Outclassed on paper by many modern and classic creatures alike thanks to its low statistics, Abbey Gargoyle's main relevance is the combination of its abilities. Dragons are popular casual creatures and this can play their foil where many of Dragon's white counterparts - angels - fail to compete. It can also bear the brunt of a Ball Lightning or Blistering Firecat attack where your standard warrior maiden would balk. In fact, against a pure red deck, it is virtually untouchable, being untargetable by angelbanes Thunderbolt, Char and Flame Javelin... and what non-red spell could their deck contain, that deals four damage? None, so there you are. For the devious deck builder, the gargoyle frustrates, since some naturally wish to abuse a creature with protection from red in a deck that slings those sorceries of mass destruction, being a poor fit in such a deck thanks to its triple white casting cost and the fact that it can already dodge one flagship explosive spell, Earthquake, and withstand two more - Pyroclasm and Volcanic Fallout. Still, in a deck that plays Starstorm or Inferno, it can survive where most don't in order to keep your copy of Worship active. In a modern environment, robust cards like this tend to be eschewed for ones which can race red instead of contain it - look to the angels of the Exalted or Baneslayer variety. Can be acquired for less than twenty pence, either in white or black-bordered form.
