Watchdog MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact Creature — Dog
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	314
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Richard Kane Ferguson

Key Takeaways

Watchdog excels in defense, saving resources for more aggressive plays and pressuring opponents.
It requires specific mana and may force discards, presenting deck-building and strategic challenges.
Watchdog’s protective abilities make it a valuable card for maintaining board presence and synergy.

Text of card

Watchdog blocks if able. As long as Watchdog is untapped, all creatures attacking you get -1/-0.

Its growl is a long, rumbling grind of gears and clockwork, its bark a blast of hissing steam.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Watchdog card is a cornerstone for any defensive strategy in MTG, offering both board presence and utility. While it doesn’t draw cards explicitly, its vigilance grants ongoing tactical leverage, maintaining pressure without sacrificing defense.

Resource Acceleration: This vigilant creature may not produce mana or treasure, but it holds the line, allowing your other resources to be committed to more aggressive strategies. It effectively buys time, accelerating your game plan while avoiding the cost of additional defenses.

Instant Speed: The inherent ability of the Watchdog card to act at instant speed is not applicable; however, this steadfast creature’s presence can impact the game as though it had this capacity. By deterring attacks with its watchful stance, it influences opponents’ actions on their turn, akin to instant-speed interaction.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: With Watchdog cards, players often find the requirement to discard a card burdensome, especially in game situations where maintaining hand advantage is crucial. Depleting your hand can be a critical setback against opponents who capitalize on such weaknesses.

Specific Mana Cost: Watchdog cards are known to demand a very particular mana setup, typically necessitating a blend of mana types that may not be readily available in all types of decks. This specificity can hinder fluid deck building and strategic flexibility, potentially making the card a dead draw in mana-tight situations.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment needed to play Watchdog cards can pose a problem when considering the tempo of the game. For the cost, players might expect a higher impact on the board state. When compared to other cards with similar mana expenditures, the Watchdog’s abilities may not always seem commensurate with its cost, prompting players to look for alternative options with better cost-to-benefit ratios.

Reasons to Include Watchdog Mtg Card in Your Collection

Versatility: Watchdog is a card that fits seamlessly into a wide variety of decks. Its low casting cost makes it a great early defender, and it can easily slide into decks focusing on creature synergies or those in need of a reliable guard for more valuable creatures.

Combo Potential: With abilities that often include untapping it or granting indestructible status to other creatures, Watchdog can be a linchpin in sophisticated combos. It sets the stage for game-changing plays, protecting key combo pieces from removal.

Meta-Relevance: Depending on the competitive landscape, having a steadfast protector like Watchdog can be crucial. Its presence on the board can deter opponents from executing removal-heavy strategies, maintaining your board presence and momentum in various match-ups.

How to beat

The Watchdog card poses a unique challenge on the battleground of Magic: The Gathering. This vigilant guardian can play a critical role in protecting other creatures or even a player’s life total with its steadfast abilities. Adapting your strategy to handle this diligent defender will require a focused approach. Utilizing removal spells that can bypass the Watchdog’s safeguarding abilities is key. Consider spell cards that can exile or force a sacrifice, bypassing the traditional destruction methods that the Watchdog is designed to protect against.

In addition to direct removals, spells that change the rules of engagement, such as those that prevent creatures from blocking or negate abilities, would render the Watchdog less effective. Ensnaring the faithful canine with enchantments that keep it tapped or controlling the battlefield tempo can also offset its defensive prowess, allowing for strategic strikes that can navigate around its protective aura.

Ultimately, overcoming the Watchdog in MTG not only tests a player’s ability to muster the right spells but also their tactical acumen in deploying them at the opportune moments. Navigating past this guardian requires a blend of power and precision, making victory all the more rewarding.

Cards like Watchdog

Watchdog is a worthy consideration for deck builders looking for steadfast creature cards with defensive capabilities in MTG. Its key trait lies in its ability to protect other creatures, a feature that bears resemblance to other guardian creatures such as the Selfless Savior, which also offers a self-sacrifice ability to shield a fellow creature. Unlike Selfless Savior, Watchdog requires mana to activate this protective power, providing a strategic layer to gameplay decisions.

Another card that echoes the defensive nature of Watchdog is Alseid of Life’s Bounty. Though Watchdog stands out with its higher toughness, Alseid comes with the advantage of lifelink and an enchantment subtype, adding to its utility within certain decks by offering more than just brute protection. Then we have the dedicated guardian Gideon’s Sacrifice, which redirects all damage to a single target, serving as an excellent one-off protective spell. While this doesn’t provide the recurring safeguard that Watchdog can, it’s a formidable line of defense for any crucial turn.

Through this lens, Watchdog emerges as a reliable guard dog for any MTG strategy prioritizing creature longevity, offering a solid mix of durability and tactical defense to outlast the opposition.

Alseid of Life's Bounty - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Watchdog MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Watchdog and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Watchdog has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-04-01	The second ability is no longer triggered. It continuously checks the tapped/untapped status of the Watchdog, and gives them -1/-0 as appropriate.