Sigiled Paladin is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
First strike Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Complete guide
Sigiled Paladin is a noble champion that embodies the Exalted keyword, rewarding you for sending a lone warrior into the fray. This Human Knight not only holds the line with First strike but also inspires your solo attackers to reach new heights of power. Understanding how to maximize its impact requires a firm grasp on the combat phase and the nuances of attacking alone.
What It Does
Sigiled Paladin is a two-mana creature with two key abilities: First strike and Exalted. First strike allows it to deal combat damage before creatures without the ability, often winning trades. Exalted is a triggered ability that checks if you have declared exactly one creature as an attacker during your declare attackers step; if you have, the Paladin grants that creature +1/+1 until the end of the turn.
Resolving the Exalted Trigger
The Exalted ability triggers specifically at the moment you declare attackers. If you select only one creature to attack, the ability goes on the stack. This happens before your opponent chooses blockers, meaning the power and toughness boost will be applied before combat damage is dealt. If multiple creatures are declared as attackers, the ability does not trigger at all, even if some of those creatures are later removed from combat.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error involves creatures entering the battlefield already attacking. If you declare one creature as an attacker and another effect puts a second creature onto the battlefield attacking, the Exalted ability still resolves because only one creature was 'declared' as an attacker. Conversely, if you declare two creatures and one is destroyed before the trigger resolves, you do not get the bonus because the condition was not met at the start of the step.
When to Play It
Sigiled Paladin is best utilized in aggressive decks that focus on 'voltron' strategies or incremental advantages. Because it provides a bonus even when it is not the creature attacking, it can sit safely on the sidelines while a flying or evasive creature takes advantage of the extra power. It is also highly effective in defensive setups where First strike discourages small attackers from coming your way.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you control both creatures and declare only Ornithopter of Paradise as an attacker, Sigiled Paladin's Exalted ability triggers. Ornithopter of Paradise becomes a 1/3 flying creature until end of turn. This allows your mana-producing creature to chip away at the opponent's life total while remaining safely in the air.
Esper SentinelWhen you attack alone with Esper Sentinel while Sigiled Paladin is on the battlefield, the Exalted trigger increases the Sentinel's power to 2. Because Esper Sentinel's taxing ability is based on its power, your opponent will now have to pay {2} instead of {1} to prevent you from drawing a card when they cast their first noncreature spell that turn.
If Sigiled Paladin is your only creature and it attacks, its own Exalted ability triggers. It becomes a 3/3 with First strike until end of turn. This makes it significantly harder to block effectively, as it can destroy most early-game blockers before they even have a chance to strike back.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sigiled Paladin
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you declare exactly one creature as an attacker, each exalted ability on each permanent you control (including, perhaps, the attacking creature itself) will trigger. The bonuses are given to the attacking creature, not to the permanent with exalted. Ultimately, the attacking creature will wind up with +1/+1 for each of your exalted abilities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you attack with multiple creatures, but then all but one are removed from combat, your exalted abilities won’t trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Some effects put creatures onto the battlefield attacking. Since those creatures were never declared as attackers, they’re ignored by exalted abilities. They won’t cause exalted abilities to trigger. If any exalted abilities have already triggered (because exactly one creature was declared as an attacker), those abilities will resolve as normal even though there may now be multiple attackers.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Exalted abilities will resolve before blockers are declared.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Exalted bonuses last until end of turn. If an effect creates an additional combat phase during your turn, a creature that attacked alone during the first combat phase will still have its exalted bonuses in that new phase. If a creature attacks alone during the second combat phase, all your exalted abilities will trigger again.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
In a Two-Headed Giant game, a creature “attacks alone” if it’s the only creature declared as an attacker by your entire team. If you control that attacking creature, your exalted abilities will trigger but your teammate’s exalted abilities won’t.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Sigiled Paladin
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.