Swift Warden
Creature — Merfolk Warrior
Flash
When this creature enters, target Merfolk you control gains hexproof until end of turn. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Rivals of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #19884
Swift Warden flashes in to give a target Merfolk hexproof at instant speed — protecting your commander or a key threat from a removal spell for the price of a 3/3 body that stays on board. Three mana for that package is efficient enough that Swift Warden earns a slot in any Merfolk tribal list that cares about keeping creatures alive through interaction.
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 |
Swift Warden sees essentially no competitive play in Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer — Merfolk tribal in those formats runs counterspells and Aether Vial as its protection package, leaving no room for a three-mana creature that only protects other creatures. Commander is where Swift Warden actually does its job: in a 100-card singleton format, tribal redundancy has real value, and the combination of a flash 3/3 body plus a protection trigger on a single card is worth the slot in dedicated Merfolk builds. The effect scales well in multiplayer because the hexproof lands at instant speed in response to any of the table's removal, not just one opponent's spell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Swift Warden is deep bulk — a trivial pickup for any Merfolk tribal build. Bulk tribal pieces with narrow application tend to stay at this price floor, so there's no timing consideration; just grab one whenever you're placing a card order.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.