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Gargos, Vicious Watcher

Gargos, Vicious Watcher

Legendary Creature — Hydra

rare

Vigilance Hydra spells you cast cost less to cast. Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell, Gargos fights up to one target creature you don't control.

8/7

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Semantic Tags

Cost Reductionmechanical

A permanent or effect that makes spells or abilities cheaper to cast or activate.

Defensivemechanical

Suited for blocking and defense. Includes defender, reach, vigilance, and cards that incentivize blocking.

Permanentmechanical

A card or token on the battlefield. See rule 110, “Permanents.”

Spellslingermechanical

Rewards casting instants and sorceries. Includes magecraft, prowess triggers, and spell-count payoffs.

Vigilancemechanical

A keyword ability that lets a creature attack without tapping. See rule 702.20, “Vigilance.”

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneerlegal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historiclegal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (5)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Secret Lair Drop#1329rare···
Core Set 2020 Promos#172rare···
Core Set 2020 Promos#172srare···
Core Set 2020#172rare···
Core Set 2020 Promos#172prare···

Related Concepts

Fight

When two creatures fight, each deals damage equal to its power to the other. See rule 701.14, “Fight.”

Vigilance

A keyword ability that lets a creature attack without tapping. See rule 702.20, “Vigilance.”

Related Rules

106.5

If an ability would produce one or more mana of an undefined type, it produces no mana instead.

106.7

Some abilities produce mana based on the type of mana another permanent or permanents “could produce.” The type of mana a permanent could produce at any time includes any type of mana that an ability of that permanent would produce if the ability were to resolve at that time, taking into account any applicable replacement effects in any possible order. Ignore whether any costs of the ability could or could not be paid. If that permanent wouldn’t produce any mana under these conditions, or no type of mana can be defined this way, there’s no type of mana it could produce.

106.12

To “tap [a permanent] for mana” is to activate a mana ability of that permanent that includes the {T} symbol in its activation cost. See rule 605, “Mana Abilities.”

106.12a

An ability that triggers whenever a permanent “is tapped for mana” or is tapped for mana of a specified type triggers whenever such a mana ability resolves and produces mana or the specified type of mana.

106.12b

A replacement effect that applies if a permanent “is tapped for mana” or tapped for mana of a specific type and/or amount modifies the mana production event while such an ability is resolving and producing mana or the specified type and/or amount of mana.

107.3m

If an object’s enters-the-battlefield triggered ability or replacement effect refers to X, and the spell that became that object as it resolved had a value of X chosen for any of its costs, the value of X for that ability is the same as the value of X for that spell, although the value of X for that permanent is 0. This is an exception to rule 107.3i.

107.5

The tap symbol is {T}. The tap symbol in an activation cost means “Tap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

107.6

The untap symbol is {Q}. The untap symbol in an activation cost means “Untap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already untapped can’t be untapped again to pay the cost. A creature’s activated ability with the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. See rule 302.6.

Rulings

2019-07-12

Gargos's cost-reduction ability affects only generic mana in a Hydra's cost. For example, if you cast a Hydra spell with mana cost {2}{G}{G}{G}, it will cost {G}{G}{G} to cast, not {G}.

2019-07-12

If the target creature is an illegal target when Gargos's last ability tries to resolve, the ability doesn't resolve. If Gargos is no longer on the battlefield, the target creature won't deal or be dealt damage.

2019-07-12

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Gargos). The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

2019-07-12

If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, you choose the value for X before applying cost reductions. For example, if you cast a Hydra spell with mana cost {X}{G}{G} and choose for X to be 6, you pay {2}{G}{G}. Any of that Hydra's abilities that refer to X still uses 6 as the value for X regardless of what you actually paid.

2019-07-12

Gargos's triggered ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.

2019-07-12

Gargos's controller chooses which creature (if any) Gargos will fight, not the controller of the spell.

2019-07-12

Gargos's cost-reduction ability applies only while it's on the battlefield. Gargos doesn't reduce its own cost.

2019-07-12

If a spell targets one creature you control multiple times, Gargos's ability triggers once. If that spell targets multiple creatures you control, Gargos's ability triggers once for each of those creatures.