Vanguard (card type)

The Vanguard Logo

Vanguard is a supplement and a card type for Magic: The Gathering that debuted in Arena's Summer Season of 1997 and are used in the format of the same name.

Description

The oversized (3" x 5") Vanguard cards aren't played like regular cards. Instead, each player chooses one of the character cards before the match begins and plays under the conditions set by that card.

A Vanguard card modifies your starting (and maximum) hand size, as well as your starting life total. It also contains one or more abilities. Sometimes they're abilities that you can play; sometimes they're abilities that just change aspects of the game. Any abilities printed on a Vanguard card work exactly like those of an in-play Magic card. Note, however, that Vanguard cards are colorless, aren't permanents, aren't in play, and aren't even really cards — so they can't be affected by spells or abilities.

History

The result of a cooperative effort between Wizards of the Coast's R&D and Events departments, Vanguard was designed specifically for casual play. The cards were released in four 8-card sets, the first two were designed together. Series 1 could also be obtained in the Vanguard Gift Box. The intent was to use the Arena League as a test market for the concept of supplemental products. As it turned out, Vanguard was a huge success. Nearly 5,000 joined Arena during the first season, the biggest increase in league history, yet. From there, the decision to release the second group of eight cards in early 1998 (Winter Season) was simple. The third set appeared in late 1998 (Autumn Season), and the fourth in the Spring Season of 1999.

List of Vanguards by Series

Vanguard cards Ertai and Gerrard from Series 1

Cards from the first three sets picture a character from the Weatherlight Saga. While the two first sets featured the central characters, the latter set depicted characters from the periphery of the tale. The fourth set depicted characters from Urza's Saga.

Series 1	Series 2	Series 3	Series 4
Ertai	Barrin	Eladamri	Ashnod
Gerrard	Crovax	Lyna	Gix
Karn	Greven il-Vec	Multani	Mishra
Maraxus	Hanna	Oracle	Serra
Mirri	Orim	Rofellos	Tawnos
Sisay	Selenia	Sidar Kondo	Titania
Squee	Starke	Sliver Queen, Brood Mother	Urza
Tahngarth	Volrath	Takara	Xantcha

Duelist Magazine

Four cards were bagged together with The Duelist magazine:

• Duelist #19 - Series 1 Gerrard
• Duelist #33 - Series 3 Multani
• Duelist #37 - Series 4 Urza
• Duelist #47 - Series 4 Mishra

Rules

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 313. Vanguards
  • 313.1. Vanguard is a card type seen only on nontraditional Magic cards. Only the Vanguard casual variant uses vanguard cards. See rule 902, “Vanguard.”
  • 313.2. Vanguard cards remain in the command zone throughout the game. They’re not permanents. They can’t be cast. If a vanguard card would leave the command zone, it remains in the command zone.
  • 313.3. Vanguard cards have no subtypes.
  • 313.4. A vanguard card may have any number of static, triggered, and/or activated abilities. As long as a vanguard card is in the command zone, its static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
  • 313.5. The owner of a vanguard card is the player who started the game with it in the command zone. The controller of a face-up vanguard card is its owner.
  • 313.6. Each vanguard card has a hand modifier printed in its lower left corner. This is a number preceded by a plus sign, a number preceded by a minus sign, or a zero. This modifier is applied to the starting hand size and maximum hand size of the vanguard card’s owner (normally seven). The resulting number is both how many cards that player draws at the beginning of the game and their maximum hand size. See rule 103.5.
  • 313.7. Each vanguard card has a life modifier printed in its lower right corner. This is a number preceded by a plus sign, a number preceded by a minus sign, or a zero. This modifier is applied as the starting life total of the vanguard card’s owner (normally 20) to is determined. See rule 103.4.