Spectral Gateguards
Creature — Spirit Soldier
Soulbond (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature when either enters. They remain paired for as long as you control both of them.)
As long as this creature is paired with another creature, both creatures have vigilance.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #27547
Spectral Gateguards is a five-mana 2/5 with vigilance that pairs with another creature you control — a narrow, slow effect that barely moves the needle in any competitive context. The cost is simply too high for what amounts to a conditional vigilance-granting body.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Spectral Gateguards is a bulk common that sees no meaningful play in Legacy or Vintage, where five mana buys game-ending effects. In Modern and Pauper, the rate is uncompetitive — a 2/5 for five with a marginal ability doesn't clear the bar in either format. Commander is the most forgiving home, but even there, five mana demands either a relevant enters-the-battlefield trigger, a combo piece, or a board-warping stat line, and Spectral Gateguards delivers none of those.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Spectral Gateguards sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to climb without a dramatic rules change or unexpected combo discovery. Pick it up only if a specific deck demands it — otherwise it's not worth tracking down.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.