Auriok Champion MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Cleric
Abilities Protection
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Effectively protects creatures and maintains board advantage without relying on card draw.
  2. Life gain ability indirectly accelerates resources, leveraging life as a strategic asset.
  3. Immediate and ongoing passive benefits comparable to the tactical edge of instant-speed spells.

Text of card

Protection from black and from red Whenever another creature comes into play, you may gain 1 life.

"Her will shall banish the shadows. Her might shall punish the lawless. Her beauty shall restore the light." —Ushanti, leonin seer


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Auriok Champion is a powerful asset for players looking to sustain a strong board presence. While it doesn’t directly allow you to draw more cards, it can become an indispensable part of your strategies, effectively protecting other valuable creatures with its pro-black and pro-red abilities, thus maintaining your card advantage on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Though not traditionally a source of mana acceleration, Auriok Champion can indirectly contribute to resource acceleration by preserving your life total. With its lifegain ability, it enables you to stay in the game longer, using your life as a resource to leverage powerful cards and strategies that may come at the cost of life points.

Instant Speed: Auriok Champion’s strength does not lie in its speed of play but in the immediate impact it has once it lands on the field. Its resilience and passive benefits operate effectively from the moment it’s played and continues to offer advantages as long as it remains on the board, akin to the advantages instant-speed spells offer by providing benefits at crucial moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Auriok Champion does not require a card to be discarded to play, its presence on the board doesn’t prevent the need to discard when pressed by opponent strategies or effects that target hand resources. Players must weigh the Champion’s benefits against potential sacrifices elsewhere.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of the Auriok Champion is particularly color-intensive, demanding two white mana. This can make it difficult to slot into multi-colored or mana-hungry decks where mana flexibility is key to a smooth game flow.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its resilience and lifegain abilities, the investment of two mana for a 1/1 creature may be considered high when compared to other options. Players looking for an immediate impact on the game might find other creatures or spells more mana-efficient and versatile in a variety of situations.


Reasons to Include Auriok Champion in Your Collection

Versatility: Auriok Champion is an asset across varied deck types due to its protection abilities and passive life gain. It’s particularly powerful in decks that play numerous creatures, allowing you to optimize your life total with each spell cast.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with strategies that revolve around life gain or token generation. Its ability to provide incremental advantages can turn the tide in long-drawn-out battles where every life point counts.

Meta-Relevance: As the MTG metagame frequently features decks with red or black spells, Auriok Champion’s protection offers a resilient option against some of the most common removals in the game. Moreover, in metas where creature-based strategies prevail, it acts as a consistent life buffer, helping to edge out victories in tight matchups.


How to beat

Auriok Champion is a potent force in MTG, known for its resilience given the protection from black and from red. This makes the Champion a challenging obstacle, particularly in metas heavily reliant on those colors for removal spells. The key to overcoming the Auriok Champion lies in side-stepping its protection abilities. Rather than direct damage or destroy effects, one must employ board wipes that don’t target, like Supreme Verdict, or edict effects, such as Diabolic Edict, that force a player to sacrifice a creature without targeting it specifically.

Additionally, deploying creatures or spells with colorless damage sources, including artifacts or devoid creatures, circumvents Auriok Champion’s protection. Cards like Engineered Explosives offer a solution as well, since it destroys based on the converted mana cost without targeting and thus slips through protection. The Champion also folds to mass -1/-1 effects like Black Sun’s Zenith that apply across the field, again, bypassing its own protective capabilities.

Employing these strategies will reduce the Champion’s staying power, addressing its otherwise formidable defense. Understanding and navigating around its specific strengths are crucial for any player aiming to effectively deal with Auriok Champion on the battlefield.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG is an ongoing quest, as dynamic as the game itself. Auriok Champion embodies that dynamic, offering unique strengths in both protection and life gain mechanics. Its niche role makes it a contemplative addition to any collection, ripe with synergies that can tip the scales in your favor. Looking at the MTG environment, strategic deck builders will appreciate the Champion’s resilience and its potential to enhance your plays. For those intrigued by this dual-purpose card, delve deeper with us. Discover strategies, deck builds, and comprehensive insights to not just play but dominate the game with Auriok Champion at your side.


Cards like Auriok Champion

Auriok Champion is a renowned piece in MTG’s array of protection and life-gain cards. With its ability to provide both life gain and protection from two colors, it’s a useful ally, much like the well-known Mother of Runes. Mother of Runes doesn’t provide life gain but offers protection from any color, which in some cases gives it an edge in versatility. Nevertheless, Auriok Champion’s passive life gain can be a significant boon for strategies centered around incremental advantage.

Comparatively, there’s another card worth mentioning—the Knight of Meadowgrain. It presents a similar life-gain mechanic with its lifelink ability and a slightly aggressive posture due to its higher power. Yet, it lacks the protective aspect that makes Auriok Champion so valuable in a defensive stance. Additionally, the essence of the champion’s power is in its static ability to interact with the board without requiring the tapping or resources that others might demand.

In drawing parallels among protective creatures in MTG, Auriok Champion holds a distinctive spot. Its unique blend of features provides not only utility in staving off certain threats but also fortifies life totals, an invaluable asset in decks where stability and longevity are key to overwhelming the opponent.

Mother of Runes - MTG Card versions
Knight of Meadowgrain - MTG Card versions
Mother of Runes - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Knight of Meadowgrain - Lorwyn (LRW)

Cards similar to Auriok Champion by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Keeper of the Light - MTG Card versions
Faith Healer - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Stoneforge Mystic - MTG Card versions
Drannith Magistrate - MTG Card versions
Leonin Lightscribe - MTG Card versions
Silver Knight - MTG Card versions
Longbow Archer - MTG Card versions
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions
Flumph - MTG Card versions
Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Samite Healer - MTG Card versions
Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
Revered Dead - MTG Card versions
Starlight Invoker - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Urza's Saga (USG)
Spirit Weaver - Invasion (INV)
Voice of the Blessed - Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)
Stoneforge Mystic - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Drannith Magistrate - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Leonin Lightscribe - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silver Knight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Longbow Archer - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silverflame Squire // On Alert - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Flumph - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Cloudreach Cavalry - Legions (LGN)
Samite Healer - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Kor Firewalker - DCI Promos (PDCI)
Revered Dead - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Starlight Invoker - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Auriok Champion MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn and Iconic Masters, 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 Auriok Champion and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Auriok Champion Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2004-06-04 and 2017-11-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12004-06-04Fifth Dawn5DN 32003normalblackMichael Sutfin
22017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 92015normalblackEric Deschamps

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Auriok Champion has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-12-01 Gaining life when a creature enters the battlefield is optional.

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