Man, Invasion was a weird set! That aside, this is pretty average, and I wouldn't use it since it's so expensive.
MasterOfEtherium
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
Metal Tank Gorilla Cat
cathode01
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
If the activation costs were {W}{W} and {U}{U}, it would be more playable. As it is, I think it still might be okay for EDH/Commander decks.
Salient
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Mother of Runes is cheaper, but Mother of Runes isn't a 2/5 beatstick whose protection ability can be activated multiple times per turn -- I'd file Armored Guardian under "Cards With Painfully Generic Names" and "Potentially Not Awful, In Rare Cases"
Baconradar
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This guy sums up the spirit of invasion.
Clearly a fun card for Commander format.
Kirbster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
"Cat soldier"? Wuuuut? I swear this thing is a gorilla.
Lord_Ascapelion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Weird that they have these abilities as they are, since shroud and protection are very similar...
nemokara
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This versus Eight-and-a-Half Tails:
Protection ability: essentially costs the same but is less color-intensive for Tails, while also protecting any permanent you control instead of just creatures. Advantage: Fox.
Stats/Efficiency: The kitsune's cheaper to cast, though it's a 2/2 instead of a 2/5. However, for the same amount of mana you could use to cast the Guardian, you can cast Eight-and-a-Half Tails and still have three mana open to protect him from removal (assuming you have {2}{W}{W}{W} available). I'd say the efficiency and resiliency trump having a bigger body. Advantage: fox.
Miscellaneous: The difference between shroud and Eight-and-a-Half Tails just giving protection to itself is negligible and should rarely come up. The legend rule isn't too relevant either as you would rarely be able to play two copies of the Guardian (would likely prevent you from using its abilities), and would rarely NEED to play two copies of Felllini Fox. Only if your opponent played an Arrest or something. Creature type is also about equal outside of a tribal cat deck. Advantage: tie/irrelevant.
Flavor: I don't really get it for this card. It's just a big cat soldier, who somehow protects your creatures? By being big? It doesn't make much sense, the two abilities are largely redundant and it just seems so generic. In comparison, there's been at least one article about Eight-and-a-Half Tails' backstory as an esteemed cleric who played a pivotal part in the Kamigawa story (don't know if he showed up elsewhere). The "I've spent years studying spiritual and religious matters, which is how I can magically protect my allies" explanation makes much more sense. And the name, art and synergy of the abilities just seem to be more elegant. Advantage: fox.
Comments (8)
That aside, this is pretty average, and I wouldn't use it since it's so expensive.
Clearly a fun card for Commander format.
Protection ability: essentially costs the same but is less color-intensive for Tails, while also protecting any permanent you control instead of just creatures. Advantage: Fox.
Stats/Efficiency: The kitsune's cheaper to cast, though it's a 2/2 instead of a 2/5. However, for the same amount of mana you could use to cast the Guardian, you can cast Eight-and-a-Half Tails and still have three mana open to protect him from removal (assuming you have {2}{W}{W}{W} available). I'd say the efficiency and resiliency trump having a bigger body. Advantage: fox.
Miscellaneous: The difference between shroud and Eight-and-a-Half Tails just giving protection to itself is negligible and should rarely come up. The legend rule isn't too relevant either as you would rarely be able to play two copies of the Guardian (would likely prevent you from using its abilities), and would rarely NEED to play two copies of Felllini Fox. Only if your opponent played an Arrest or something. Creature type is also about equal outside of a tribal cat deck. Advantage: tie/irrelevant.
Flavor: I don't really get it for this card. It's just a big cat soldier, who somehow protects your creatures? By being big? It doesn't make much sense, the two abilities are largely redundant and it just seems so generic. In comparison, there's been at least one article about Eight-and-a-Half Tails' backstory as an esteemed cleric who played a pivotal part in the Kamigawa story (don't know if he showed up elsewhere). The "I've spent years studying spiritual and religious matters, which is how I can magically protect my allies" explanation makes much more sense. And the name, art and synergy of the abilities just seem to be more elegant. Advantage: fox.