Benevolent Bodyguard
Creature — Human Cleric
Sacrifice this creature: Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Vintage Masters
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #5967
Benevolent Bodyguard trades itself to give any creature you control protection from a chosen color — stopping a removal spell for free on a one-mana body is one of the most efficient defensive plays white offers. In Orah, Skyclave Hierophant builds, the sacrifice is a feature: dying on command fuels the recursion engine while saving the piece that matters most.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant
Orah, Skyclave Hierophant triggers whenever a Cleric dies, and Benevolent Bodyguard is a one-mana Cleric that sacrifices itself on demand — it simultaneously protects your best Cleric and queues up a free Orah trigger.
Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
Liesa, Forgotten Archangel returns your nontoken creatures that die to your hand, so when Benevolent Bodyguard sacrifices to save another creature, it comes straight back — effectively making the protection free over multiple turns.
Squall, SeeD Mercenary
Squall, SeeD Mercenary rewards you for having cheap, expendable creatures ready to act, and Benevolent Bodyguard fills that slot while doubling as insurance for Squall himself against targeted removal.
Brenard, Ginger Sculptor
Brenard, Ginger Sculptor turns creatures that die into Golem tokens that copy them, so Benevolent Bodyguard's sacrifice leaves behind a token version that can do it all again if Brenard is still in play.
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Lurrus of the Dream-Den lets you recast permanent cards with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard each turn, and Benevolent Bodyguard at one mana is a perfect loop piece — sacrifice it to protect a threat, then replay it with Lurrus the following turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Benevolent Bodyguard earns its slot in any white deck that runs a key creature it cannot afford to lose — commanders, combo pieces, or value engines all qualify. Pauper is where it historically saw competitive play, protecting fragile one- and two-drop threats in aggressive white strategies at common rarity. Legacy allows it, and while it has seen fringe play in creature-heavy white shells, the format's interaction density generally demands answers that do more than prevent a single removal spell. Vintage legality is technical; it never sees play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Benevolent Bodyguard isn't currently available in this listing, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest figures before buying. It has been printed multiple times, which historically keeps copies affordable — it's rarely a budget concern.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.