Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Angel
Abilities Flying,Mentor
Power 2
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Aurelia bolsters other creatures, offering substantial board presence and making her a key threat.
  2. She adds pressure on opponents, drawing out their resources, and allowing you to execute your game plan.
  3. Her vigilant nature and combat trick abilities offer flexibility and surprise elements during combat.
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

Flying Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.) At the beginning of combat on your turn, choose up to one target creature you control. Until end of turn, that creature gets +2/+0, gains trample if it's red, and gains vigilance if it's white.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice doesn’t directly grant you extra cards, but it compensates by being a standout threat on its own. Its mentor ability can help strengthen your other creatures, effectively multiplying the value gained from your plays by enhancing your board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your mana pool, Aurelia can serve as a sort of resource acceleration by pressuring opponents. In doing so, you could potentially draw out opponent resources more quickly, clearing a path for your other strategies to unfold with less interference.

Instant Speed: Though Aurelia herself is played at sorcery speed, her keyword abilities can have an impact similar to instant speed interactions. Given her vigilance, she’s always ready to attack or defend, offering flexible response potential during your opponent’s turn. Additionally, her ability to give another target creature +2/+0 until end of turn can be used creatively during the combat phase to surprise opponents.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice does not explicitly require a discard to cast, her optimal use often involves strategic hand management. Players may need to hold onto specific cards to maximize her mentoring ability, potentially leading to fewer options if pressed to discard for other effects.

Specific Mana Cost: This card necessitates a precise mana blend of red and white, demanding dedication to a Boros deck. This requirement can constrain deck-building options and makes it challenging to include in multi-colored decks without a strong mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including two specific to color, Aurelia can be a weighty play. For this cost, players might expect a more immediate impact, whereas other creatures or spells can provide similar or greater value with more flexible mana requirements.


Reasons to Include Aurelia Exemplar of Justice in Your Collection

Versatility: Aurelia Exemplar of Justice is a flexible choice for players crafting Boros (red and white) decks. Her ability to boost other creatures and provide a degree of survivability with a +1/+1 bonus and trample or vigilance makes her a valuable asset in a variety of board states.

Combo Potential: Aurelia’s mentoring can enhance your creatures’ power, paving the way for powerful synergies and combos. When paired with cards that react to +1/+1 counters or creature abilities such as trample or vigilance, the combo potential skyrockets.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where combat-focused strategies shine, Aurelia Exemplar of Justice brings a lot to the table. Her ability to influence the battlefield each turn she’s in play keeps her relevant in diverse meta scenarios, providing a consistent threat and leveraging your position in creature-centric matchups.


How to beat

Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, is a formidable multicolored angel in Magic: The Gathering that brings both might and tactical advantage to any battlefield. To strategically counter this card, consider using removal spells that can bypass her ability to buff and protect other creatures. Spells like Murder or Vraska’s Contempt are particularly effective as they can target and eliminate Aurelia without triggering any mentor abilities.

Similarly, board wipes such as Damnation or Wrath of God can clear the field, irrespective of any power boosts Aurelia may provide. It’s also beneficial to leverage instant speed interaction, which can disrupt your opponent’s combat phase and nullify Aurelia’s influence when it’s most crucial. In multi-player formats, politics can play a role; convincing your opponents of Aurelia’s threat may shift the focus away from your board and keep her in check.

Ultimately, while Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, remains a powerhouse on the battlefield, with calculated responses and timely removal, you can mitigate her impact and maintain control of the game. Understanding her mechanics and employing a precise removal strategy is essential in overcoming this celestial champion.


BurnMana Recommendations

Discovering intricacies in MTG makes the difference between a good player and a great one. Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, is a card that could very well turn the tide in your matches, her presence on the board influencing combat significantly. Her ability to mentor and her proactive combat buffs make her particularly alluring for Boros deck enthusiasts. But mastery comes with understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of each card. If you’re keen on integrating Aurelia into your collection and optimizing your plays around her, be prepared to explore strategies that highlight her potential. For insights on how to best leverage Aurelia’s abilities or effectively counter her, delve deeper with us and fine-tune your strategy to secure victory.


Cards like Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice

Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice shines as an iconic figure among Boros legion cards in Magic: The Gathering. She stands shoulder to shoulder with cards like Tajic, Legion’s Edge in terms of functionality and battlefield presence. Aurelia sets herself apart with the ability to bolster not just one but two creatures each combat, including herself, which Tajic doesn’t provide.

Comparably, Ajani, the Greathearted offers a similar support role, giving creatures vigilance and boosting their performance. However, Ajani is part of the Selesnya guild, affecting the deck-building dynamics differently from Aurelia’s Boros allegiance. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight also shares the Boros colors and is similar in the sense of being a powerful flyer that alters combat outcomes, yet Gisela’s impact is more global and passive over Aurelia’s targeted buffs.

Each card has a distinct place in the MTG roster, with Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice meeting the criteria for a powerful commander with her direct and versatile combat enhancements that can swing the tide in selective encounters and her innate mentor ability to help smaller creatures grow stronger.

Tajic, Legion's Edge - MTG Card versions
Ajani, the Greathearted - MTG Card versions
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight - MTG Card versions
Tajic, Legion's Edge - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Ajani, the Greathearted - War of the Spark (WAR)
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight - Open the Helvault (PHEL)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica Promos and Guilds of Ravnica 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 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 153s2015normalblackChris Rahn
22018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 153p2015normalblackChris Rahn
32018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 1532015normalblackChris Rahn
42024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 356z2015normalblackChris Rahn
52024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3561997normalblackChris Rahn
62024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 1642015normalblackChris Rahn
72024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 4362015normalborderlessHiromu

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 Aurelia’s last ability resolves before attackers are chosen.
2018-10-05 If the creature with mentor leaves the battlefield with mentor on the stack, use its power as that creature last existed on the battlefield to determine whether the target creature has less power.
2018-10-05 If the target creature’s power is no longer less than the attacking creature’s power as the ability resolves, mentor doesn’t add a +1/+1 counter. For example, if two 3/3 creatures with mentor attack and both mentor triggers target the same 2/2 creature, the first to resolve puts a +1/+1 counter on it and the second does nothing.
2018-10-05 Mentor compares the power of the creature with mentor with that of the target creature at two different times: once as the triggered ability is put onto the stack, and once as the triggered ability resolves. If you wish to raise a creature’s power so its mentor ability can target a bigger creature, the last chance you have to do so is during the beginning of combat step.
2018-10-05 Once Aurelia’s last ability has resolved, the creature keeps whatever bonuses it got from that ability even if its colors change.
2018-10-05 The target creature gains trample and vigilance if it’s both red and white. It gets +2/+0 only once, even if it’s both red and white, and even if it’s neither red nor white.

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