# Mercenary Knight Mercenary Knight represents Portal's attempt to create accessible Magic cards for casual audiences. As a straightforward creature with a conditional cost reduction, it exemplifies the set's philosophy of clarity over complexity. Collectors view Portal cards with mixed feelings—the set's limited distribution and unique artwork make it historically interesting, yet its simplified mechanics appeal mainly to nostalgic players rather than competitive ones. The rare designation provides some collecting appeal, though Portal's overall scarcity varies by region. Nonfoil copies dominate the market since foils weren't standard during Portal's release. For most collectors, Mercenary Knight holds value primarily as a Portal artifact rather than as a particularly powerful or sought-after card on its own merits.