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Auriok Champion

Creature — Human Cleric

Protection from black and from red
Whenever another creature enters, you may gain 1 life.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{W}{W}
Color identity
W
Rarity
rare
Set
Fifth Dawn
Price
$12.81
EDHREC rank
#3632
Buy on TCGplayer
Auriok Champion card art
Auriok Champion is a two-mana 1/1 that dodges virtually every removal spell in the format, gains life on every creature enter, and slots into multiple infinite loops — Scurry Oak being one of the more accessible ones. Commanders like Karlov of the Ghost Council treat it as a core engine piece, not a role-player.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Karlov of the Ghost Council

Karlov of the Ghost Council

56.7% of decks · synergy 0.54

Every creature that enters the battlefield triggers Auriok Champion, and Karlov of the Ghost Council needs exactly that — a steady drip of life gain triggers to stack counters and threaten instant-speed exile. At 57% inclusion across Karlov lists, it's one of the most reliable trigger sources in the deck.

02
Darien, King of Kjeldor

Darien, King of Kjeldor

50.1% of decks · synergy 0.45

Darien, King of Kjeldor turns damage taken into Soldiers, and Auriok Champion converts each of those Soldiers entering the battlefield into a life gain trigger — which can loop back into more damage-dealing and more tokens if you engineer the right board state. The protection from black and white also makes it nearly impossible to remove in the formats where Darien thrives.

03
Amalia Benavides Aguirre

Amalia Benavides Aguirre

41.8% of decks · synergy 0.39

Amalia Benavides Aguirre cares about life gain triggers to explore and potentially wipe the board, and Auriok Champion generates one on every creature enter — making it an on-theme combo enabler and a protected body that's difficult to answer before the engine goes off.

04
Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant

Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant

40.1% of decks · synergy 0.38

Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant accumulates counters or rewards from life gain, and Auriok Champion provides a consistent stream of small life gains that compound over a long game. The protection from two of the most common removal colors keeps it alive long enough to matter.

05
Heliod, Sun-Crowned

Heliod, Sun-Crowned

36.6% of decks · synergy 0.32

Heliod, Sun-Crowned puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature whenever you gain life, so Auriok Champion's per-creature trigger turns every creature-heavy turn into a counters bonanza. The two share the same color identity, and Auriok Champion's protection means Heliod's counters aren't easily answered away.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Auriok Champion punches well above its mana cost — protection from two colors is broadly relevant in a four-player game, and life gain synergy commanders are numerous enough that it finds a home in a wide swath of white-inclusive decks. In Modern and Legacy, it sees niche but real play as a sideboard card against black and white aggressive strategies, where its protection from both colors makes it essentially unkillable for those matchups while gaining incremental life. Vintage is legal but the card doesn't impact that format in any meaningful way. Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper are off the table, so Commander and the 60-card eternal formats are where Auriok Champion actually matters.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

198 decks
Treebeard, Gracious HostScurry OakAuriok Champion

Treebeard, Gracious HostScurry OakAuriok Champion

Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite ETB; Infinite creature tokens; Infinite lifegain; Infinite lifegain triggers

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant each cost under $1 and trigger on every creature enter — including opponents' — so they generate more raw life gain in most Commander pods, just without the protection that makes Auriok Champion nearly unkillable. The trade-off is real: you're giving up a body that laughs at most targeted removal in exchange for a trigger that's easier to answer with a single Shock.

Price Context

Current price

$12.81 mid tier

At $12.81, Auriok Champion sits in the mid tier — justified by genuine competitive crossover demand across Commander, Modern, and Legacy rather than hype. It's a card people actually play, which keeps the floor stable.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.