Glorious Protector MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Angel Cleric
Abilities Flying,Foretell, Flash
Power 3
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Flash ability allows Glorious Protector to be played at any time, adding surprise and flexible defense.
  2. The card’s skill to exile creatures safeguards them and reuses enter-the-battlefield effects.
  3. Despite its higher mana cost, Glorious Protector’s strategic benefits can outweigh its cons.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Flying When Glorious Protector enters the battlefield, you may exile any number of non-Angel creatures you control until Glorious Protector leaves the battlefield. Foretell


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Glorious Protector enters the battlefield, its ability can exile any number of other non-Angel creatures you control until it leaves the battlefield. This not only protects your significant investments but could also reset creatures with valuable enter-the-battlefield effects, yielding additional value and card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Glorious Protector itself doesn’t generate mana or treasure tokens, its ability to preserve your board state can save necessary resources. By flickering your creatures, you effectively gain additional uses out of them without spending more mana, thus accelerating your resource deployment indirectly.

Instant Speed: Featuring flash, Glorious Protector can be played at instant speed which adds a layer of strategy, allowing you to respond to an opponent’s actions or end-of-turn plays. This versatility provides opportunities to surprise an opponent with a blocker or protect your team from a board wipe, keeping you firmly in control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Glorious Protector requires a strategic setup to maximize its value, often necessitating you to discard other nonland permanents which can potentially lead to a disadvantageous loss of resources or board position.

Specific Mana Cost: This card needs both white mana and generic mana, making it less optimal for multi-colored decks that may struggle with the consistent production of the necessary white mana sources needed to play Glorious Protector on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana, including double white, Glorious Protector stands at a higher range on the mana curve. Some players may find that other cards with lower mana requirements could provide similar protection or enter-the-battlefield effects earlier in the game.


Reasons to Include Glorious Protector in Your Collection

Versatility: Glorious Protector offers a unique mix of defensive and aggressive plays. With its flash ability, it can drop into play at a moment’s notice, serving as a surprise blocker or saving a key creature from removal.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes superbly with enter-the-battlefield effects. Imagine using its ability to exile another creature only to have it returned to the battlefield for a repeat performance of powerful triggers.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board wipes and spot removal are common, Glorious Protector allows you to maintain a presence on the board. The adaptability it brings can be crucial in swinging games in your favor against various meta decks.


How to beat

Glorious Protector can be a challenging card to overcome in Magic: The Gathering, often swinging the momentum in favor of its controller. This white creature comes equipped with flash, allowing players to cast it at almost any time, and its ability to exile any number of other target creatures you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under its owner’s control can protect a player’s board from a wrath effect or set up their own powerful re-entrance abilities.

The key to besting Glorious Protector lies in preemptive measures or choosing the right timing. Instant speed removal spells that can target and kill or exile the Protector before its ability resolves are highly effective. Counterspells are another solid option, negating the Protector’s casting entirely if you manage to hold up mana for when your opponent attempts their play. Alternatively, cards that restrict casting at flash speed or abilities that trigger upon entering the battlefield can negate the advantages Glorious Protector provides, maintaining balance during your match.

Adjusting tactics and keeping the right answers in hand ensures you won’t be caught off guard by this guardian angel. Understanding its implications and preparing for the strategic deployments it encourages are vital to mastering matchups involving this versatile card.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the tactical nuances of MTG with a card like Glorious Protector. This card encompasses a fascinating blend of defensive strategies and offensive surprises, ideal for players looking to make an impact. Harnessing its combo potential with enter-the-battlefield effects or as a safeguard against board wipes can pivot the game in your favor. Whether you’re refining your deck or seeking the thrill of those game-changing plays, adding Glorious Protector to your collection could be a smart move. Eager for more insights and strategies? Embrace the full potential of your MTG gameplay with us.


Cards like Glorious Protector

Glorious Protector stands out in the realm of creature protection and surprise tactics in Magic: The Gathering. The card reminds seasoned players of Ghostly Flicker, which also manipulates the battlefield by temporarily exiling creatures. Glorious Protector, however, adds a layer of versatility since it can be a creature or a safeguard with its flash ability. Comparatively, Ghostly Flicker is limited to instant speed interference without leaving a body on the board.

When examining Whisperwood Elemental, we notice some thematic similarities, particularly in the aspect of safeguarding creatures. While Whisperwood Elemental provides a broader protective measure through its manifestation ability during end steps, Glorious Protector can target specific creatures and offers an immediate response to threats with its flash. The protector’s ability to affect the game state as soon as it hits the battlefield often gives players the edge in tight situations.

Assessing side by side, Glorious Protector provides strategic options for surprise plays and pinpoint creature defense, traits not as readily found in other cards with similar effects. This strategic flexibility could make it a favorable choice for decks looking to capitalize on instant speed interactions and board presence.

Ghostly Flicker - MTG Card versions
Whisperwood Elemental - MTG Card versions
Ghostly Flicker - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Whisperwood Elemental - Fate Reforged (FRF)

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Northern Paladin - Revised Edition (3ED)
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Seasoned Marshal - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Coalition Honor Guard - Apocalypse (APC)
Mangara, the Diplomat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Akroma's Devoted - Legions (LGN)
Leonin Abunas - Mirrodin (MRD)
Aven Cloudchaser - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Blinking Spirit - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Seht's Tiger - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Valor - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Guardian Seraph - Magic 2010 (M10)
Lightkeeper of Emeria - Worldwake (WWK)
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Hero of Bladehold - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Mausoleum Guard - Innistrad (ISD)
Galepowder Mage - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Glorious Protector MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Kaldheim, 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 Glorious Protector and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Glorious Protector Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by PINDURSKI.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 882142015normalblackPINDURSKI
22021-02-05KaldheimKHM 3352015normalblackPINDURSKI
32021-02-05KaldheimKHM 122015normalblackPINDURSKI
42021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 12p2015normalblackPINDURSKI
52021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 12s2015normalblackPINDURSKI
62022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 6952015normalblackPINDURSKI

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Glorious Protector has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 Auras attached to any exiled permanents will be put into their owners' graveyards. Any Equipment will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanents will cease to exist. When the cards return to the battlefield, they will be new objects with no connection to the cards that were exiled.
2021-02-05 Because exiling a card with foretell from your hand is a special action, you can do so any time you have priority during your turn, including in response to spells and abilities. Once you announce you're taking the action, no other player can respond by trying to remove the card from your hand.
2021-02-05 Casting a foretold card from exile follows the timing rules for that card. If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player's turn. In most cases, if you foretell a card that isn't an instant (or doesn't have flash), you'll have to wait until your next turn to cast it.
2021-02-05 Glorious Protector's enters-the-battlefield ability doesn't target any creatures. You choose which non-Angel creatures to exile, if any, as that ability resolves.
2021-02-05 If Glorious Protector leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, no creatures will be exiled.
2021-02-05 If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.
2021-02-05 If you're casting a foretold card from exile for its foretell cost, you can't choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.

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