Bronze Guardian
Artifact Creature — Golem
Double strike
Ward 
(Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays .)
Other artifacts you control have ward .
Bronze Guardian's power is equal to the number of artifacts you control.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Brothers' War Commander
- Price
- $0.53
- EDHREC rank
- #1889
Bronze Guardian lands and immediately gives your entire artifact board ward 2 — on a 4/3 with double strike that also protects itself. At four mana, that combination of offensive presence and blanket protection makes it a staple in any artifact deck running white or colorless, and Alibou, Ancient Witness lists include it at a 73% clip for good reason.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Alibou, Ancient Witness
Alibou, Ancient Witness triggers off tapped artifacts, and Bronze Guardian's double strike means every combat step doubles down on that payoff while ward 2 keeps the whole artifact board safe from targeted removal long enough to fire the engine repeatedly.
Osgir, the Reconstructor
Osgir, the Reconstructor can copy Bronze Guardian with its activated ability, and two copies of the ward 2 aura stack to make your artifacts nearly untouchable while doubling the double-strike threat on board.
Urza, Chief Artificer
Urza, Chief Artificer makes artifacts into threats, and Bronze Guardian ensures those threats survive long enough to connect — ward 2 across the whole board is exactly the protection a go-wide artifact army needs before it swings for lethal.
Brenard, Ginger Sculptor
Brenard, Ginger Sculptor creates Golem tokens that are artifacts, so Bronze Guardian's blanket ward 2 extends to the entire Golem army Brenard generates, making combat math miserable for opponents.
Mendicant Core, Guidelight
Mendicant Core, Guidelight cares about artifacts in play, and Bronze Guardian both qualifies as one and shields the rest of the board — ward 2 across the artifact suite buys the extra turns Mendicant Core needs to generate value.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Bronze Guardian lives — blanket ward 2 scales directly with how many artifacts are on the battlefield, and multiplayer Commander tables give you time to accumulate a board worth protecting. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; four mana for a 4/3 in those formats competes with broken turn-one and turn-two plays that don't care about ward. Bronze Guardian is a Commander card through and through, and within that format it's a genuine staple in artifact-heavy decks rather than a fringe inclusion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.53 bulk tier
At $0.53, Bronze Guardian is firmly bulk — easy to pick up as a four-of or a spare without thinking twice. The price reflects supply, not power; it's one of the better bulk pickups available for artifact commanders.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.