Trokin High Guard MTG Card

Trokin High Guard - Portal Second Age (P02)

Portal Second Age (P02)
1998-06-24 - Number 26

The List (PLST)
2020-09-26 - Number P02-26

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Knight
Power	3
Toughness	3

Key Takeaways

Efficiently establishing board control, Trokin High Guard is a linchpin in maintaining advantageous battlefield presence.
Despite a precise mana cost, it balances out as a solid blocker, providing deck stability against aggression.
Inclusive in soldier-synergy decks, it underscores its meta relevance through versatility and combat edge.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Trokin High Guard brings the potential for efficient trades on the battlefield, leading to card advantage. Dominating smaller creatures and deterring attacks ensures you maintain board presence.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of resource acceleration, the steady board control Trokin High Guard provides can lead to a resource advantage by forcing the opponent to use more resources to handle it.

Instant Speed: Although Trokin High Guard does not operate at instant speed, its resilience can indirectly save instant-speed removal spells in your hand for more pressing threats, preserving your reactive capabilities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Trokin High Guard doesn’t come with a discard requirement, however, it could be at a strategic disadvantage against decks that force discarding, as it provides no inherent protection against that kind of control.

Specific Mana Cost: The Trokin High Guard commands a specific mana combination that can sometimes complicate its casting in multicolored decks, making it less flexible in a diverse mana base environment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is considered high for its stats, the Trokin High Guard could be less attractive compared to other creatures that offer additional abilities or have a lower mana cost for similar power and toughness.

Reasons to Include Trokin High Guard in Your Collection

Versatility: Trokin High Guard offers a reliable defensive option for decks that require steadfast blockers. Its balanced mana cost joins forces with a sturdy toughness, making it a sound choice against aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combinations with abilities that key off of creature toughness or white creature synergies. It serves as a foundation in decks focused on soldier tribal themes or ones that benefit from high-defense creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where control or creature-based strategies prevail, the Trokin High Guard holds the line, impeding opponents’ aggression while setting the stage for a powerful late-game presence. Its relevance can shift with the flow of the game, allowing it to become a strategic asset across various match-ups.

How to beat

Trokin High Guard presents a sturdy defender in Magic: The Gathering, showcasing the capacity to dissuade opponents from assaulting. Its backbone lies in its respectable toughness, making it a formidable obstacle for creatures with lower power. However, the key to overcome Trokin High Guard lies in its static nature. As a creature focused on defense, it’s not proactive on the offensive front, thereby opening avenues for adversaries to outmaneuver it.

Players may consider using removal spells that can bypass the High Guard’s defense or sweep the board to ensure its removal. They can deploy cards that can shrink Trokin High Guard’s toughness, render it irrelevant through enchantments that negate its combat abilities, or surpass it entirely with evasive creatures. Another effective tactic is to outpace it with aggressive strategies that build pressure and demand multiple blockers, eventually overwhelming the High Guard’s singular defensive capacity.

Ultimately, while Trokin High Guard might deter some strategies, players equipped with the right tools and tactics can deftly navigate around its presence on the battlefield, ensuring its defensive qualities don’t overshadow the path to victory.

Cards like Trokin High Guard

The Trokin High Guard holds its own as a functional piece in any MTG knight-themed deck. Like its counterpart Guardian of Pilgrims, which also buffs fellow creatures, the Trokin High Guard delivers a steady boost to defense. Despite this shared trait, the Trokin High Guard outshines with its First Strike ability, granting it an edge in combat over the Guardian that lacks this combat mechanic.

Another card that falls into the same niche is the Veteran Armorsmith. While the Armorsmith solely improves the defensive capabilities of other soldiers without offering First Strike, its lower casting cost makes it a competitive alternative for a different stage of the game. Moreover, when comparing the High Guard to the elite Silver Knight, there’s an obvious trade-off between the High Guard’s utility in reinforcing a wide board versus the Silver Knight’s focus on providing a resilient standalone unit with both First Strike and protection from red.

Ultimately, the Trokin High Guard finds a sweet spot with its blend of bolstering team defenses and a combat edge, making it a respectable choice in soldier decks seeking a balance between individual prowess and collective strength within the MTG universe.

Guardian of Pilgrims - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Trokin High Guard MTG card by a specific set like Portal Second Age and The List, 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 Trokin High Guard and other MTG cards: