Ajani, the Greathearted MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Ajani
Loyalty 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Enhances creatures’ offense and defense with vigilance and significant stat boosts, providing tactical advantages.
  2. Can restrictively require green and white mana, potentially affecting deck flexibility and speed of play.
  3. Despite a high mana cost, offers versatility and meta-relevance, improving creature combat and lifegain.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

Creatures you control have vigilance.
+1: You gain 3 life.
-2: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control and a loyalty counter on each other planeswalker you control.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ajani the Greathearted shines in his ability to bolster your resources while pressuring your opponents. His powerful +1 loyalty ability grants you added resilience by giving your creatures +3/+3 until end of turn, proving advantageous in both offense and defense.

Resource Acceleration: This card also excels in resource acceleration, with its -2 loyalty ability which lets you put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control and a loyalty counter on each other planeswalker you control. This ability not only empowers your board presence quickly but also sustains the impact of your other planeswalkers.

Instant Speed: While Ajani himself doesn’t operate at instant speed, his passive ability, which allows your creatures to have vigilance, effectively maximizes the use of your creatures by ensuring they are always ready to react. This seamless integration of your creatures’ offense and defense provides a tactical edge that can catch opponents off guard.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ajani the Greathearted doesn’t directly ask you to discard cards, having him in your deck means potentially facing the tough choice of discarding other valuable cards to create space for his specific mana cost or abilities.

Specific Mana Cost: Ajani the Greathearted comes with a mana cost that includes both green and white mana. This can restrict the card to decks that run these colors, reducing its flexibility in deck building.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial casting cost of four mana, including two specific types, Ajani the Greathearted may be considered costly, especially in a fast-paced game where lower-cost cards can be played more swiftly and possibly yield faster benefits on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Ajani the Greathearted in Your Collection

Versatility: Ajani the Greathearted offers a dynamic range of abilities, making him a powerful addition to a wide array of decks. His passive ability grants your creatures vigilance, enhancing both offense and defense, and he can also buff your entire team with +1/+1 counters, or provide crucial life gain.

Combo Potential: This planeswalker’s capacity to proliferate counters means he can amplify everything from +1/+1 counter strategies to loyalty counters on other planeswalkers you control. These synergies allow for intricate combos and can rapidly swing a game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: With a keen eye on the evolving game, including Ajani the Greathearted can be a strategic response to decks that rely on creature combat. His life gain and creature buffing abilities are particularly potent in a meta-game that favors creature-forward strategies and planeswalker interactions.


How to beat

Ajani the Greathearted is an influential card, known for bolstering your creatures and being a linchpin in Superfriends decks in Magic: The Gathering. With abilities that boost loyalty counters and offer a sturdy defensive buffer through its vigilance-lending static ability, overcoming this planeswalker can be a tactical challenge. Nevertheless, targeting Ajani directly can become a strategy to counteract his influence on the game. Utilizing direct damage spells or abilities to reduce his loyalty, forcing the opposing player to expend Ajani’s minus ability, can potentially neutralize him before his plus abilities become overwhelming.

Moreover, creature control spells that bypass the vigilance provided by Ajani are another method to weaken your opponent’s battlefield stance. Consider incorporating Supreme Verdict or Wrath of God, which can clear the board irrespective of the vigilance trait. This approach can dismantle an Ajani-centric board, shifting the momentum in your favor. Similarly, directly challenging the Superfriends tactic with cards like The Immortal Sun can stifle their planeswalkers’ effectiveness, making it harder for Ajani to turn the tides in your opponent’s favor.

Understanding when to shift your focus from player to planeswalker, exploiting vulnerabilities in Superfriends strategies, and employing board wipes can effectively counter Ajani the Greathearted’s typically dominant presence in a match.


BurnMana Recommendations

The ability to masterfully utilize Ajani the Greathearted in MTG is a craft that intertwines strategy with nuanced understanding of game mechanics. By considering card pros, cons, potential combos, and similar cards, you’re equipping yourself with the knowledge necessary to optimize your deck’s performance. Whether you’re integrating Ajani into an existing deck or building around this powerful planeswalker, remember that adaptation and strategic planning are your best allies. Uncover additional insights, refine your tactics, and prepare to outpace your opposition with grace and resilience. Heighten your MTG expertise—dive deeper with us and embrace the mastery of the multiverse.


Similar Cards to Ajani the Greathearted

Ajani the Greathearted offers MTG players a unique blend of abilities that boost both creature performance and player resilience. Its closest counterpart may be Ajani, Mentor of Heroes, another loyalty-driven powerhouse. Both cards focus on strengthening your creatures and gaining life, but Mentor of Heroes excels in digging for more cards and boosting creature power without the protection from Ajani the Greathearted’s static ability.

Another kindred card is Ajani Steadfast. Steadfast leans heavily into bolstering your creatures’ toughness and also supports other planeswalkers you control, but it lacks the Greathearted’s capacity to nurture all types of permanents. The static ability providing vigilance and lifelink to your creatures sets Ajani the Greathearted apart, offering a passive benefit that can be game-changing.

While these card comparisons showcase diverse strengths, Ajani the Greathearted stands out for its versatile buffs and defensive capabilities, making it a card that harmoniously complements a wide array of MTG decks centered around multi-colored creatures or superfriends strategies.

Ajani, Mentor of Heroes - MTG Card versions
Ajani Steadfast - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Mentor of Heroes - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Ajani Steadfast - San Diego Comic-Con 2014 (PS14)

Cards similar to Ajani, the Greathearted by color, type and mana cost

Ajani, Sleeper Agent - MTG Card versions
Calix, Destiny's Hand - MTG Card versions
Huatli, Radiant Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani, Sleeper Agent - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Calix, Destiny's Hand - Commander Masters (CMM)
Huatli, Radiant Champion - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ajani, the Greathearted MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Ajani, the Greathearted and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Ajani, the Greathearted Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 722952015normalblackMiho Midorikawa
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 780292015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
32019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 1842015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
42019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 184★2015normalblackMiho Midorikawa
52019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 184s★2015normalblackMiho Midorikawa
62019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 184s2015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
72019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 184p2015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
82019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 5202015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ajani, the Greathearted has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 If Ajani is somehow a creature as his last ability resolves, he’ll get a +1/+1 counter.
2019-05-03 If a planeswalker you control is also a creature (most likely because it’s Gideon), that planeswalker receives both a +1/+1 counter and a loyalty counter as Ajani’s last ability resolves.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks