Vanguard Series

Vanguard Series contains 32 cards.
Released: 1997-05-01
Base set size: 32 cards.
Ertai

Ertai

Vanguard
Creatures you control have hexproof.
After serving his apprenticeship under Barrin of Tolaria, Ertai graced the Weatherlight crew with his presence as the ship's "resident" wizard. He realizes that few recognize his greatness—but then how could they, when they lack his insight and wisdom?
Hand size bonus: -1
Life bonus: +4
Gerrard

Gerrard

Vanguard
At the beginning of your draw step, draw an additional card.
Soldier. Adventurer. Heir to the Legacy. Gerrard has, over the years, traveled much of Dominaria in search of fortune and glory. Now, after serving nobly in the Benalish army, he has returned to the Weatherlight to serve as captain in Sisay's absence and to take up the battle against the Lord of the Wastes.
Hand size bonus: -4
Life bonus: +0
Karn

Karn

Vanguard
Each noncreature artifact you control is an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its mana value.
Both part of the Legacy and an individual in his own right, the silver golem Karn is haunted by a single, terrible incident: while serving to protect the young Gerrard, Karn accidentally took the life of another. Wakened from years spent as a statue, the golem has vowed to never kill again as he rejoins Gerrard.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: +6
Maraxus

Maraxus

Vanguard
Creatures you control get +1/+0.
Too chaotic for even the other warlords of Keld, Maraxus has devoted himself to serving as a hired killer for the sinister Volrath. A man fond of his work, he's more than willing to put in those extra hours needed to perfect his craft.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: +2
Mirri

Mirri

Vanguard
If a basic land you control is tapped for mana, it produces mana of a color of your choice instead of any other type.
Mirri and Gerrard have been the best of friends since they trained together under the maro-sorcerer Multani. A fierce and agile warrior, she rejoined Gerrard aboard the Weatherlight as his unofficial first mate shortly after he assumed command of the flying ship.
Hand size bonus: +0
Life bonus: +5
Sisay

Sisay

Vanguard
Whenever you tap a land for mana, add one mana of any type that land produced.
While captain of the Weatherlight, Sisay undertook a quest for the Legacy, a collection of artifacts needed to defeat the Lord of the Wastes. She continued this quest even when Gerrard, heir to the Legacy, chose to abandon it. Sisay is devoted to the cause of good at whatever price.
Hand size bonus: -2
Life bonus: -3
Squee

Squee

Vanguard
Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
The smartest—and only—goblin cabin boy aboard the Weatherlight, Squee has learned that intelligence and common sense are very different things. This matters little, however, since he has neither. Fortunately, he doesn't know what he's missing.
Hand size bonus: +3
Life bonus: -4
Tahngarth

Tahngarth

Vanguard
Creatures you control have haste.
Tahngarth, first mate of the Weatherlight under Sisay, knows that there are really only two forms of life: the ugly ones and the minotaurs. A narcissist, he considers the condition of his hide as important as the accuracy of his blade.
Hand size bonus: -1
Life bonus: +7
Barrin

Barrin

Vanguard
Sacrifice a permanent: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
An old and powerful wizard living on the mysterious isle of Tolaria, Barrin is the teacher who trained the young Ertai. He is also Hanna's father, but for reasons known only to the two of them neither acknowledges the other—or their strained relationship.
Hand size bonus: +0
Life bonus: +6
Crovax

Crovax

Vanguard
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature or player, you gain 1 life.
How does one escape a curse? For Crovax, a wealthy noble, the answer may lie in joining the crew of the Weatherlight as they seek to rescue their abducted captain Sisay. Secretly, he hopes in his journeys to find Selenia, the angelic being who abandoned him and his family years ago.
Hand size bonus: +2
Life bonus: +0
Greven il-Vec

Greven il-Vec

Vanguard
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature, destroy the other creature. It can't be regenerated.
As a ruthless leader for Volrath, Greven il-Vec serves his lord by commanding the flying ship Predator. Greven has attained his powerful rank through a series of underhanded schemes and assassinations, the majority of which were blessed by Volrath himself.
Hand size bonus: -1
Life bonus: +2
Hanna

Hanna

Vanguard
Spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Educated in Argive and highly knowledgeable in the field of artifacts, this expert navigator of the Weatherlight believes that scholarship does not necessarily lead to understanding. Her diligence in pursuing both is her greatest asset.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: -5
Orim

Orim

Vanguard
Creatures you control have reach.
Trained in the Samite arts, Orim serves as the healer aboard the Weatherlight. She is quick with languages and was educated at the same Argivian university as Hanna. A student by nature, Orim keeps a diary of all her new discoveries—both physical and spiritual—during her travels.
Hand size bonus: +0
Life bonus: +12
Selenia

Selenia

Vanguard
Creatures you control have vigilance.
Once a guardian of Crovax's estate, Selenia was freed from her magical bindings by the wealthy noble. Instead of remaining at his side, the angel chose to venture out into the world. For reasons unknown to Crovax, Selenia now serves the evil Volrath in his home realm of Rath.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: +7
Starke

Starke

Vanguard
At the beginning of your draw step, you may draw an additional card. If you do, put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library.
Starke believes in situational ethics—the situation determines the ethics. He's switched sides so often that he has become everyone's ally yet no one's friend. This former merchant of Rath accompanies the Weatherlight crew on their journey to his home world.
Hand size bonus: +0
Life bonus: -2
Volrath

Volrath

Vanguard
Whenever a creature you control is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may put it on top of your library.
The son of Gerrard's surrogate father, Sidar Kondo, Volrath stole Gerrard's Legacy and rose to power selling it off piece by piece. Now, he is an evincar, or agent, of the Lord of the Wastes. Armed with exceptional magical powers, he plots to conquer the entire multiverse.
Hand size bonus: +2
Life bonus: -3
Eladamri

Eladamri

Vanguard
{0}: The next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature you control is dealt to you instead.
Proud, shrewd, and charismatic, Eladamri has a commitment to his people that is absolute. The guerilla war he wages against Volrath has convinced him that the only way to liberate the Skyshroud elves is to lead all Rath's refugees to freedom. So be it.
Hand size bonus: -1
Life bonus: +15
Lyna

Lyna

Vanguard
Creatures you control have shadow.
One of the few Soltari who can cross the shadow barrier, Lyna serves as an emissary to the outside world. A quick thinker and convincing speaker, she does whatever she can to lead her people out of the shadows and into substance.
Hand size bonus: +2
Life bonus: -4
Multani

Multani

Vanguard
Creatures you control get +X/+0, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
In mentoring apprentice mages, the forest spirit Multani teaches each to respect nature while making use of its gifts. Multani taught Gerrard, Mirri, and Rofellos to hone their spellcasting in tandem with more physical disciplines so that both would be improved.
Hand size bonus: -3
Life bonus: -2
Oracle

Oracle

Vanguard
{0}: Untap target attacking creature you control and remove it from combat.
Known simply by her title, Oracle uses her gift of prophecy to aid her people. She believes Gerrard to be the Korvecdal, the one who will unite the people of Rath against Volrath's tyranny. Her only doubt is whether she will be strong enough to guide him to his destiny.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: +9
Rofellos

Rofellos

Vanguard
Whenever a creature you control dies, draw a card.
Gerrard's longtime friend and fellow student under the maro-sorcerer Multani, Rofellos is an excellent warrior and excellent company. Though adept at both magic and swordplay, he's far more comfortable with a flagon in his hand and a good companion at his side.
Hand size bonus: -2
Life bonus: +4
Sidar Kondo

Sidar Kondo

Vanguard
{3}: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Kondo served as guardian to the infant Gerrard and raised him alongside his own son, Vuel. He taught both boys to be strong and to lead, but whereas Gerrard became a champion of honor, Vuel's bitterness led him to become an equally devastating force of malice.
Hand size bonus: -1
Life bonus: +12
Sliver Queen, Brood Mother

Sliver Queen, Brood Mother

Vanguard
{3}: Create a 1/1 colorless Sliver creature token.
Though long held captive beneath Volrath's stronghold, the sliver queen is actually freer than most of Rath's denizens. Her maternal instincts always take precedence—even when they conflict with the evincar's agenda—and through her numerous litters, she ranges across all of Rath.
Hand size bonus: +0
Life bonus: +8
Takara

Takara

Vanguard
Sacrifice a creature: Takara deals 1 damage to any target.
Takara banishes the shadow of her father's ignoble reputation through the dedication, plain speaking, and swift action of a warrior. By refusing Starke's path of self-interest and opportunism, she has learned what he never will know: the value of sacrifice for a worthy cause.
Hand size bonus: +3
Life bonus: -8
Ashnod

Ashnod

Vanguard
Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.
Ashnod served as Mishra's confidante while he led Fallaji weapons development before the Brothers' War. Whereas Mishra works in metals and stone, however, Ashnod works in living flesh. She sees all living things as prototype machines; her "improvements" to them make her as feared by allies as by enemies.
Hand size bonus: +1
Life bonus: -8