Guardian of the Forgotten
Creature — Elephant Warrior
Vigilance
Whenever a modified creature you control dies, manifest the top card of your library. (Equipment, Auras you control, and counters are modifications. To manifest a card, put the top card of your library onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Modern Horizons 3
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #19612
Guardian of the Forgotten puts a free Clue on the board the moment it enters, stapling card advantage directly onto the body. The catch is Dissection Tools — you need that artifact in play to unlock the investigate trigger, which makes this a two-card setup rather than a standalone engine.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Guardian of the Forgotten makes the most sense — artifact synergy decks and sacrifice loops have the redundancy to assemble the Dissection Tools dependency without bricking. In Legacy and Vintage it's too slow and too conditional to compete with the raw power of those formats. Modern could theoretically support it in a dedicated artifacts shell, but the ceiling is low enough that stronger options crowd it out at every turn.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Guardian of the ForgottenDissection Tools
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Guardian of the ForgottenDemonmail Hauberk
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Gylwain, Casting DirectorGuardian of the ForgottenAshnod's Altar
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers; Near-infinite colorless mana
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Gylwain, Casting DirectorGuardian of the ForgottenAltar of Dementia
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite mill; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Gylwain, Casting DirectorGuardian of the ForgottenPhyrexian Altar
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers; Near-infinite colored mana
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Guardian of the Forgotten is deep bulk — buy a playset without thinking twice. Bulk commons and uncommons with niche combo applications rarely spike unless a synergy goes mainstream, so treat this as a cheap inclusion rather than a hold.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Dissection Tools
- Demonmail Hauberk
- Gylwain, Casting Director
- Ashnod's Altar
- Altar of Dementia
- Phyrexian Altar
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.