Sanguine Guard
Creature — Phyrexian Zombie Knight
First strike
: Regenerate this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #27860
Sanguine Guard is a two-mana 2/2 with first strike and a cycling-style sacrifice outlet that replaces itself — the combination of evasion-adjacent combat stats and built-in card replacement is exactly what black aristocrats shells want in a body. The cost is real: it needs to die or be sacrificed to draw, so it rewards decks that want fodder in the bin, not decks that just want a beater.
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 |
Sanguine Guard is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its home is Commander — specifically sacrifice-themed black decks that value cheap recursive fodder. In Legacy and Vintage it's well below the power threshold; no competitive black shell there wants a 2/2 with a slow draw trigger. In Commander it earns a slot in the right build: first strike makes it a credible early blocker, and the sacrifice ability feeds graveyard synergies while replacing itself, which keeps your hand from emptying after a board wipe. Oathbreaker functions similarly to Commander here — if your planeswalker cares about sacrifice or death triggers, Sanguine Guard pulls its weight.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Sanguine Guard is bulk — pick it up without a second thought if the deck wants it. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price point rarely spike unless a new commander pushes a specific archetype into the spotlight, so don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.