, Guardian of Tazeem maintains relevance. Its ability to consistently affect the board with each land drop makes it particularly valuable in slower, more deliberate matches where prolonging the game can lead to victory.


How to beat

The Guardian of Tazeem is a formidable blue card that can control the battlefield in MTG by tapping down your creatures, potentially rendering your offense inert. Overcoming this card requires a tactical approach, emphasizing removal or counter strategies. Direct removal spells such as “Path to Exile” or “Murderous Rider” can swiftly eliminate the Guardian before its landfall ability becomes a nuisance. Utilizing instants ensures that you can respond during your opponent’s turn, minimizing the impact of the tap down ability.

Counterplay is also a strategic option when facing the Guardian of Tazeem. Cards like “Negate” or “Essence Scatter” can prevent it from entering the battlefield in the first place. Should the Guardian land on the board, cards with the flash mechanic can offer a surprise element, allowing you to play creatures during your opponent’s turn, bypassing the Guardian’s control. Moreover, employing an aggressive strategy with fast, low-cost creatures can put pressure on your opponent, forcing them to defend rather than playing their high-cost Guardian.

In essence, a combination of instant speed interaction, efficient removal, and strategic play, will often outmaneuver the Guardian of Tazeem’s control capabilities, maintaining your tempo and offensive strategy in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

If your deck thrives on laying down lands and keeping the battlefield under control, the Guardian of Tazeem could be a game-changer for you. Its ability to disrupt an opponent’s plans with each land drop cements its role in control decks. Competing in MTG means constantly adapting and refining strategies. Integrating a card like Guardian of Tazeem in your arsenal could swing the tide of battle in your favor by managing threats and pacing the game. Keen to explore new deck-building strategies or enhance your control tactics? Dive deeper into MTG knowledge with BurnMana, where your strategic mastery can reach new heights.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Guardian of Tazeem MTG card by a specific set like Battle for Zendikar Promos and Battle for Zendikar, 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 Guardian of Tazeem and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Guardian of Tazeem Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-10-02 and 2015-10-02. Illustrated by Zack Stella.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-10-02Battle for Zendikar PromosPBFZ 78s2015NormalBlackZack Stella
22015-10-02Battle for ZendikarBFZ 782015NormalBlackZack Stella

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Guardian of Tazeem has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2015-08-25 A landfall ability triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. It triggers whenever you play a land, as well as whenever a spell or ability puts a land onto the battlefield under your control.
2015-08-25 Guardian of Tazeem’s landfall ability can target a creature that’s already tapped. If the land that caused it to trigger was an Island, that creature won’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
2015-08-25 If the ability has an additional or replacement effect that depends on the land having a certain basic land type, the ability will check that land’s type as the ability resolves. If, at that time, the land that entered the battlefield is no longer on the battlefield, use its types when it left the battlefield to determine what happens.
2015-08-25 The ability tracks the creature, but not its controller. If the creature changes controllers before its first controller’s next untap step has come around, then it won’t untap during its new controller’s next untap step.
2015-08-25 When a land enters the battlefield under your control, each landfall ability of the permanents you control will trigger. You can put them on the stack in any order. The last ability you put on the stack will be the first one to resolve.