Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Knight
Abilities Partner
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Livio allows for creative reuse of creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects, enabling card advantage.
  2. Strategic protection and instant speed activation provide tactical advantages in gameplay.
  3. Mana specificity and higher costs present challenges when incorporating Livio into decks.

Text of card

: Choose another target creature. Its controller may exile it with an aegis counter on it. , : Return all exiled cards with aegis counters on them to the battlefield under their owners' control. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel offers unique card advantage by allowing you to repeatedly reuse creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects. By bouncing creatures back to hand and replaying them, you can maximize on their abilities to keep your hand full and options open.

Resource Acceleration: In combination with partner commanders or other synergistic creatures, Livio can help accelerate your resources by protecting key pieces from removal and ensuring you maintain a strong board presence. While not a direct mana ramp, this strategic advantage can be just as impactful.

Instant Speed: Livio’s ability can be activated at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to respond to your opponents’ threats or actions right before your turn, thus protecting your creatures from imminent board wipes or unfavorable exchanges and allowing you to make the best tactical decisions on the fly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel’s abilities do not directly involve discarding, yet building around him might necessitate additional cards for pairing, potentially straining your hand resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Livio’s activation cost demands white mana, which can be restrictive, requiring a commitment to white or a well-designed mana base in multi-colored decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: His ability to exile another target creature you control is costly compared to other flicker or protection options, making his inclusion a considerable investment.


Reasons to Include Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel in Your Collection

Versatility: Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel offers flexible board control, allowing you to protect key creatures from removal or reset their abilities for repeated use, fitting well into decks that capitalize on enter-the-battlefield effects or require safeguarding of key pieces.

Combo Potential: This card can be a lynchpin in combo decks, particularly those involving blink strategies. Thanks to Livio’s ability to exile creatures and return them at a later time, you can set up powerful interactions and create endless loops with the right partners and combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control and removal are prevalent, Livio provides a reliable means to preserve your important creatures, ensuring your strategy can withstand opponent’s attempts to disrupt your board, making him a worthy addition to decks facing such challenges.


How to Beat Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel

Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel presents a unique challenge in the world of Magic: The Gathering. This legendary creature excels at protecting key pieces on the battlefield with its blink ability. To successfully undermine Livio’s defence, strategic removal is essential. Spells like Path to Exile or Murderous Rider bypass Livio’s ability by targeting directly or forcing a sacrifice, rendering his protective capability null. Another approach involves sweeping effects; Supreme Verdict, for instance, doesn’t target and wipes the field clean without a chance for Livio to react.

Counterplay can also take the form of disruption. Use hand disruption spells like Thoughtseize to pluck Livio from your opponent’s grip before he can hit the board. If Livio has already been cast, continuously applying pressure forces the opponent to overextend resources to protect their creatures. This situation sets them up for a fall against well-timed board wipes or spot removal that can be more economically used once Livio’s ability has been activated. Manage your resources wisely and Livio’s sentinel watch can be brought to an end, allowing you to claim victory.


Cards like Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel

Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel is a unique card that offers flexibility in commander-focused decks in Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like Emiel the Blessed, which also allows for manipulation of creatures on the battlefield. Emiel the Blessed provides a blink effect comparable to Livio’s, however, it can affect any creature and not just ones under your control. A key difference is that Emiel’s ability can be activated at any time, providing instant-speed interaction, which Livio lacks.

Another card with a similar function is Flickerwisp. While this requires being played into the battlefield to exert its effect, the ability to exile any permanent—not just creatures—presents a broader range of possibilities. Flickerwisp’s effect also occurs only once, at the end of turn, marking a contrast to Livio’s repeated use ability. Moreover, Conjurer’s Closet offers repeated flicker ability at the end of your turn but lacks the control and decision-making element that Livio provides with its partner mechanic.

Ultimately, Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel may not boast the instantaneous flexibility of Emiel the Blessed or the broad applicability of Flickerwisp and Conjurer’s Closet. However, it shines in partner-commander strategies, allowing precise control over your creatures’ presence on the battlefield and synergies within those decks.

Emiel the Blessed - MTG Card versions
Flickerwisp - MTG Card versions
Conjurer's Closet - MTG Card versions
Emiel the Blessed - Jumpstart (JMP)
Flickerwisp - Eventide (EVE)
Conjurer's Closet - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel by color, type and mana cost

White Knight - MTG Card versions
Soul Shepherd - MTG Card versions
Soltari Monk - MTG Card versions
Talon Sliver - MTG Card versions
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Spirit Weaver - MTG Card versions
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Cloudreach Cavalry - MTG Card versions
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Kor Firewalker - MTG Card versions
White Knight - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)
Soul Shepherd - Weatherlight (WTH)
Soltari Monk - Tempest (TMP)
Talon Sliver - Tempest (TMP)
Keeper of the Light - Exodus (EXO)
Faith Healer - Urza's Saga (USG)
Angelic Page - Urza's Saga (USG)
Avenger en-Dal - Nemesis (NEM)
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 - Mystery Booster (MB1)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Kekai Kotaki.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 863482015normalblackKekai Kotaki
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 312015normalblackKekai Kotaki
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5512015normalblackKekai Kotaki

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PennyLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Livio's second activated ability will return all exiled cards with aegis counters on them to the battlefield, including ones exiled by another Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel and ones exiled a previous time Livio was on the battlefield.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.

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