Monk decks have tons of great options for health gain if they want choose to take them. Both Willpower and Agility have their fair share of Drain creatures in addition to cards that just gain health like Healing Potion and Dawnstar Healer. If gaining health is your style, Protector of the Mane will quickly become your mane man!
A 5 cost 4/4 Guard is already no joke, and the Protector has Drain on top of that. Not only that, but every time he connects he grows (and will gain even more health next time around). If the Protector sticks around for a few turns, it’s easy for him to get incredibly powerful pretty quickly.
Next up, let’s talk combos. You know what’s even harder to get through than a 4/4 Guard? A 5/5 or 6/6 Guard! All you have to do is have a Drain creature or two already in play and ready to rumble when you drop the Protector, and he’ll get buffed immediately. If you want to see some really big numbers on your Protector of the Mane, try combining it with Leafwater Blessing to give him +2/+2 whenever you gain health instead.
Protector of the Mane need not be limited to health gain decks though. He does a great job defending your otherwise fragile pilfer creatures to let them connect multiple times and earn those sweet, sweet rewards. Or maybe try him out in a movement deck to have your ever-growing Khajiit bouncing around the lanes wherever he’s needed. Whatever your playstyle, Protector of the Mane is a worthy addition to your deck.