Boromir, Warden of the Tower
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier
LegalRank #809
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.
Sacrifice Boromir: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. The Ring tempts you.
3/3
KeywordsVigilance
Why is this card good?
A clean white answer to free spells and a sac-for-protection body.
Boromir's middle ability counters any spell cast without paying mana — this hits cascade, suspend, Aetherflux-style storm, free counters like Force of Will, ritual-fueled "cast for free" effects, and a lot of cEDH's nastiest interaction. For a 3-mana 3/3 vigilance in white, that's genuine hatebear value that taxes combo and free-spell decks without hurting fair players.
The sac ability is real upside: a one-time blowout against a board wipe (your team survives a Wrath, theirs doesn't) plus it tempts you with the Ring for incremental value. That makes him flexible — keep him as a body, or cash him in to save your board.
Who wants it: white stax/hatebear decks, midrange go-wide builds wanting Wrath insurance, and any pod expecting cascade or cEDH free-spell shenanigans.
Skip it in casual pods where nobody casts free spells — then it's just a vanilla 3/3 with a marginal sac trick. Best when the metagame justifies the hate.
Related cards
Grand Abolisher
White creature that shuts down opponents interacting on your turn, similar protective stax role.
Drannith Magistrate
Cheap white creature taxing opponents' free/alternative casting strategies.
Esper Sentinel
White creature punishing noncreature spells, fits hatebear protective slot.
Heroic Intervention
Grants indestructible to your board to survive wraths, like Boromir's sac ability.
Teferi's Protection
Protects your whole board from destruction, alternative blanket safeguard.
Mother of Runes
White creature granting protection to keep your team safe.
Eidolon of Rhetoric
Stax piece limiting opponents' spell output, similar disruptive white creature.
Selfless Spirit
Sacrifices for indestructible to your creatures, mirroring Boromir's saved-board ability.
Printings (6)
Combos (8)
- Ratadrabik of Urborg + Boromir, Warden of the Tower
→ Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Boromir, Warden of the Tower + Knowledge Pool
→ Counter all spells players cast from their hands, Lock
- Boromir, Warden of the Tower + Possibility Storm
→ Counter all spells players cast from their hands, Lock
- Solemnity + Luminous Broodmoth + Boromir, Warden of the Tower
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Kenrith, the Returned King + Relic of Legends + Agatha of the Vile Cauldron + Boromir, Warden of the Tower
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite death triggers
- Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Vizier of Remedies + Boromir, Warden of the Tower
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite death triggers
Rulings (9)
- 2023-06-16
Players may cast spells that they know Boromir, Warden of the Tower will counter. Any abilities that trigger when spells are cast will still trigger and resolve if appropriate, and any effects that count how many spells are cast will still count those spells if appropriate.
- 2023-06-16
If a spell is cast with an alternative cost that includes mana (such as flashback), Boromir's second ability won't trigger and won't counter that spell. Similarly, if a spell is cast without paying its mana cost, but the player did pay mana for additional costs such as from kicker or from Thorn of Amethyst, Boromir's second ability won't trigger and won't counter that spell.
- 2023-06-16
As the Ring tempts you, you get an emblem named The Ring if you don't have one. Then your emblem gains its next ability and you choose a creature you control to become (or remain) your Ring-bearer.
- 2023-06-16
The Ring can tempt you even if you don't control a creature. In this case, abilities that trigger "whenever the Ring tempts you" will still trigger.
- 2023-06-16
If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.
- 2023-06-16
The Ring gains its abilities in order from top to bottom. Once it gains an ability, it has that ability for the rest of the game.
- 2023-06-16
Each time the Ring tempts you, you must choose a creature if you control one.
- 2023-06-16
Each player can have only one emblem named The Ring and only one Ring-bearer at a time.
- 2023-06-16
Some spells and abilities that cause the Ring to tempt you may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. The Ring won't tempt you.