Weathered Bodyguards MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Soldier |
| Abilities | Morph |
| Released | 2006-10-06 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Time Spiral |
| Set code | TSP |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 46 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Wayne Reynolds |
Key Takeaways
- Acts as a guardian on the battlefield, indirectly providing card advantage through creature protection.
- While designed for specific deck themes, it offers substantial defensive utility and combo potential.
- Skilled play can bypass its protection, using removals or life loss to overcome this steadfast defender.
Text of card
As long as Weathered Bodyguards is untapped, all combat damage that would be dealt to you by unblocked creatures is dealt to Weathered Bodyguards instead. Morph (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Weathered Bodyguards provides a unique form of card advantage. While it doesn’t allow you to draw additional cards directly, its ability to protect key creatures can indirectly maintain the cards on your battlefield, which is crucial for controlling the pace of the game.
Resource Acceleration: Although Weathered Bodyguards doesn’t generate additional mana or tokens, it does fall into the category of resource acceleration in a broader sense. By safeguarding your higher-value creatures, it ensures that your investments remain on the board, effectively saving you the resources you would otherwise spend on recasting those creatures after a loss.
Instant Speed: Weathered Bodyguards operates at sorcery speed as a creature, but the strategic depth it brings to the game is akin to instant-speed interaction. Its tap ability can be activated at any time you could play an instant, allowing for surprise defense and bluffing potential during your opponent’s turn, or when they least expect it.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Weathered Bodyguards comes with a caveat that when targeted by a spell or ability, you must discard a card. This prerequisite can be quite detrimental when you’re already dealing with a depleted hand, forcing you to lose potentially critical resources at inopportune times.
Specific Mana Cost: With a casting requirement that includes two white mana, Weathered Bodyguards aligns strictly with mono-white or dual-colored decks, potentially limiting its flexibility in a varied mana base environment.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: At six mana, including the specific white mana requirement, Weathered Bodyguards’ cost is relatively steep when compared to other creature cards that can offer protective abilities or similar stats for a lower investment, potentially making it a less appealing option during deck construction.
Reasons to Include Weathered Bodyguards in Your Collection
Versatility: Weathered Bodyguards offers solid protection for your most valuable creatures, making it a reliable addition to decks that focus on high-value targets or commanders in need of guarding.
Combo Potential: In conjunction with cards that benefit from being targeted or triggering upon creature death, Weathered Bodyguards can be a key piece in defensive strategies, leading to clever tactical plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to safeguard important creatures, this card can be particularly effective against decks that run a lot of removal. As the meta shifts towards targeted removal, Weathered Bodyguards’ value increases, ensuring your key creatures stay in play longer.
How to beat
Weathered Bodyguards from Magic: The Gathering present a unique challenge on the battlefield. This creature card comes with a protective ability that redirects any damage targeting a player to itself, making it a formidable shield. Overcoming this card requires thoughtful strategy. Targeted removal spells, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, can be effective in swiftly dispatching this guard, circumventing its protection and opening the path to your adversary. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation also serve well by clearing the entire board, including the resilient bodyguards.
Alternatively, employing indirect damage through effects that cause loss of life instead of dealing damage, such as Exsanguinate or Gray Merchant of Asphodel, can bypass the bodyguards’ defense. Cards that force a player to sacrifice creatures are another avenue, sidestepping the protective effect altogether. In such cases, cards like Diabolic Edict make for a strategic maneuver to weaken your opponent’s defenses. Understanding and leveraging these strategic card interactions is key to mastering the game and overcoming obstacles such as the steadfast Weathered Bodyguards.
Effectively, with these strategies, players can dismantle defenses and claim victory over their opposition, proving that with the right approach, even the sturdiest bastions can be breached in the world of MTG.
Cards like Weathered Bodyguards
Weathered Bodyguards from Magic: The Gathering serves as a protective force, taking hits for your more important creatures. Frequently compared to other cards such as Paladin en-Vec, both offer ways to shield your planeswalkers or valuable creatures from harm. However, Weathered Bodyguards brings something different with the tap ability to absorb damage that would be dealt to a targeted player.
Paladin en-Vec is an interesting comparison point for its protection abilities from both red and black creatures. While it doesn’t directly guard players, it showcases resilience against certain colors. On the other hand, Mother of Runes also stands out in this category, providing a more controlled protection by giving a creature of your choice protection from a color of your choice until the end of the turn. The instant ability of Mother of Runes is more flexible when facing threats of varied colors.
Assessing the unique qualities and defensive capabilities, Weathered Bodyguards is an intriguing choice for player-focused defense strategies in the vast world of Magic: The Gathering, merging steadfast defense with a utilitarian approach to shielding valuable allies in the heat of battle.
Cards similar to Weathered Bodyguards by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Weathered Bodyguards MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral, 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 Weathered Bodyguards 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 Weathered Bodyguards has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Weathered Bodyguards card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-09-25 | Weathered Bodyguards affects only combat damage from unblocked creatures. It won’t affect noncombat damage, and it won’t affect trample damage. |
