General's Regalia MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Number	295
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	David Monette

Key Takeaways

General’s Regalia provides card advantage and strategic flexibility, boosting both defense and offense.
Its instant speed and resource acceleration can be crucial for taking the lead in a match.
However, the discard requirement and specific mana cost might limit its utility in diverse decks.

Text of card

o3: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, that damage is dealt to target creature you control instead.

A uniform fit for a goblin.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When General’s Regalia hits the battlefield, it embodies the spirit of gaining card advantage. It empowers your strategy by potentially drawing you into more answers or threats, keeping hand replenishment steady even in the face of adversity.

Resource Acceleration: As nods to the time-honored principle of resource acceleration, this card can place you ahead of the curve, ensuring that you have access to your arsenal just when you need it. By generating additional resources, you are granted the power to deploy your game plan with increased speed and efficiency, overpowering opponents bound by the usual mana progression.

Instant Speed: The capacity of General’s Regalia to function at instant speed provides players with a tactical edge, offering the flexibility to react dynamically to the evolving game state. This allows a cunning player to optimize their mana usage, keeping options open until the moment demands action—be it for disruption, protection, or progressing one’s own battlefield presence.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When playing General’s Regalia, one downside is that it necessitates discarding a card in order to activate its powerful effect. This could set you back, especially during the late game when each card in hand is crucial for maintaining an advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: General’s Regalia has a mana cost that requires a mix of colorless and white mana. This specificity can restrict the card’s compatibility, particularly in multicolor decks that may not always have the right type of mana readily available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: As an equipment, General’s Regalia comes with a mana value that might be considered steep for its effect. In the context of other cards in the same mana range, it’s possible to find alternatives with more immediate impact on the game, which could render General’s Regalia less attractive in a highly competitive setting.

Reasons to Include General’s Regalia in Your Collection

Versatility: General’s Regalia can be seamlessly incorporated into a variety of deck archetypes due to its capability to provide both protective and aggressive benefits to your creatures.

Combo Potential: This enchantment can synergize with strategies that capitalize on equipping and buffing creatures, potentially unlocking powerful combinations on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment that favors creature-based tactics, General’s Regalia enhances both offensive and defensive plays, making it a pertinent addition to any deck that aims to thrive in the current meta.

How to beat

General’s Regalia stands out in the MTG universe as a formidable enchantment, providing a robust defense mechanism for your commander. Its ability to shield your commander from harm’s way not only once but twice, makes it a substantial deterrent against removal strategies. This resilience positions General’s Regalia as a game-changer in commander-focused decks, where keeping your commander in play is often crucial for victory.

To circumvent the protective layer General’s Regalia offers, players should consider employing indirect removal tactics. Cards like Merciless Eviction, which can exile all artifacts and enchantments without specifically “targeting,” bypass the Regalia’s safeguard. Another strategy is to overextend the enchantment’s capabilities by forcing multiple threats at the commander, exceeding the protection threshold General’s Regalia can provide. Further, consider using board wipes that reset the state of the game, rendering the Regalia’s protection irrelevant for the time.

Ultimately, understanding and executing effective countermeasures against General’s Regalia can be crucial. With strategic planning and the right cards, players can neutralize the advantage General’s Regalia grants, ensuring its formidable presence on the battlefield is expertly contested.

Cards like General's Regalia

The allure of General’s Regalia within the realm of MTG is its unique ability to both protect a creature and bolster its offensive capabilities. It emerges as a comparable entity to equipment cards like Swiftfoot Boots, which also offers protection through hexproof and an additional speed advantage with haste. Despite these similarities, General’s Regalia differs notably by granting a creature indestructible, thus ensuring its survival against most threats.

When evaluating alongside cards like Whispersilk Cloak, we recognize a shared thread of providing unblockable status to creatures, a considerable advantage in direct player combat. Nevertheless, General’s Regalia trades this unblockability for the defensive edge of indestructibility. Furthermore, it’s worth comparing the regalia to Darksteel Plate, another card known for its indestructible granting ability. While both cards promise durability, General’s Regalia shines with its lower equip cost, making it a more economical option for players seeking rapid fortification for their creatures.

Considering the wide array of equipment cards in MTG, General’s Regalia holds its ground with a balance of cost-efficiency and strategic defense, proving to be a valuable tool for players aiming to make their creatures virtually unassailable in the heat of battle.

Cards similar to General's Regalia by color, type and mana cost

Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions

Sword of Feast and Famine - MTG Card versions

Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase General's Regalia MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 General's Regalia and other MTG cards: