How does it work? Why do all the boomers you play with like it more than hexproof? What is Kappa Cannoneer and why is it showing up in Legacy and Vintage decks?
Let’s find out!
How Does Ward Work?
Ward is a keyword that counters a targeted spell or ability from an opponent unless the ward cost is paid. That can be paying life, discarding a card, or (most commonly) paying a mana cost. The latter is usually 2 but ranges from 1 all the way to 10.
Introduced in the Strixhaven: School of Mages set, the Ward mechanic essentially acts as a cost barrier that opponents must pay if they wish to target a creature with Ward using a spell or ability. This cost is specified alongside the Ward keyword and can vary, typically involving mana, but it may also require discarding a card, paying life, or other actions.
The presence of Ward on a creature makes it more expensive and, therefore, more challenging for opponents to remove or interact with that creature using targeted spells or abilities. For example, if a creature has “Ward [cost],” any opponent’s spell or ability targeting it will be countered unless that opponent pays the specified cost. This mechanic does not, however, protect against board wipes or sacrifice effects, as these do not target individual creatures. Moreover, spells or abilities that say “can’t be countered” bypass the Ward protection entirely because they do not respect the Ward’s countering effect.
Ward is designed to enhance the game’s strategic depth by making creature removal less efficient and promoting more interactive gameplay. While it shares similarities with Hexproof, Ward allows for more nuanced interactions since it doesn’t render creatures entirely immune to targeted spells and abilities, just more costly to target.
The History of Ward in MTG
Ward appeared in Strixhaven in 2021 on four cards: Owlin Shieldmage, Torrent Sculptor, Waterfall Aerialist, and, most significantly, Sedgemoor Witch. It’s now an evergreen mechanic that has appeared on a few cards in each set, including their associated Commander precons.
What is “Ward X”?
The X in “Ward X” is the cost that has to be paid to prevent the spell you’re casting from being countered. You can cast the spell without being able to pay this cost, but it’ll fizzle. Although paying mana is the most common and typical cost, there have been a number of innovations.
- First there was the ward cost of paying three life, introduced on Owlin Shieldmage and Sedgemoor Witch.
- Then there was a discard tax for Westgate Regent in Forgotten Realms.
- The conditional ward for The Tarrasque and Iymrith, Desert Doom.
- There was also the variable ward costs for flip cards like Burly Breaker in Midnight Hunt.
Is “Ward – Sacrifice a creature” or “Ward – Mill 3 cards” that far off?
Who Pays the Ward Cost?
The caster of the spell that targets a permanent with ward has to pay the cost if they want the spell to resolve.
Do You Have to Pay for Ward?
You don’t have to pay the ward cost. But why wouldn’t you?
Well, if you cast something targeting a warded creature and then don’t pay the tax, it means a casting trigger happened and your spell ends up in the graveyard. These are two things you might want if you have an attacking Festival Crasher for the former and an escape or delve card you want to cast for the latter.
This is also important because your situation might change and your interest in and ability to pay the ward cost might shift after casting.
Does Ward Use the Stack?
Yes, ward uses the stack. That’s what makes it so interesting and why it seems to be largely replacing similar mechanics in this design space.
Let’s say I cast Bloodchief’s Thirst on your Sedgemoor Witch while I have only four life. The ward cost trigger lands on the stack. You can then lob Play with Fire at my face, which means I either don’t to pay the ward cost or I die.
A more common interaction is something like this: Let’s say I cast the Bloodchief’s Thirst at your Armguard Familiar with exactly three mana open and a Disruption Protocol in my hand. You can respond to that by casting Infernal Grasp at one of my creatures. I was all set to pay the ward cost, but now I have to choose. I can counter your kill spell, but that taps out the mana I need for the ward tax, which means your Familiar survives. Or, if I really have it out for that Familiar, I can pay the ward tax and let your Grasp resolve.
Maybe I just like blue decks too much, but that sounds like fun to me.
Ward vs. Hexproof vs. Shroud
The evolution from Shroud to Hexproof, and eventually to Ward, in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) reflects the game’s ongoing refinement in balancing interaction and protection for creatures and permanents. Each mechanic offers a unique approach to safeguarding cards from opponents’ spells and abilities, with their implications deeply influencing gameplay and deck-building strategies.
The earliest of these mechanics, shroud, shields a card from all spells and abilities, even those of its controller. This broad shield was both a blessing and a curse, as it restricted players from targeting their own permanents, often leading to frustrating gameplay scenarios. Cards like “Spectral Cloak” from Legends and “Autumn Willow” from Homelands were among the first to introduce this concept.
Hexproof evolved from Shroud to allow a more nuanced form of protection. It grants permanents immunity from opponents’ targeted spells and abilities while still permitting their controller to target them. This change fostered new strategies, particularly in formats like Commander, where protecting key creatures or permanents without completely negating interaction became crucial. Hexproof’s ability to enable powerful, synergistic plays without shutting down all forms of counterplay has made it a favored mechanic in the game’s ecosystem.
Ward is a more recent innovation, introduced in the Strixhaven: School of Mages set, representing a further refinement in the game’s approach to protection mechanics. Unlike Hexproof, Ward imposes an additional cost on opponents attempting to target a ward-protected permanent with spells or abilities. If the cost is not paid, the spell or ability is countered. This mechanic introduces a conditional barrier to interaction, offering a dynamic layer of strategy. Ward’s flexibility and the variability of its associated costs (ranging from mana payments to life points or other resources) enrich the game’s strategic depth, encouraging players to carefully consider their actions and resources.
The transition from Shroud to Hexproof and Ward illustrates MTG’s design philosophy of evolving game mechanics to enhance interactivity, strategic depth, and player engagement. While Shroud offered a blunt instrument of protection, Hexproof refined this by allowing controlled interaction. Ward takes this evolution further, adding a strategic cost-based layer to the game’s interaction paradigm
Did Ward Replace Hexproof?
Not exactly, but it partially has. After everything I’ve gone over so far you’d think that ward replaced hexproof, right? But then we had Avabruck Caretaker making opponents scoop left and right in Crimson Vow drafts.
Aside from that egregious example, it looks like hexproof is moving almost entirely to conditional or temporary effects. Think Snakeskin Veil. A good example is Walking Skyscraper in Neon Dynasty. Like Paradise Druid, its hexproof evaporates when it’s tapped. Or there’s Sungold Sentinel from Midnight Hunt. It’s got a hard-to-achieve activated ability to gain a really limited version of hexproof for one turn.
WotC suggests that “big creatures that are hard to interact with are positive additions to their environments.” They might have been thinking of the Caretaker when they said that, but I’m not sure anyone would agree in the case of that card.
What if a Spell or Ability that Can’t Be Countered Targets a Ward Creature?
The ward ability doesn’t apply to spells or abilities that can’t be countered. So nothing happens and no ward cost has to be paid.
That’s right – you get to just ignore ward.
Does Ward Work Against Planeswalker Abilities?
Ward does work against planeswalker abilities. Just like with shroud and hexproof, anything that targets the permanent with ward has to pay the tax or it’s countered.
Does Ward Stop Deathtouch?
No. Ward only taxes/counters targeted spells or abilities, but deathtouch doesn’t target anything. It’s a static ability of the creature with deathtouch, so it doesn’t do anything.
Best Ward Cards
Although a lot of the cards are on this list because they’d be powerful even without their ward costs, many of them make the most interesting use of ward as a mechanic in case you just wanted to browse what’s possible.
#34. Mirrorshell Crab
Stifle effects only get more important. Mirrorshell Crab isn’t a super-efficient one, but in a counter war, this can only be countered by other Stifles if they lack the mana, so that’s pretty good. As turns go on and everyone can play the three this gets worse, but there are decks where this is a must include.
#33. Colossal Skyturtle
This is kind of like a turtle power charm, it’s so flexible. There’s a lot of competition in Simic decks, which might crowd out Colossal Skyturtle, but as new sets come out and I update decks, I find myself gravitating toward cards I always have a use for. This is one of those.
#32. Ancient Imperiosaur + Hierophant Bio-Titan
Two big, dumb, cost-cutting brutes we all sorta wish had more protection than ward 2 given the investment. But in the kind of green deck that leans on Tamiyo’s Safekeeping effects, Ancient Imperiosaur and Hierophant Bio-Titan are super fun.
#31. Combat Research
You know who you are. You either need another Curiosity variant and will snap up Combat Research like candy or you will shrug and move along. #tempo.
#30. Cultist of the Absolute
Cultist of the Absolute seems better than it is, but it’s good value for its cost.
#29. Team Ward Cards Coppercoat Vanguard Gold-Forged Thopteryx Radagast, Wizard of Wilds Rith, Liberated Primeval
These are really different cards, but it’s worth discussing this effect in one place. How valuable is warding the whole team in a world of board wipe profusion? It’s probably most impactful for 1) tribes where opponents want to use targeted removal while holding back sweepers, or 2) faster tribes that solicit quick defensive interactions.
As a result, these four probably rank Rith, Liberated Primeval, Coppercoat Vanguard, Gold-Forged Thopteryx, and then Radagast, Wizard of Wilds.
#28. Nine-Fingers Keene
Gates players rejoiced at a gate commander and then immediately bemoaned that Nine-Fingers Keene was only three colors. With only 12 gates that can be in this deck, does it work? Sometimes. That ward cost is smoking, though.
#27. Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa
A powerful ward text mixed with mass unearth makes Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa a very good buildaround.
#26. Wondrous Crucible
Wondrous Crucible does work in Mishra, Eminent One decks.
#25. Leyline Immersion
This seems impossible to play in a normal deck, but if you can drop this onto like a Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer on turn three, that’s a lot of ramp. But Leyline Immersion is for broken nonsense.
There are limits. It doesn’t give infinite mana on a card like Fain, the Broker because the mana can only be used for spells. But things like Leyline of Singularity make Pili-Pala legendary, so winter is coming.
#24. Storm of Saruman
How good is a less powerful Thousand-Year Storm in monoblue? I think better than we’re imagining, in EDH at least. Blue can cantrip its way to enabling Storm of Saruman on each opponents’ turn.
The limits are that this is a magecraft trigger, and most of what you want to work with these kinds of cards doesn’t trigger off copied spells.
#23. Graveyard Trespasser / Graveyard Glutton
Graveyard Trespasser has stymied graveyard strategies in Standard since it was printed, although the gluttony of Graveyard Glutton is a bit less good in EDH. And that ward cost, so punishing in conjunction with its abilities, is also easier to manage in Commander.
#22. Saruman of Many Colors
We’re gonna have to see this in action to really get a sense of how it’s going to work, but Saruman of Many Colors yoinks enchantments out of opponents’ graveyards, which is easy to gloss over when reading the more common text about instants and sorceries.
It’s hard to evaluate how strong that is because we haven’t really seen a lot of that, and I don’t usually see Omniscience in graveyards. Wicked ward cost, though, with a nice bit of synergy.
#21. Svyelun of Sea and Sky
Giving all merfolk ward is pretty sweet, as is being an often-indestructible card drawer. Svyelun of Sea and Sky will be a key part of Modern merfolk if that ever happens. Until then, it’ll be a powerful part of the 99 in a Simic merfolk EDH deck.
#20. Kairi, the Swirling Sky
Is Kairi, the Swirling Sky the best blue dragon aside from reigning champ Ancient Silver Dragon? Yes, it is.
#19. Winged Boots
Winged Boots Granting ward 4 reasonably easily is really nice. And Winged Boots has to be high on any equipment deck that uses blue.
#18. Flowering of the White Tree
Flowering of the White Tree is the cheapest to cast Glorious Anthem we have, even ignoring the legendary text. We’ve seen a few cards now that give ward 1 to the whole team. This is the best of those cards. It’s hard to evaluate how important that is, but it can’t be nothing.
#17. Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep is a powerful card looking for the right build, as the most popular commander for sea creatures is Runo Stromkirk, and we don’t really have a good Sultai commander yet to unite the factions.
#16. Invasion of Karsus / Refraction Elemental
Three damage wraths aren’t always the thing these days, but Invasion of Karsus flips into a spellslinger wincon Guttersnipe variant, so it can’t be discounted.
#15. Ratadrabik of Urborg
Ratadrabik of Urborg is a value player in Standard legends decks, a role it also plays in the 99 of pretty much every legends tribal deck that can run it.
#14. Invasion of New Phyrexia / Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir
The added angels in Finale of Glory are better than the ward-granting planeswalker from March of the Machine Invasion of New Phyrexia flips into, but this is still an excellent card. Teferi dishing out buffs and ward emblems is really nice.
#13. Kappa Cannoneer
In the right kind of blue affinity decks, Kappa Cannoneer regularly comes down on turns two or three. At that stage of the game, ward 4 is basically hexproof. It’ll start growing and hitting for big unblockable damage right away assuming you can keep dropping artifacts. This is a powerful card because this easily slots into decks that already run most of the pieces it needs.
#12. Sedgemoor Witch
The Witch’s Young Pyromancer effect is super nice in black decks which want sacrifice fodder. The fact that the pests Sedgemoor Witch makes synergize with life drain and gain effects like Dina, Soul Steeper is really good.
#11. Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Tivit, Seller of Secrets makes a lot of artifact tokens, probably once. They all either crack for mana or draw cards. You need blink or an engine that’s rolling along with Tivit as grease to the wheels. Even adding vote adjustment cards, this feels too twitchy to me, but it can really go off.
#10. Ovika, Enigma Goliath
Goliath Enigma, that’s for sure! This requires some careful building. Ovika, Enigma Goliath is a powerful buildaround, but it’s also a 7-drop. It’s a giant Young Pyromancer, and there aren’t that many of those in command zones.
#9. Aboleth Spawn
Flash out Aboleth Spawn to snap up a broken ETB like Craterhoof Behemoth or Fury and rejoice.
#8. Pippin, Guard of the Citadel
Pippin, Guard of the Citadel indeed! Need another Mother of Runes effect? Sure.
#7. Bronze Guardian
Bronze Guardian giving all artifacts ward is more useful than effects that give other tribal creatures ward, as there are less all-artifact wipes than there are creature board wipes. I usually don’t swing with this, even if its power swells, until I feel confident I won’t lose it. That team ward is really important, especially in an artifact combo deck. Isn’t that really the only kind? The value of this card goes up the higher power the table, when you can expect more interaction.
#6. Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
The face of one of the Strixhaven Commander precons, Doubling Season on a stick Adrix and Nev, Twincasters is far more commonly used in the 99 for Simic commanders running busted tokens builds. Which is, like, every Simic deck, right? Koma, Cosmos Serpent is especially nice.
#5. Hall of Storm Giants
Hall of Storm Giants is one of the better living lands for EDH. It hits big enough to matter for all sorts of control shells, especially after a board wipe.
#4. Sauron, the Dark Lord
Sauron, the Dark Lord has the most pushed ward text we’ve seen, and it’ll feel like hexproof against a lot of decks. That final sentence in the text box seems just totally cracked, like the only way to beat this guy is to get eight friends and have three books’ worth of adventures.
#3. Jin-Gitaxias / The Great Synthesis
JJin-Gitaxias is super powerful, and I don’t think we’ve seen the best build of it yet as a commander. Like Keruga, the Macrosage, which has a similar ability, it’s hard to get the balance right of cheap and 3+ cost spells.
#2. Raffine, Scheming Seer
As the final boss of the Standard Esper legends deck, Raffine, Scheming Seer makes a lot of great targets, and the advantage it confers is non-ignorable. You also can’t put down that extra land in your opening hand. It’s like, “It’s okay, you still have your body.” It’s better in a legendary creature deck, and the more removal you expect to face, the better it is.
#1. Taric, the Outrageous
Ward X is the most prevalent ward in MTG, and Taric, the Outrageous is the cheapest Ward X we have. For that reason, it’s the top card on this list. In EDH, it’s another one of those cards that comes down fast and grows fast. We don’t have a lot of cards like this.
Final Thoughts
Overall, ward is an evergreen mechanic in Magic: The Gathering that adds an interesting layer of interaction to the game. With its ability to tax opponents’ spells and abilities, it provides strategic depth and decision-making for both players. As it continues to appear on new cards and in different sets, it will be fascinating to see how players incorporate ward into their decks and strategies.