Pentarch Paladin MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 32
2020-09-26 - Number TSP-32
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Knight |
| Abilities | Flanking |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Repeatable removal with Pentarch Paladin grants significant board control and resource advantage in gameplay.
- Requires strategic hand management due to its discard requirement, influencing late-game potency.
- Instant speed activation allows for flexible disruption, making it a powerful tool in player arsenals.
Text of card
Flanking (Whenever a creature without flanking blocks this creature, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.) As Pentarch Paladin comes into play, choose a color. , : Destroy target permanent of the chosen color.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Pentarch Paladin ensures that you leverage your hand by offering you a repeatable removal option every turn. This consistent ability to control the board keeps you ahead in the resource game while diminishing your opponent’s threats.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources in the traditional sense of mana production, Pentarch Paladin grants you tempo by allowing you to efficiently manage your mana every turn. This management can indirectly speed up your game plan by keeping the board clear for more aggressive plays.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Pentarch Paladin’s destruction ability at instant speed gives you tremendous flexibility. You can disrupt your opponents during their turn, ideally when they least expect it, which can swing the game in your favor. Timing this right can be as resourceful as any acceleration.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Pentarch Paladin necessitates a card discard when fulfilling its protection ability. This could leave you at a resource disadvantage, particularly in late-game scenarios where each card in hand is vital.
Specific Mana Cost: With a triple white mana requirement for casting, Pentarch Paladin can be restrictive and might not seamlessly fit into multicolored or mana-diverse decks, limiting its overall flexibility and usability.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at five mana, this Paladin can be a costly investment. Considering the dynamic MTG gameplay where board presence and mana efficiency are key, there may be alternative creatures or spells that provide similar control effects at a lower cost threshold.
Reasons to Include Pentarch Paladin in Your Collection
Versatility: Pentarch Paladin can adapt to various deck themes due to its ability to choose a color upon entering the battlefield. This feature enables it to seamlessly integrate with monochrome or multicolor decks, providing targeted control by destroying permanents of the chosen color.
Combo Potential: This Paladin works well in combinations, especially in a deck focused on ‘protection from a color’ mechanics. Being able to consistently remove threats of a certain color can be paired with cards that protect your own permanents, ensuring dominance over the board.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by decks centered around specific color combinations, Pentarch Paladin proves to be a silver bullet. The vigilant Knight’s ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies by repeatedly removing key colored permanents can tilt the game in your favor.
How to beat
Pentarch Paladin is a versatile tool in Magic: The Gathering, playing a key role within mono-white strategies or decks that leverage the power of protection. Named for its ability to choose a color upon entering the battlefield, this creature then allows players to tap it to destroy any permanent of the chosen color. This can lead to a significant board control advantage for its controller. Surmounting this threat requires strategic planning and nimble maneuvers.
To mitigate the Paladin’s impact, one should consider strategies that either sidestep its ability or neutralize the creature before it can become entrenched. Employing colorless creatures or artifacts can negate the Paladin’s conditional destruction, as they remain unaffected by its color-targeting ability. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells that can respond to the Paladin’s casting or ability activation offer a direct way to eliminate the threat it poses. Other routes include taking advantage of the Paladin’s summoning sickness by removing it swiftly before its abilities come online or deploying cards that restrict the activation of abilities to stifle its effectiveness on the board.
In essence, overcoming Pentarch Paladin demands a mix of preemptive actions and proactive defenses to maintain parity on the battlefield and prevent the Paladin from tipping the scales in your opponent’s favor.
Cards like Pentarch Paladin
Pentarch Paladin is a versatile card within the Magic: The Gathering universe, boasting the powerful ability to destroy any permanent of your choice that matches a chosen color every turn. This level of utility is echoed in cards like Reclamation Sage, which offers the destruction of artifacts or enchantments upon entering the battlefield. Although Reclamation Sage’s effect is a one-time use, it comes at a much lower mana cost compared to Pentarch Paladin’s five mana.
The Knight of Autumn is another card that provides flexibility. It lets you choose between gaining life, destroying an artifact or enchantment, or placing counters to strengthen itself when it comes into play. While the Paladin has repeated action and a more substantial battlefield presence, Knight of Autumn’s immediacy and cost efficiency can be advantageous in quicker games.
Further comparing, there’s Aura Shards – an enchantment with a similar but more passive effect, capable of destroying artifacts and enchantments whenever a creature enters your battlefield. Though it doesn’t offer the same direct control as Pentarch Paladin, Aura Shards can lead to significant advantage over time, especially in creature-heavy decks.
While Pentarch Paladin may not be the cheapest or the fastest, it strikes an intriguing balance between recurring impact and board influence, which resonates well with Magic: The Gathering players valuing long-term strategic plays.
Cards similar to Pentarch Paladin by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Pentarch Paladin MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and The List, 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 Pentarch Paladin 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
Printings
The Pentarch Paladin Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2006-10-06. Illustrated by Jim Murray.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 32 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Murray | |
| 2 | The List | PLST | TSP-32 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Jim Murray |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Pentarch Paladin has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |