Last updated on March 19, 2024

Animate Wall - Illustration by Dan Frazier

Animate Wall | Illustration by Dan Frazier

Walls are one of the simplest creature types in Magic that have stuck around since the beginning of the game. The creature type has a few distinct characteristics: low power, high toughness, and the defender keyword forcing them to play defensive.

Though it may seem like a dull card type, walls have surprisingly unique designs that provide a lot of dimension to a creature type that could become bland.

But which walls are the sturdiest? Let’s inspect them!

What Are Walls in MTG?

Wall of Omens (Rise of the Eldrazi) - Illustration by James Paick

Wall of Omens (Rise of the Eldrazi) | Illustration by James Paick

Walls are creatures with the subtype wall. Walls share several characteristics: They universally have defender, which prevents them from attacking, and almost all walls have higher toughness than power. Most walls have 0 power to make up for their high defensive stats.

Walls have an interesting history. The keyword defender didn't exist when they were first printed in Alpha. Instead, walls couldn’t attack as part of their creature type. This persisted until 2004 with the release of Champions of Kamigawa. This MTG set introduced defender as an evergreen keyword and retroactively applied it to all walls. This allowed them to function identically mechanically while making their drawback clearer and allowed more flexible card design as Wizards could print defenders that didn’t need to be walls, like Wingmantle Chaplain.

Walls have a drawback: While they can block effectively, they don’t often have enough power to trade with creatures. Wall of Mist does a great job holding off a single Goblin Piker. Your opponent can still get by with more attackers than your blockers. Still, walls can gum up the board, making them powerful defensive creatures alongside a little interaction. The walls that you do want to attack with still require another effect, though they’ve gotten more efficient than Animate Wall over the years.

I’m grading these cards on their utility and efficiency. These are walls, so we want cheap costs, high toughness, and preferably an ability that helps offset their inability to attack or trade in combat. This list is weighted towards Commander, though some of these have seen a bit of Constructed play, however niche.

#35. Mindbender Spores

Mindbender Spores

Mindbender Spores is one of the most interesting cards I never knew existed. It’s got a fat block of text, but it essentially gives any creature it blocks four stun counters. The biggest drawback is that 0/1 body. This wall basically fogs a creature. It could be quite potent alongside some proliferation and a way to make it indestructible.

#34. Shield Sphere

Shield Sphere

Shield Sphere is hyper-niche. Commanders that want to remove counters from creatures like Falco Spara, Pactweaver or Tayam, Luminous Enigma can utilize this, but I doubt anything else wants it, except maybe Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain Cheerios.

#33. Wall of One Thousand Cuts

Wall of One Thousand Cuts

There’s a handful of walls that can remove defender for a fee. Wall of One Thousand Cuts offers a sizable example with evasion, but this effect overall feels weak, though a 3/5 flier for has fine stats.

#32. Wall of Water

Wall of Water

Wall of Water is a stand-in for all the defenders with fire-breathing-esque effects. The best threat of activations deter attackers since this wall can trade with opposing creatures, which combats the general weakness of walls. But this effect is so weak in the landscape of modern MTG design.

#31. Vine Trellis

Vine Trellis

Vine Trellis is perfectly acceptable. A 2-drop mana dork is fine; decks that care about defenders or walls will play this happily. Decks that don’t care about those elements have much better options.

#30. Gleaming Barrier

Gleaming Barrier

I can see a lower-power sacrifice deck playing Gleaming Barrier, especially if it cares about sacrificing artifacts. A creature that dies into a Treasure isn’t terrible, though black and red have 1-mana options that may nudge this out.

#29. Wall of Mourning

Wall of Mourning

I want to like Wall of Mourning as a card-draw spell, but I’ve found it hard to maintain coven. Having 0 power does help, as decks rarely run 0-power creatures; maybe I’m underrating this one.

#28. Wall of Mulch

Wall of Mulch

Wall of Mulch can draw lots of cards in wall-heavy decks, and it’s a bit of a color pie break. But I don’t know if the payoff is there. The biggest drawback I can see is filtering through walls while your opponents have a bunch of creatures you haven’t traded with.

#27. Wall of Nets

Wall of Nets

Seven toughness is nuts on a 3-drop, so I already like Wall of Nets. The Oblivion Ring-like ability intrigues me. I doubt you’ll get much mileage out of it since your opponents won’t attack. It also seems detrimental in the face of a board wipe, practically protecting opposing boards.

#26. Wall of Kelp

Wall of Kelp

Wall of Kelp is okay. Its 0/1 Kelp tokens aren’t exciting, but it’s still a creature that makes tokens for a relatively low cost and can technically go infinite with Intruder Alarm if you want infinite chump blockers.

#25. Warded Battlements

Warded Battlements

I don’t hate the +1/+0 buff on Warded Battlements; that can swing games. But aggressive decks can get similar team buffs from creatures that can attack, and Assault Formation defender decks don’t want power bonuses. This isn’t unplayable, but I don’t know where it goes.

#24. Wall of Junk

Wall of Junk

I can see a home for Wall of Junk. Pair it with some artifact cost reducers and cards like Sai, Master Thopterist that reward you for casting artifacts each turn, and this could work as a low-power value engine.

#23. Wall of Frost

Wall of Frost

I vividly remember thinking Wall of Frost was the most broken Magic card I had ever seen. Forcing a blocked creature to stay tapped is strong and helps offset the inherent weaknesses of walls, and 7 toughness blocks most creatures.

#22. Wall of Denial

Wall of Denial

One might consider Wall of Denial the ultimate wall. It staves off almost any attack, and thanks to shroud, it can't be the target of  interaction. Flying takes the cake, making it a massive, evasive threat with Assault Formation effects. But it’s still just a wall in any other deck.

#21. Tuktuk Rubblefort

Tuktuk Rubblefort

Giving your creatures haste is a powerful ability for aggressive decks that makes Tuktuk Rubblefort a threat worth considering. Plus, this fort has reach. Honestly, the only thing holding this down on the list is another, better wall for haste.

#20. Secret Door

Secret Door

Secret Door is rather weak, honestly. That’s a pretty steep cost to venture into the dungeon. I mostly like it as an infinite mana outlet—with Freed From the Real, wall decks can easily make infinite mana if they’re so inclined. Venturing into the Lost Mine of Phandelver and hitting the Dark Pool room runs the table out of life.

#19. Whip Vine

Whip Vine

Whip Vine seems like great tech to handle that one player in the pod who insists on jamming a flying Voltron commander each game. I don’t know if I’d play this without knowing I need to handle The Ur-Dragon or something similar.

#18. Wall of Corpses

Wall of Corpses

Wall of Corpses provides an excellent deterrent. Nobody will want to attack you and bite the bullet. Holding up is a relatively low cost.

#17. Suspicious Bookcase

Suspicious Bookcase

Suspicious Bookcase is a little over-costed for its ability, but some decks want unblockable badly enough to play it. I don’t know if I’d play this without a commander who cares about dealing combat damage.

#16. Psychic Membrane

Psychic Membrane

Psychic Membrane has relatively low toughness for its mana value—0/3 walls tend to cost 1 mana. But the ability to draw cards whenever it blocks is powerful. You’ll want some way to buff this or protect it so it can block more creatures, but it offers some serious card advantage.

#15. Wall of Blood

Wall of Blood

Wall of Blood has more utility as an enabler than a blocker. Paying life lets it eat creatures but also enables cards like Vilis, Broker of Blood and Rowan, Scion of War without paying an extra mana.

#14. Wall of Reverence

Wall of Reverence

Many lifegain decks utilize Wall of Reverence. Not only does it gain life, but its solid stats protect your life total for cards like Serra Ascendant and Sigarda's Splendor that care about maintaining a high life total.

#13. Sunweb

Sunweb

Sunweb clawed its way this high for sheer stats. A 4-mana 5/6 is incredible! It can’t block small creatures, but it’s large enough to tussle with most creatures that cost 4-6 mana, making it a formidable defender.

#12. Mnemonic Wall

Mnemonic Wall

Archaeomancer is a good Magic card, even when it costs an extra mana. Mnemonic Wall sees lots of Pauper play alongside Ghostly Flicker for various shenanigans. It’s strong in Commander as a redundant combo piece.

#11. Pramikon, Sky Rampart

Pramikon, Sky Rampart

I’m not sure what to make of Pramikon, Sky Rampart. It’s a great way to deflect aggression from a player who’s ahead on board, which is a powerful effect. But it also limits your attacking potential. I don't doubt that this is a strong card, but I'm not sure how to judge this unique ability.

#10. Weathered Sentinels

Weathered Sentinels

Weathered Sentinels might be my favorite wall design. It has excellent stats for its cost, it’s an artifact, and it defends and attacks quite well thanks to vigilance, trample, and indestructible. There are plenty of ways to let it attack as though it didn’t have defender to get the buff anyway.

#9. Overgrown Battlement

Overgrown Battlement

Overgrown Battlement is among the first cards added to any wall or defender deck. It taps for oodles of mana with little effort, often acting as a lynchpin for the strategy.

#8. Sunscape Familiar

Sunscape Familiar

Sunscape Familiar’s greatest claim to fame is its role in one of Pauper’s most prominent combo shells, but any Bant () deck can use its powerful cost reduction. This is a staggeringly powerful mana acceleration for a mono-white card.

#7. Wall of Roots

Wall of Roots

Wall of Roots has a finite number of uses as a mana dork, but it’s surprisingly strong. Unlike most mana dorks, you can use Wall of Roots the turn it comes into play and use it on your opponents' turns and still block with it since it doesn't tap for mana. This plays well with +1/+1 counters to offset the -0/-1 counters or those commanders that can remove counters.

#6. Jeskai Barricade

Jeskai Barricade

Jeskai Barricade takes its defensive role up a notch. Not only can it defend your life total, but it also works as a trick at flash speed that can bounce important creatures and save them from spot removal or board wipes. Plus, there’s the added utility of getting an extra ETB trigger from a strong card.

#5. Concealing Curtains

Concealing Curtains

I love Concealing Curtains. It’s a fantastic Cube card that provides early pressure and information, and it’s a 2-for-1 thanks to the forced discard when it transforms. It might not be the strongest card ever, but it scratches all the itches I want it to.

#4. Crashing Drawbridge

Crashing Drawbridge

Crashing Drawbridge from Throne of Eldraine looks silly, but it’s a super cheap haste enabler for aggressive decks. Any deck interested in attacking might be interested in this as an alternative to effects like Mass Hysteria that give everybody haste.

#3. Tinder Wall

Tinder Wall

Tinder Wall is rarely used as a blocker, but it’s quite powerful. It lets you “store” 2 mana until it's useful, making it a powerful ritual that enables explosive starts. You see it a lot in cEDH lists, but other Commander decks can utilize this strange ritual.

#2. Wall of Blossoms + Wall of Omens

Wall of Blossoms Wall of Omens

Wall of Blossoms and Wall of Omens are staples in flicker decks. 0/4s cantrips that replace themselves are just so clean and efficient for defensive decks. Jungle Barrier is also strong, even though it costs twice as much.

#1. Electrostatic Field

Electrostatic Field

Electrostatic Field might be the most offensive wall. Pinging your opponents for every instant and sorcery can add up quickly, especially with effects like Dictate of the Twin Gods and Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might. It’s a great role-player in many spellslinger Commander strategies.

Best Wall Payoffs

The best wall payoffs are effects that care about defenders. Some of them made the list, like Overgrown Battlement. Other cards that reward you for having lots of defenders include Axebane Guardian, Wingmantle Chaplain, and Perimeter Captain.

These defender-centric decks often win with Assault Formation effects that allow creatures to deal combat damage based on their toughness and enable defenders to attack. Arcades, the Strategist and Doran, the Siege Tower frequently act as commanders for these decks. Defender decks can also reach for cards like Doorkeeper, Coral Colony, and Vent Sentinel to win without attacking.

Do Walls Count as Defenders?

Arcane Adaptation

Well, yes, but actually no. All walls have defender as a keyword; it’s an intrinsic part of their flavor and mechanical identity. But having the wall subtype no longer prevents a creature from attacking. For example, if you were to play Arcane Adaptation naming wall, your creatures won’t be counted as defenders. They’d just have the wall subtype.

Wrap Up

Wall of Blossoms (Stronghold) - Illustration by Heather Hudson

Wall of Blossoms (Stronghold) | Illustration by Heather Hudson

Walls have surprising depth considering how flat the concept of “creature that blocks” seems. Some of these designs are among the most interesting I’ve seen in the game, even if they aren’t the strongest.

With so much support for defenders built up over the years and such intriguing designs, it’s no wonder that defenders and walls are popular cards to build around in Commander. What’s your favorite wall? Who do you want to lead your defender decks? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe and keep defending!

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