Guardian of the Great Door
Creature — Angel
As an additional cost to cast this spell, tap four untapped artifacts, creatures, and/or lands you control.
Flying
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #20706
Guardian of the Great Door puts a Ward 2 blocker on the table that taxes targeted removal every turn it stays in play — useful protection, but five mana for a 2/4 with no immediate board impact is a steep ask. In most Commander shells, better ward enablers or cheaper defenders make this a hard card to justify.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Guardian of the Great Door is legal everywhere except Pauper, but it doesn't register as a competitive piece in Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, or Vintage — formats where five mana for a 2/4 without an immediate effect is simply unplayable. Standard is the one context where limited card pools occasionally make a ward body relevant, particularly in a defensive or creature-protection shell. Commander is where Guardian of the Great Door finds its most plausible home, specifically in Arcades, the Strategist or Doran, the Siege Tower decks that squeeze value out of high-toughness defenders — even there, it competes with cheaper walls that do more.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Guardian of the Great Door is deep bulk — you're buying it for pennies and it will stay that way. Niche appeal in Arcades builds keeps it from being a true throwaway, but don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.