Guardian of the Ages
Artifact Creature — Golem
Defender (This creature can't attack.)
When a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, if this creature has defender, it loses defender and gains trample.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic 2014
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #21365
Guardian of the Ages is a 7/7 indestructible blocker that arrives as a vanilla 7/7 until an opponent attacks you — at which point it gains flying and trample for the rest of the game. Seven mana for a conditional beater is a steep ask, and most competitive Commander tables will have already won before it matters.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Guardian of the Ages is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it only realistically shows up in Commander. In eternal formats like Legacy and Vintage, seven mana is a non-starter when faster threats cost a fraction of that. Modern and Pioneer are similarly unkind — the format clocks are too fast for a do-nothing blocker to stabilize. In Commander, Guardian of the Ages earns its spot in pillowfort or Arcades-style defender builds where stalling for seven mana is plausible and a suddenly airborne 7/7 punishes the player who swings in.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Guardian of the Ages is pure bulk — you'll find copies in any common box or bulk trade pile without effort. Bulk rares with narrow applications don't climb in price, so treat this as a free pickup if the build calls for it rather than anything to track.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.