Forgotten Sentinel MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Golem |
| Released | 2020-07-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Core Set 2021 |
| Set code | M21 |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 231 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Joe Slucher |
Key Takeaways
- Forgotten Sentinel enhances draws by filtering your deck without traditional card drawing methods.
- Acting as a surprise blocker, it pairs well with instant spells to protect life total.
- While color-specific and high-cost, its artifact nature fits various deck strategies and meta.
Text of card
Forgotten Sentinel enters the battlefield tapped.
It was built to withstand the ages, but no one remembers who built it or why it keeps its eternal watch.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Forgotten Sentinel allows for seamless deck cycling, ensuring you are not left with a hand devoid of options. While it doesn’t draw cards traditionally, it effectively sifts through the deck, enhancing the quality of your draw.
Resource Acceleration: When played optimally, this artifact creature can aid in ramping up your mana resources. Its ability to untap during your untap step if you control a creature with power 4 or greater harmonizes with strategies that seek to exploit big creatures and resource acceleration.
Instant Speed: One of the notable traits of the Forgotten Sentinel is its synergy with instant-speed spells. While the Sentinel itself may not be an instant, it can quickly become an unexpected blocker when combined with cards that allow you to “flash” creatures onto the battlefield. This can take adversaries by surprise and protect your life total during crucial moments.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One notable downside of the Forgotten Sentinel is the necessity to discard a card when utilizing its ability. This action can deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage, especially when trying to maintain card advantage against your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: The Forgotten Sentinel comes with a color-specific mana cost that may not seamlessly integrate into multicolored decks. Its rigid mana requirement can be restrictive, limiting the range of decks it can be played in effectively.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana cost being on the higher side, the Forgotten Sentinel competes with other potentially more impactful four-mana creatures or spells in your deck. This trade-off can affect the efficiency and momentum of your deck strategy in the long run.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Forgotten Sentinel offers flexibility as it can be seamlessly incorporated into decks that capitalize on artifact synergies or require robust stand-alone creatures. Its nature as a colorless card means it can fit into virtually any deck, making it an adaptable choice for various builds.
Combo Potential: As an artifact creature, Forgotten Sentinel can be the linchpin in combos revolving around artifact recursion or sacrifice strategies. Its synergy with cards that untap creatures can also be exploited, allowing it to swing without having to wait a turn after summoning.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifact decks are prominent or where the board often gets locked down, Forgotten Sentinel can prove crucial. It’s a reliable creature that remains unaffected by summoning sickness if revived or untapped by other effects, making it a dependable asset in sustained combat scenarios.
How to Beat Forgotten Sentinel
Facing down Forgotten Sentinel can be an interesting tactical situation in the game of Magic: The Gathering. This creature stands out with its vigilant nature, staying ready to block even after attacking. Alas, it enters the battlefield tapped, giving opponents a window to make strategic moves. To counteract this artifact creature, consider using instant speed removal spells to dispatch it before it can untap and become a defensive threat.
Another strategy could be employing deathtouch creatures, which can threaten to trade with Forgotten Sentinel effectively, regardless of its size. Tapping effects also prove beneficial; cards that force the Sentinel to tap without untapping on the next upkeep can render it useless. In addition, mass artifact removal can be particularly devastating if your adversary is heavily invested in artifact creatures.
The key is to strike swiftly or with decisive control strategies to ensure this vigilant sentinel doesn’t provide a continuous defense to your opponent’s game plan. Utilize the momentary weakness when it’s tapped to swing the momentum in your favor.
Cards like Forgotten Sentinel
The Forgotten Sentinel holds its ground in the realm of artifact creatures within Magic: The Gathering. This vigilant automaton bears resemblance to creatures like Darksteel Sentinel, which also offers vigilance and a sturdy presence on the battlefield. But the Forgotten Sentinel forges its own path with a more aggressive cost-to-stats ratio, providing a solid 4/4 creature for just four mana.
Delving further into comparability, Spined Thopter surfaces as a close match with its lower casting cost and flying ability. Though it shines in evasion, it falls short in raw power when pitted against our steadfast Sentinel. Then there’s Porcelain Legionnaire, sporting both a flexible Phyrexian mana cost and first strike. While the Legionnaire can be an early game aggressor, the Sentinel’s vigilance and higher toughness mark it as a notable defender that can simultaneously press an assault.
Every artifact creature carries its own strategic weight in a player’s deck, and the Forgotten Sentinel stands out for those valuing an untiring attacker that never has to let its guard down. It’s a testament to straightforward and relentless artifact power in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Forgotten Sentinel by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Forgotten Sentinel MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 2021, 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 Forgotten Sentinel and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Forgotten Sentinel has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
