Harried Spearguard MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Soldier
Abilities	Haste
Released	2023-09-08
Set symbol
Set name	Wilds of Eldraine
Set code	WOE
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	135
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Borja Pindado

Key Takeaways

Provides board presence without using extra cards, increasing your battlefield strength while conserving hand.
Its vigilance allows for defense and offense, granting flexibility and the element of surprise during play.
Demands hand discard for activation, potentially detrimental late in the game with its specific mana cost.

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Harried Spearguard. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

Name	Format	Archetype	Event
Mono-Red Aggro	Standard	Mono-Red Aggro	Standard Challenge 32 2023-11-18
Mardu Sacrifice	Gladiator		Gladiator Proving Grounds: Week 09 2024
Boros Aggro	Standard	Boros Soldiers	The Pizza Box Open: Standard
Rakdos Aggro	Gladiator		Gladiator Proving Grounds: Week 09 2024
Rakdos Tokens	Standard	Rakdos Sacrifice	WHITE - SAT - 12PM - Chicago Standard Cup
Gruul Aggro	Standard	Gruul Aggro	Standard Challenge 32 2023-11-11

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Harried Spearguard MTG card by a specific set like Wilds of Eldraine, 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 Harried Spearguard and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Haste When Harried Spearguard dies, create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This creature can't block."

"Why're you vermin so daft? This is a warehouse full of bricks. BRICKS! You can't eat bricks."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Harried Spearguard provides consistent board presence, driving home the point that each time it becomes tapped, you’re fortifying your battlefield without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly involved in mana production, Harried Spearguard’s vigilance grants an indirect acceleration by allowing you to commit to the board while keeping defenses up without the need for extra mana spent on defensive creatures or abilities.

Instant Speed: Harried Spearguard’s ability to benefit from instant-speed interactions is twofold. Its vigilance enables it to stay ready for those quick spurts of combat tricks or tap abilities. Additionally, any flash creatures or effects that tap your Harried Spearguard will extract value at the speed of surprise, keeping opponents on their toes.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Harried Spearguard demands a card discard to activate its abilities, which can leave you at a hand disadvantage, potentially costing you essential plays later in your game.

Specific Mana Cost: Harried Spearguard requires both a white and a colorless mana, making it less flexible and hard to cast in a multi-color deck without reliable mana fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At three mana for a 2/1 creature, there are more cost-effective options available. Its mana cost makes it a potentially cumbersome play when cheaper creatures can fill similar roles with lower investment.

Reasons to Include Harried Spearguard in Your Collection

Versatility: Harried Spearguard is a flexible card that can be a key piece in various deck builds. Its capability to serve both offensive and defensive roles makes it a useful tool in any player’s arsenal. Whether you’re supporting a battalion strategy or fortifying your lines, this card adapts to multiple game situations with ease.

Combo Potential: This card thrives when synergized with abilities that activate upon attacking or when creatures become tapped. Its inherent ability to become indestructible under certain conditions allows for interesting combinations with cards that benefit from, or mitigate the costs of, aggressive play styles.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where combat-heavy decks prevail, Harried Spearguard stands out with its resilience. This card can persist through sweepers and removal that often define competitive play, ensuring your battlefield presence and keeping pressure on your opponents.

How to beat

Harried Spearguard emphasizes resilience on the battlefield, presenting a challenge with its persistent ability to bolster its defense. As a card that thrives on being attacked, the key to overcoming it is by avoiding direct confrontation. Instead, employing removal spells that don’t require damaging it in combat can be highly effective. Spells like Murder or Doom Blade can bypass its defensive increment, taking it off the board without triggering its ability.

Alternatively, one could use control elements to manipulate combat outcomes or prevent the Spearguard from blocking in the first place, such as with enchantments like Pacifism, which can neutralize its combat potential. In essence, tactics that avoid bolstering its toughness or circumvent it as an obstacle can prove to be your best strategy to gain the upper hand and maintain control of the game.

Ultimately, understanding and countering your opponent’s strategies is as crucial as the cards you play. By carefully analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of MTG cards like Harried Spearguard, players can develop counters that mitigate their advantages and maintain dominance over the game.

Cards like Harried Spearguard

Harried Spearguard is an interesting card for players in MTG who are looking for a reliable defensive option. It echoes the qualities of other defender creatures, like Wall of Omens. Wall of Omens also serves as a defensive tool, but it provides card draw on entry which Harried Spearguard does not offer. What makes Harried Spearguard distinctive, however, is its potential to become an attacker through its detain ability.

In the realm of two-mana defenders, the Wall of Runes is another card worth mentioning. Like Harried Spearguard, it acts as an early defensive barrier, though it does lean into deck manipulation by allowing a scry upon entering the battlefield. The flexibility and card advantage provided by these similar cards may overshadow the Harried Spearguard’s combat potential in some cases.

Therefore, Harried Spearguard’s appeal lies within its versatility to switch roles from a stout defender to an aggressor, a feature that its counterparts lack. Even though it may not grant card advantage directly, this does provide strategic value in the ever-evolving battlefield of MTG.

Cards similar to Harried Spearguard by color, type and mana cost

Goblin Balloon Brigade - MTG Card versions

Mons's Goblin Raiders - MTG Card versions

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Harried Spearguard has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Future	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal