Wardens of the Cycle
Creature — Elf Warlock
Morbid — At the beginning of your end step, if a creature died this turn, choose one —
• You gain 2 life.
• You draw a card and you lose 1 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Foundations
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #10544
Wardens of the Cycle puts three +1/+1 counters distributed across three creatures and cycles away for two mana when it's done its job — that's a clean two-for-one on board presence. Five mana is the ceiling for this effect, and it clears it only in dedicated counter-synergy shells.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Wardens of the Cycle belongs in counter-synergy or cycling-matters decks — it does nothing for a list that isn't specifically built around one of those axes. Constructed formats like Standard, Pioneer, and Modern have faster, cheaper payoffs for both counters and cycling individually, so the card rarely competes there. Legacy and Vintage simply have no interest in a five-mana sorcery with no immediate board impact beyond small creatures. The cycling clause is the real insurance policy in Commander — it means a flooded or late-game draw isn't stuck holding a five-mana do-nothing.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Wardens of the Cycle is firmly bulk, and that price is stable — there's no competitive pressure to drive it higher. Pick it up freely if your deck wants it; there's no financial risk in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.