Guardian Shield-Bearer
Creature — Human Soldier
Megamorph 
(You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
When this creature is turned face up, put a +1/+1 counter on another target creature you control.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Dragons of Tarkir
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #25714
Guardian Shield-Bearer puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature when it enters, then trades itself for another counter when it dies — two counters spread across your board for two mana. It's a role-player, not a headliner, and only worth slotting if your deck actively cares about +1/+1 counters or sacrifice fodder.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Guardian Shield-Bearer sees the most play, slotting into decks built around +1/+1 counter synergies or sacrifice engines where the two triggers justify the card slot. In Pauper it's technically legal but too slow and low-impact to compete at that format's pace. Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer are non-starters — Guardian Shield-Bearer doesn't do anything powerful enough to register in those environments. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander: viable only in a dedicated counters shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Guardian Shield-Bearer is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. It won't appreciate; pick it up from a bulk bin when you need it and don't think twice about the cost.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.