Ledev Guardian MTG Card


Ledev Guardian - Guilds of Ravnica
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Knight
Abilities Convoke
Released2018-10-05
Set symbol
Set nameGuilds of Ravnica
Set codeGRN
Power 2
Toughness 4
Number18
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byKimonas Theodossiou

Key Takeaways

  1. Ledev Guardian shines as a versatile blocker that enhances strategies focused on a wide battlefield presence.
  2. Its hybrid mana cost demands specific deck construction, potentially limiting its gameplay applications.
  3. Despite a higher mana cost, its utility offers substantial defense and a pivot in meta-dominant aggressive decks.

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.)

"I've raised her since she was a pup, and she's raised me since I was a recruit."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Despite its role as a dependable blocker, Ledev Guardian’s influence extends beyond mere board presence. While it may not inherently provide card draw, the synergy it creates with spells and abilities that capitalize on the number of creatures you command can indirectly contribute to card advantage. Through such interactions, the Ledev Guardian can become a linchpin in strategies that thrive on a wide battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Although the Ledev Guardian itself doesn’t accelerate your mana production, its modest mana cost enables a swift deployment. Establishing a strong defense early in the game can protect your more crucial mana accelerants or other value-generating creatures, helping to facilitate your game plan and setting the stage for a robust board state in the subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: While the Ledev Guardian is not an instant-speed spell, its presence on the board allows for greater flexibility with your mana. Knowing you have a solid defender in play lets you hold back mana confidently for instant-speed interactions during your opponent’s turn, which might include countering threatening spells or creating combat tricks that can alter the state of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Ledev Guardian may require you to remove other valuable cards from your hand which can be detrimental, especially in the late game when every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Equipped with a specific hybrid mana cost, Ledev Guardian can pose deck-building challenges, limiting its inclusion to decks that can produce both green and white mana consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given its mana cost, the Ledev Guardian can be a costly addition to your army. There might be alternatives with lower mana costs that could fulfil a similar role in your deck more efficiently.


Reasons to Include Ledev Guardian in Your Collection

Versatility: Ledev Guardian offers a flexible role in your deck, acting as a reliable blocker or an aggressive creature when convoked with other characters on the battlefield. Its adaptability makes it a solid choice for a variety of deck builds seeking dependable creature performance.

Combo Potential: With its convoke ability, this card seamlessly integrates into strategies that capitalize on tapping creatures for value. It can work in tandem with cards that benefit from creature tapping or those that untap creatures for additional benefits.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive strategies are common, having a cost-efficient creature like Ledev Guardian could thwart many early threats. Its presence provides critical board stabilization, which can be essential in shifting the tide of the game in your favor.


How to beat

Ledev Guardian, a sturdy presence on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering, offers players a dependable blocker with its significant toughness. Besting this stalwart defender calls for strategic maneuvers. Direct damage spells like Lightning Strike can swiftly remove Ledev Guardian before it stabilizes your opponent’s defenses. Alternatively, bypassing it altogether with flying or unblockable creatures can render its defensive advantage moot.

Dealing with this guardian through combat can be an uphill battle, so spells that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures, such as Diabolic Edict, are also effective as they circumvent Ledev Guardian’s size. Enchantment-based removals like Luminous Bonds or Pacifism can attach to the Guardian, effectively negating it without triggering any abilities that might benefit from it being targeted or destroyed.

In essence, overcoming the challenge posed by Ledev Guardian requires a mix of direct removal, evasion, or disabling enchantments. Each of these strategies can integrate smoothly into a game plan, ensuring you stay one step ahead even as formidable guards take the field.


Cards like Ledev Guardian

Ledev Guardian serves as a steadfast creature within a player’s defense in MTG. Its parallels can be seen when examining cards like Lagonna-Band Trailblazer. The Trailblazer also brings a solid defensive option to the table, starting with a toughness of four when bolstered by its heroic ability. However, Ledev Guardian holds a slight edge in power and can become a more consistent blocker regardless of triggered abilities.

Moving to creatures like Concordia Pegasus, we see another flyer much like Ledev Guardian. The Pegasus may be swifter to the battlefield due to lower mana costs, but it doesn’t have the staying power against opponents with more substantial creatures. Conversely, the Guardian’s heftier stats for its cost make it preferable for a durable defense over multiple turns. Then there’s Prowling Caracal, a creature with comparable cost. It’s favored for aggressive strategies given its higher power, but in a defensive role, Ledev Guardian’s higher toughness is typically more desirable.

All these considerations put Ledev Guardian in a solid position when it comes to selection for a deck that requires a reliable defense. It stands as a notable option among cards that fill the role of sturdy blockers.

Lagonna-Band Trailblazer - MTG Card versions
Concordia Pegasus - MTG Card versions
Prowling Caracal - MTG Card versions
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
Concordia Pegasus - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Prowling Caracal - Ravnica Allegiance (RNA)

Cards similar to Ledev Guardian by color, type and mana cost

Northern Paladin - MTG Card versions
Moorish Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Witch Hunter - MTG Card versions
Carrier Pigeons - MTG Card versions
Tormented Angel - MTG Card versions
Seasoned Marshal - MTG Card versions
Coalition Honor Guard - MTG Card versions
Mangara, the Diplomat - MTG Card versions
Akroma's Devoted - MTG Card versions
Aven Cloudchaser - MTG Card versions
Seht's Tiger - MTG Card versions
Valor - MTG Card versions
Guardian Seraph - MTG Card versions
Lightkeeper of Emeria - MTG Card versions
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions
Hero of Bladehold - MTG Card versions
Mausoleum Guard - MTG Card versions
Galepowder Mage - MTG Card versions
Kor Cartographer - MTG Card versions
Sunspire Gatekeepers - MTG Card versions
Northern Paladin - Revised Edition (3ED)
Moorish Cavalry - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Witch Hunter - Chronicles (CHR)
Carrier Pigeons - Alliances (ALL)
Tormented Angel - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Seasoned Marshal - Battle Royale Box Set (BRB)
Coalition Honor Guard - Apocalypse (APC)
Mangara, the Diplomat - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Akroma's Devoted - Legions (LGN)
Aven Cloudchaser - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Seht's Tiger - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Valor - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Guardian Seraph - Magic 2010 (M10)
Lightkeeper of Emeria - Worldwake (WWK)
Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Hero of Bladehold - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Mausoleum Guard - Innistrad (ISD)
Galepowder Mage - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Kor Cartographer - Duel Decks: Venser vs. Koth (DDI)
Sunspire Gatekeepers - Dragon's Maze (DGM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ledev Guardian MTG card by a specific set like Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Ledev Guardian and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ledev Guardian has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 Because convoke isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2018-10-05 Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost.
2018-10-05 If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2018-10-05 Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature’s colors.
2018-10-05 When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated.
2018-10-05 When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Worldsoul Colossus (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two white creatures, you’ll have to pay .
2018-10-05 You can tap an untapped creature you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn to convoke a spell.

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