Queen's Bay Paladin MTG Card
2023-11-17 - Number 115
2023-11-17 - Number 368
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Vampire Knight |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
Whenever Queen's Bay Paladin enters the battlefield or attacks, return up to one target Vampire card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. You lose life equal to its mana value. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)
Cards like Queen's Bay Paladin
Queen’s Bay Paladin makes its mark in the realm of creature cards with robust abilities. In the same family of vigilant knights, we see cards such as Silverblade Paladin, offering similarities like double strike to allies, though it lacks the adaptability of mutating stat boosts that the Queen’s Bay Paladin brings. This card’s flexibility in being able to grow stronger through specific actions differentiates it from Silverblade Paladin’s consistent but unchanging power boost.
Another relative in this domain is Kinsbaile Cavalier, which grants double strike to all Knight creatures, an effect that is closely related to the Queen’s Bay Paladin’s own potential for power enhancement. Yet, Queen’s Bay Paladin offers an incremental upgrade path that Kinsbaile Cavalier doesn’t emulate. We can also observe Fiendslayer Paladin, a card that also boasts protection from certain spells and abilities. While it shares the Paladin title and has an impressive set of defenses, it doesn’t possess the same progressive power potential as our Queen’s Bay specimen.
Overall, in the landscape of Magic: The Gathering, the Queen’s Bay Paladin stands out for its combination of vigilance and the unique ability to become more formidable as the game progresses, rendering it a versatile and valuable addition to many decks.
Cards similar to Queen's Bay Paladin by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Queen's Bay Paladin. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Rakdos Vampires | Pioneer | Rakdos Vampires | Pioneer League 2024-04-26 |
 | Abzan Vampires | Pioneer | Abzan Vampires | Pioneer Super Qualifier 2023-12-23 |
 | Dimir Midrange | Standard | Dimir Midrange | Standard League 2023-12-07 (1) |
 | Grixis Midrange | Standard | Grixis Midrange | Standard Challenge 32 2023-12-09 (1) |
 | Orzhov Vampires | Pioneer | Orzhov Vampires | South America Magic Series - Regional Championship (Final Regional NOV 2023) |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Queen’s Bay Paladin excels by offering consistent card advantage in longer matches. Each time you activate its abilities, you’re effectively deepening your resources and options, which can lead to a significant lead over your opponent. This consistent engine of card replenishment is a boon for any deck looking to outlast the competition.
Resource Acceleration: This sturdy ally can be a cornerstone for ramping up your resources. Its presence on the battlefield potentially hastens your mana development, allowing you to unleash more powerful spells earlier than usual. Through smart play, the Paladin ensures you’re never starved for the necessary mana to execute your game plan.
Instant Speed: The inherent flexibility that comes with Queen’s Bay Paladin’s instant speed abilities cannot be overstated. Being able to respond to your opponent’s moves at instant speed gives you a tactical edge, allowing you to adapt to the battlefield’s ever-changing landscape with precision. This adaptability makes the Paladin an unpredictable and invaluable asset in any strategic skirmish.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Queen’s Bay Paladin necessitates discarding another card to trigger its ability. While the ability may be powerful, this cost can put you at a disadvantage should your hand be lacking in expendable options.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of mana, including both colored and colorless, restricting its seamless inclusion to specific deck types that can reliably generate the necessary mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost competing with other key cards in the mid-game, Queen’s Bay Paladin may not always represent the best play for the investment, particularly when you could deploy more impactful cards at the same stage of the game.
Reasons to Include Queen’s Bay Paladin in Your Collection
Versatility: Queen’s Bay Paladin offers a dynamic presence on the battlefield that can adapt to multiple game scenarios. Its ability to gain different buffs or abilities based on specific in-game conditions makes it a flexible addition to a variety of deck types.
Combo Potential: With the unique talent for interacting with other cards and enhancing synergistic plays, Queen’s Bay Paladin scales effectively in decks that capitalize on knight tribal or other creature-focused strategies.
Meta-Relevance: Given its capability to function effectively against a broad spectrum of current popular decks, Queen’s Bay Paladin is well-positioned in the meta. It’s a resilient choice that can strengthen your lineup against a wide range of opponent strategies.
How to beat
Queen’s Bay Paladin is a recent addition to Magic: The Gathering, offering players a resilient creature capable of aiding both life gain and death strategies. Its ability to accumulate +1/+1 counters makes it a formidable adversary over time. To effectively deal with this knightly threat, removal spells that bypass counters, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, are highly effective. Cards with exile effects ensure that the Paladin doesn’t return from the graveyard, thwarting strategies relying on recursion.
It’s also prudent to remember combat tricks can’t help a creature that can’t block or attack. Thus, cards that can tap or otherwise incapacitate Queen’s Bay Paladin without killing it, such as Frost Lynx or Pacifism, can neutralize it without triggering death-related abilities. Another strategy is to outpace the Paladin with swift aggro decks that can win the game before the paladin becomes too powerful or to overwhelm it with tokens and creatures that can exceed it in power and toughness.
Understanding the dynamic of your opponent’s deck is key. Queen’s Bay Paladin thrives in a midrange to long game. Therefore, optimizing your early game aggression, or having a strategic plan to remove key threats, can ensure the Paladin’s impact on the battlefield is as minimal as possible.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Queen's Bay Paladin MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Queen's Bay Paladin and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
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Printings
The Queen's Bay Paladin Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-11-17 and 2023-11-17. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-11-17 | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | LCI | 115 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 2 | 2023-11-17 | The Lost Caverns of Ixalan | LCI | 368 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Queen's Bay Paladin has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Queen's Bay Paladin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-10 | Finality counters aren't keyword counters, and a finality counter doesn't give any abilities to the permanent it's on. If that permanent loses its abilities and then would go to a graveyard, it will still be exiled instead. |
| 2023-11-10 | Finality counters don't stop permanents from going to zones other than the graveyard from the battlefield. For example, if a permanent with a finality counter on it would be put into its owner's hand from the battlefield, it does so normally. |
| 2023-11-10 | Finality counters work on any permanent, not only creatures. If a permanent with a finality counter on it would go to a graveyard from the battlefield, exile it instead. |
| 2023-11-10 | Multiple finality counters on a single permanent are redundant. |