Shield of the Avatar
Artifact — Equipment
If a source would deal damage to equipped creature, prevent X of that damage, where X is the number of creatures you control.
Equip 
(: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic 2015
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #19190
Shield of the Avatar scales its protection directly to your creature count, making it a legitimate blocker-proof tool in creature-dense Commander decks. At one mana to equip, the cost is trivial — the floor is preventing one hit, and the ceiling in a token or go-wide build is full damage immunity for the equipped creature.
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 |
Commander is the only format where Shield of the Avatar is worth discussing. In a 100-card singleton game with creature-heavy strategies — tokens, aristocrats, Voltron commanders that also go wide — the prevention clause routinely hits double digits, which means your commander survives combat indefinitely. Competitive formats like Legacy and Modern have no interest in a one-mana equipment that doesn't immediately affect the board state or close a game. Pioneer and Vintage are the same story: too slow, too conditional, no home.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
Shield of the Avatar sits at $0.28, firmly in bulk territory. It won't hold or gain value, but at that price point the question isn't cost — it's whether the effect earns a slot, and in the right token build it does.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.