Sigarda, Host of Herons MTG Card


Protects your creatures, thwarting opponents’ sacrifice effects and maintaining your board advantage consistency. Combines a strong power/toughness ratio with protective abilities, presenting a resilient battlefield force. Demands strategic planning to defeat, hexproof shields her from targeted removal, necessitating a thoughtful counter approach.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Angel
Abilities Flying,Hexproof
Power 5
Toughness 5

Text of card

Flying, hexproof Spells and abilities your opponents control can't cause you to sacrifice permanents.

Great devotion yields great reward.


Cards like Sigarda, Host of Herons

Sigarda, Host of Herons is a standout card among Magic: The Gathering’s angel creature cards. A key comparison could be made to Baneslayer Angel, another powerful angel with life gain and protection abilities. While Baneslayer Angel offers immediate benefits like lifelink and protection from demons and dragons, Sigarda’s ability to prevent your opponent from forcing you to sacrifice permanents stands unique. This crucial difference can define the outcome of a match, especially against decks focusing on edict effects.

Another card with a somewhat related vein is Avacyn, Angel of Hope, which grants indestructibility to your permanents, thus giving you a considerable defense boost. However, Sigarda sets herself apart by being more cost-effective and having a more player-centric protective ability. Comparatively, Linvala, Keeper of Silence can also shut down activated abilities of creatures your opponents control, which can be a game-changer. Even so, Sigarda’s elegance lies in her tailored effect of protecting your board presence directly from targeted disruption.

Evaluating similar options, Sigarda, Host of Herons maintains a firm position among MTG’s angelic hierarchy for its distinctive safeguarding capability and advantageous cost to power and toughness ratio.

Baneslayer Angel - MTG Card versions
Avacyn, Angel of Hope - MTG Card versions
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - MTG Card versions
Baneslayer Angel - MTG Card versions
Avacyn, Angel of Hope - MTG Card versions
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - MTG Card versions

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Phytohydra - MTG Card versions
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Oversoul of Dusk - MTG Card versions
Rhox Bodyguard - MTG Card versions
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Armored Wolf-Rider - MTG Card versions
Setessan Griffin - MTG Card versions
Sigarda, Heron's Grace - MTG Card versions
Arahbo, Roar of the World - MTG Card versions
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Decks using this card

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

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Simic RampSimic Ramp GladiatorGladiator Proving Grounds: Week 14 2024
Selesnya MidrangeSelesnya Midrange GladiatorSword and Sandals Showdown: EMEA Week 11 2024
Nic FitNic Fit LegacyNic Fit2023 NA Legacy Champs

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sigarda, Host of Herons prevents opponents from making you sacrifice creatures, preserving your on-board assets and maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: A high-powered 5/5 flyer for five mana, Sigarda ensures a rapid and resilient presence on the battlefield, leading to accelerated threat deployment.

Instant Speed: While Sigarda herself does not operate at instant speed, her hexproof ability guarantees she remains a constant on the board, ensuring your resources are protected against surprise removal spells commonly cast at instant speed.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Sigarda Host of Herons demands a precise mix of mana, including two green and two white, making it a potentially challenging card to cast on curve without a dedicated mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Sigarda Host of Herons may arrive later in the game than other impactful creatures, potentially leaving players vulnerable in the early game.

Discard Requirement: While Sigarda does not have a direct discard requirement, its presence in your deck may force you to opt for cards that assure her casting, potentially leading to a narrower range of strategic discards or mulligans to achieve an optimal starting hand.


Reasons to Include Sigarda, Host of Herons in Your Collection

Versatility: Sigarda, Host of Herons stands out as a powerful addition to decks focusing on flying creatures or voltron strategies where a single creature becomes the crux of winning. Her ability to avoid being sacrificed makes her resilient against a variety of common removal tactics.

Combo Potential: This card is also a key piece in combos that revolve around creatures and enchantments. Given her protection from sacrifices, Sigarda synergizes well with cards and strategies that commonly put your creatures at risk, providing a safeguard and continuity for your game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where oppressive sacrifice effects are rampant, Sigarda provides a counterbalance. Her presence on the battlefield can disrupt opponent’s strategies that rely heavily on forcing sacrifices, making her a valuable asset in such metas.


How to beat

Sigarda, Host of Herons presents a unique challenge to overcome in MTG. With abilities that provide significant protection, knocking her off the battlefield requires strategic planning. Sigarda’s resistance to being sacrificed makes edict effects such as Diabolic Edict ineffective. Instead, players must rely on combat tricks, board wipes, and spells that don’t target, such as Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God. Direct damage isn’t usually a viable option either, as her sizable toughness demands substantial firepower to take her down in one shot.

One approach is to mitigate her impact by utilizing cards that change the rules of engagement. Humility, for example, can negate her abilities, leaving her as a mere 1/1 creature. Alternatively, leveraging the power of cards like Meekstone can restrain Sigarda, preventing her from attacking or blocking effectively. It’s essential to plan ahead, as Sigarda’s hexproof ability shields her from targeted removal spells like Murder or Doom Blade. By carefully selecting your spells and considering her limitations, Sigarda can be managed and ultimately defeated on the battleground.

Intelligent deck construction and a keen awareness of your opponent’s strategies are vital. Employing a variety of board-controlling measures while avoiding reliance on targeting or sacrificing strategies will enhance your ability to control a game, even against powerhouses such as Sigarda, Host of Herons.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving deep into the MTG realm offers a thrilling experience and Sigarda, Host of Herons represents a strategic cornerstone for many decks. Her unique abilities fortify your game plan, ensuring a steady presence against common removal techniques. With every match, you gather wisdom, strength, and refine tactical prowess. Your MTG journey evolves with every card you choose. Embrace Sigarda’s potential to outmaneuver sacrifice-based strategies and fortify your collection with this formidable feathered force. Eager to integrate Sigarda’s might into your deck-building arsenal? Delve into our insightful resources and join a community passionate about evolving gameplay and collecting exceptional cards like Sigarda.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sigarda, Host of Herons MTG card by a specific set like Open the Helvault and Avacyn Restored, 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 Sigarda, Host of Herons and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Sigarda, Host of Herons Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-04-28 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-04-28Open the HelvaultPHEL 2102003NormalBlackChris Rahn
22012-05-04Avacyn RestoredAVR 2102003NormalBlackChris Rahn
32018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2062015NormalBlackChris Rahn
42023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 662015NormalBlackChris Rahn

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2018-12-07 As a spell or ability an opponent controls resolves, if it would force you to sacrifice a permanent, you just don’t. That part of the effect does nothing. If that spell or ability gives you the option to sacrifice a permanent (as Desecration Demon does), you can’t take that option.
2018-12-07 If a spell or ability an opponent controls states something happens unless you sacrifice a permanent (as Mogis, God of Slaughter does), you can’t choose to sacrifice a permanent. On the other hand, if a spell or ability an opponent controls instructs you to sacrifice a permanent unless you perform an action (as Killing Wave does), you can choose whether or not to perform the action. If you don’t perform the action, nothing happens, since you can’t sacrifice any permanents.
2018-12-07 Sigarda’s ability affects only sacrifices. It won’t stop a creature from dying due to lethal damage or having 0 toughness, and it won’t stop a permanent from being put into its owner’s graveyard due to the “legend rule.” None of these are sacrifices; they’re the result of game rules.