Parhelion Patrol MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Enhances other creatures, incrementally shifting battlefield dynamics in your favor with mentor ability.
- Integrates into strategies for rapid deployment, utilizing its synergy with mana-producing creatures.
- Keeps reactivity high with vigilant positioning, ready for instant-speed plays while attacking.
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, vigilance Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.)
"Too many have disappeared in these dark days. I am the light that will lead them home."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Parhelion Patrol may not look like a card advantage powerhouse at first glance, but its ability to mentor lesser creatures ensures that the value of your board state increases with each turn it remains active. By consistently beefing up other creatures, it can change the battlefield dynamics in your favor, translating indirect card advantage over time.
Resource Acceleration: While Parhelion Patrol itself does not directly accelerate resources, it’s a pivotal piece in decks that do. Coupled with cards that benefit from increased creature count or those that tap creatures for mana, it can contribute to a faster deployment of your strategy and a quicker route to your win conditions.
Instant Speed: Parhelion Patrol operates at sorcery speed as a creature; however, the vigilance trait it possesses allows it to remain untapped after an attack, fully prepared to utilize instant speed spells or abilities in your arsenal. This ensures you’re always reactive to threats or opportunities at a moment’s notice while pressuring your opponent with a vigilant attacker.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the Parhelion Patrol card doesn’t directly call for a discard, its mentor ability often entails having creatures on the field to enhance. If your hand is empty, its utility may become limited without other creatures to support.
Specific Mana Cost: Parhelion Patrol necessitates both white and generic mana to be cast, potentially restricting its integration in multicolored decks that may have a strained mana base or prioritize other colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At a casting cost of four mana, Parhelion Patrol might compete with other impactful four-mana options within the white or other colors’ repertoire, potentially relegating it to a lower priority during deck construction given its limited impact on the board upon entry.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Parhelion Patrol is a welcome addition to decks that aim for board control with its flying and vigilance capabilities, ensuring a solid defense and consistent attack opportunities.
Combo Potential: It possesses mentor, allowing it to bolster smaller creatures in your cadre, an advantage that can create powerful synergies in token-based strategies or in decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters.
Meta-Relevance: Given its role in reinforcing creatures on the battlefield and offering aerial defense, Parhelion Patrol can be a strategic pick in a meta that favors creature-heavy decks and those looking to counter them.
How to beat
Parhelion Patrol is a functional card that can pose challenges on the battlefield in MTG. With its flying and vigilance abilities, it’s capable of delivering consistent damage while also staying ready to block. However, like all cards, it has its vulnerabilities. Removal spells are effective against it, particularly those that can bypass its flying ability. Tactics such as direct damage spells, exile effects, or board wipes can clear Parhelion Patrol from the field efficiently.
Another strategy is to outnumber or overpower it with creatures of higher strength. Since Parhelion Patrol’s power and toughness aren’t overwhelming, creatures with stronger stats or death touch abilities can serve as deterrence or even eliminate it through combat. Additionally, enchantments or artifacts that restrict its abilities or punish the player for attacking or blocking with it can also work to your advantage in mitigating the threat posed by Parhelion Patrol.
Understanding the mechanics and having a counterstrategy is key when facing any card. Being prepared with the right tools and having knowledge of how to use them makes all the difference in overcoming challenges like Parhelion Patrol in an MTG match.
Cards like Parhelion Patrol
Parhelion Patrol stands out as a steadfast contender in the lineup of low to midrange flying creatures within Magic: The Gathering. This vigilant flyer boasts an ability to mentor, comparable to that of Skyknight Legionnaire, which also flies and has haste but lacks the mentoring capabilities. Parhelion Patrol allows players to enhance smaller creatures, giving it a tactical advantage during the combat phase.
When examining creatures with flight and mentor, we notice the swift Roc Charger. Although it doesn’t boast stats like Parhelion Patrol, its inherent ability to give a smaller creature flying when attacking makes it a strategic choice in some decks. Conversely, Leonin Warleader generates tokens with lifelink, giving a nod towards a more aggressive lifegain strategy which Parhelion Patrol can complement by boosting those tokens.
In dissecting the features and strategic uses of similar creatures, Parhelion Patrol finds its rank as a versatile inclusion in many white-based aggressive or midrange decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to support the growth of your army while providing a defense in the air makes it more than just a mere flyer.
Cards similar to Parhelion Patrol by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Parhelion Patrol MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica and Ravnica: Clue Edition, 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 Parhelion Patrol and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Parhelion Patrol Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2018-10-05 and 2024-02-23. Illustrated by Even Amundsen.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-10-05 | Guilds of Ravnica | GRN | 22 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Even Amundsen | |
| 2 | 2024-02-23 | Ravnica: Clue Edition | CLU | 68 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Even Amundsen |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Parhelion Patrol has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
