Sanguine Guard MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 155

Sanguine Guard - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)

Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
2010-03-19 - Number 9

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Phyrexian Zombie Knight
Abilities	First strike
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Sanguine Guard manipulates battlefield control while conserving player resources effectively.
Instant speed activation of Sanguine Guard ensures tactical flexibility during opponent’s turn.
Despite high utility, it requires a careful balance due to its discard and mana cost.

Text of card

First strike o1oo B Regenerate Sanguine Guard.

"Father of Machines! Your filigree gaze carves us, and the scars dance upon our grateful flesh." —*Phyrexian Scriptures*

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sanguine Guard offers a unique twist in influencing the battlefield without diminishing your hand size. It’s not just about the card itself but the creatures it can potentially bring back to the field, maintaining or even boosting your card advantage as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: While Sanguine Guard doesn’t directly produce additional mana, it effectively saves resources. By reanimating creatures directly onto the battlefield, you bypass their mana costs, accelerating your game plan without additional mana investment.

Instant Speed: The ability to act at instant speed with Sanguine Guard gives you the exceptional tactical advantage of being reactive. You can wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn to make a move, keeping them guessing and preserving the element of surprise.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Sanguine Guard card requires the player to discard another card, which can deplete your hand, especially when you are trying to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Casting this card demands a strict color combination, which may not be optimal for all deck types, potentially restricting its adaptability and playability in diverse decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a higher mana investment needed compared to other creatures with similar abilities, Sanguine Guard could be a less attractive option when building an efficient and fast-paced deck.

Reasons to Include Sanguine Guard in Your Collection

Versatility: Sanguine Guard offers diverse roles in your deck. It’s a sturdy defender due to its high toughness, but it can also turn the tides with its offensive capabilities, especially in decks that enhance creature abilities or where life gain is pivotal.

Combo Potential: This card’s lifelink ability pairs exceptionally well with effects that benefit from life gain or damage dealt, enabling it to become a key piece in synergistic combos that fuel your strategy and overwhelm opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creatures are king, Sanguine Guard stands tall. Its relevance in the current meta can’t be overstated as it can often serve as both a deterrent to aggressive strategies and a life-sustaining asset in longer, grindy matchups.

How to beat

Sanguine Guard is a formidable creature in MTG that often appears as a roadblock with its intimidating ability to deter attackers. This card, however, is not unbeatable. To outplay an opponent with Sanguine Guard, a mix of removal spells and board control strategies work best. Removal spells such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade can efficiently handle this creature before it cements your opponent’s defense. Alternatively, utilizing bounce spells can disrupt your opponent’s board, forcing them to spend more resources to replay it.

Enchantment-based removals, like Pacifism, also serve well to neutralize Sanguine Guard without triggering on-death abilities. Indirect strategies such as playing cards that limit your opponent’s ability to gain life, like Tainted Remedy, can turn Sanguine Guard’s strength into a liability. Remember, key to victory lies in anticipation and being one step ahead of your adversary with flexible and resourceful plays.

While Sanguine Guard can be a nuisance, smart deck construction and strategic gameplay pave the way to overcome this card. Keep your answers versatile and your plays sharp, and Sanguine Guard will transform from a daunting barrier into a minor hurdle in your path to victory.

Cards like Sanguine Guard

Sanguine Guard is a unique piece within the pantheon of creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, reminiscent of other vampire knights such as Bloodcrazed Paladin. While the Paladin has flash and enters the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters depending on the number of creatures that died that turn, Sanguine Guard offers a different tactical advantage with its ability to become indestructible until end of turn at the cost of a single black mana.

Another card worth comparing is the Vampire Nighthawk, a classic and powerful card that, like the Guard, packs a punch by combining flying and deathtouch. Although the Nighthawk isn’t indestructible, it compensates through its lifelink ability, potentially offsetting the absence of Sanguine Guard’s indestructibility. It’s cheaper with a casting cost of three mana, which makes it accessible earlier in the game.

In essence, while evaluating the strength of similar creatures, Sanguine Guard stands out for those looking to include a hard-to-remove, threatening presence in their deck, particularly in formats that favor endurance over rapid assaults. Its resilience in combat gives it a solid place among MTG’s sturdy vampiric warriors.

Cards similar to Sanguine Guard by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sanguine Guard MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition, 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 Sanguine Guard and other MTG cards: