A Vanguard card is a unique card type used in the Vanguard variant. You don't cast it or play it from your hand; instead, you choose one before the game begins. It stays set aside for the entire game, modifying your starting life total and maximum hand size, and may grant you an ability.
Because it never enters the battlefield, it isn't a permanent and doesn't resolve like a spell. Its role is to act as your avatar for the game, shaping your starting resources and strategy from the first turn. In a deck, it sits outside your main deck and sideboard, defining how you approach the game.
