Sentinel's Mark MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Addendum,Enchant, Flash
Released	2019-01-25
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica Allegiance
Set code	RNA
Number	20
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zezhou Chen

Key Takeaways

Lifelink from Sentinel’s Mark grants notable survivability, creating beneficial life differential during matches.
Flash ability offers tactical surprise and adaptability, vital for combat and outmaneuvering opponents.
Vigilance enables dual utility in attacking and defending, optimizing resource management for players.

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

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

Flash Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has vigilance. Addendum — When Sentinel's Mark enters the battlefield, if you cast it during your main phase, enchanted creature gains lifelink until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sentinel’s Mark grants the added benefit of lifelink, effectively turning any creature it enchants into a resource for gaining life, which can translate into sustaining your position in the game longer.

Resource Acceleration: While Sentinel’s Mark doesn’t directly generate mana or Treasure tokens, the vigilance it provides can be a form of indirect resource acceleration as it allows your creature to attack without tapping, keeping it ready to defend and potentially discouraging opponents from attacking. This can save mana usually spent on other defensive measures.

Instant Speed: One of the key strengths of Sentinel’s Mark is its flash ability, enabling you to cast it at instant speed. This not only keeps opponents guessing but also allows you to wait until the most opportune moment during combat or in response to an opponent’s actions, potentially surprising them and swinging a duel in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Sentinel’s Mark doesn’t directly require a discard, any requirement to hold up mana for the Flash ability can indirectly force you to forgo playing other cards, hence discarding opportunities for board development.

Specific Mana Cost: Sentinel’s Mark necessitates both white and generic mana which makes it slightly less flexible. Decks not running white mana or those with a strained mana base might not be able to utilize this enchantment efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The total cost of three mana to bestow might be deemed steep by some players, considering there are other Aura options that can provide similar boosts at a lower cost, potentially allowing more strategic plays or multiple spells in a single turn.

Reasons to Include Sentinel’s Mark in Your Collection

Versatility: Sentinel’s Mark offers a boost in both offense and defense, making it a significant addition to creature-heavy decks. Its capability to be flashed in adds an element of surprise, potentially swaying the game in crucial moments.

Combo Potential: This enchantment synergizes well with life-gain strategies and creatures with vigilance. The lifelink it provides can turn the tide of battle while simultaneously fortifying your board presence.

Meta-Relevance: The lifelink aspect of Sentinel’s Mark is particularly useful in metas where aggressive decks are prevalent. As it can offset the damage from rapid attackers and provide staying power for your creatures, it can be a key component in stabilizing the board and maintaining control of the game.

How to beat Sentinel’s Mark

The key to overcoming the challenges posed by Sentinel’s Mark in your MTG matches lies in its enchantment nature. This powerful aura card provides a creature with a significant boost in both vigilance and lifelink, potentially turning an ordinary creature into a formidable threat. To counter this, it’s essential to have a solid strategy that neutralizes or bypasses the enhancements granted by Sentinel’s Mark.

One effective method is to employ removal spells that can target either the aura or the creature it’s attached to. Consider using instant-speed removal such as Disenchant to destroy the Sentinel’s Mark, or Murder to eliminate the enchanted creature regardless of its newfound strength. Another approach is to sidestep the issue entirely with board wipe spells like Wrath of God, which clears the battlefield of all creatures, thus rendering the aura useless.

Whether your strategy focuses on targeted removal, global resets, or simply outpacing the buffed creature with a more aggressive deck, the key to success against Sentinel’s Mark is to remain flexible and responsive. Keep these tactics in mind, and the once-daunting task of facing a Sentinel’s Mark-enhanced creature will become just another manageable aspect of your MTG experience.

Cards like Sentinel's Mark

Sentinel’s Mark stands out in Magic: The Gathering as an enchanting option for players looking to boost both defense and versatility. Comparable to other auras like Ethereal Armor, Sentinel’s Mark provides a bonus to power and toughness. Ethereal Armor favors decks rich in enchantments, adding a significant power increase per aura attached. However, Sentinel’s Mark brings a nighttime twist with its flash ability, allowing for unexpected defensive plays.

Shielded by Faith is another parallel, offering indestructible instead of the vigilance and lifelink provided by Sentinel’s Mark. Although shielding a creature from all harm is impactful, Sentinel’s Mark’s lower mana cost and instant speed capability give it a different kind of strategic flexibility during combat. Then we have Flickerform, delivering a way to protect and reuse creatures with valuable enter-the-battlefield effects. While not directly enhancing stats, its utility in response to threats or removal is worth noting when weighing similar card advantages.

Ultimately, Sentinel’s Mark holds a preferential spot among utility auras in Magic: The Gathering, especially for those valuing adaptability and the element of surprise during intense moments of gameplay.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sentinel's Mark MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica Allegiance, 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 Sentinel's Mark and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sentinel's Mark has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2019-01-25	Gaining vigilance any time after the moment you choose to attack with a creature won’t cause it to become untapped, and losing vigilance after that time won’t cause it to become tapped.
2019-01-25	If Sentinel’s Mark enters the battlefield without being cast, the addendum ability won’t trigger, even if it’s your main phase.
2019-01-25	Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.