Abzan Guide MTG Card

Abzan Guide grants card advantage, life-gain, and creature presence, enhancing mid-to-late game strength. Demands strategic deck building due to specific mana cost and potential for card disadvantage. Life-link and morph ability set Abzan Guide apart, offering versatility in creature-based battles.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Warrior
Abilities Lifelink,Morph
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.) Morph (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for . Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

"These roads are desolate and changeable. Follow me, or die in the wastes."

Cards like Abzan Guide

Abzan Guide is an intriguing card within the constellation of life-link creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to creatures like Centaur Healer, which also has the capacity to restore health to its owner upon entering the battlefield. Nonetheless, Abzan Guide’s defining trait is its formidable combination of life-link and morph ability. Whereas Centaur Healer doesn’t offer such flexibility or the extended combat endurance given by life-link.

Comparably, we have the Vampire Nighthawk, another creature that brandishes the life-link ability, though it brings to the table the added advantage of flying and deathtouch. The Nighthawk is more efficient with a lower mana cost, but it does not have the potential to become a formidable 4/4 creature like the Abzan Guide can with its morph ability. Additionally, Siege Rhino stands out with a similar health-giving effect complemented by its trample ability, though it lacks the morphing versatility and the sustained combat benefit granted by life-link.

In assessing the unique advantages that each card presents, Abzan Guide holds its ground with the life-link feature and its transformative morph ability, positioning it as a valuable creature for players who seek to blend defense, surprise, and resilience in their Magic: The Gathering battles.

Centaur Healer - MTG Card versions
Vampire Nighthawk - MTG Card versions
Siege Rhino - MTG Card versions
Centaur Healer - MTG Card versions
Vampire Nighthawk - MTG Card versions
Siege Rhino - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Abzan Guide by color, type and mana cost

Colfenor, the Last Yew - MTG Card versions
Teneb, the Harvester - MTG Card versions
Colfenor, the Last Yew - MTG Card versions
Teneb, the Harvester - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Abzan Guide card provides substantial value by offering you access to multiple resources within a single card. Seizing the opportunity to play multiple aspects from a single card can decisively tilt the scales in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: By granting you life-gain synergies and creature presence, Abzan Guide can effectively enhance your battlefield presence and resource pool, translating into a quicker climb to those powerful late-game plays that Abzan is known for.

Instant Speed: The Outlast ability of Abzan Guide, while not at instant speed itself, supports an overall strategy that includes instant-speed interactions. This encourages a gameplay style that is responsive and adaptive, allowing for refined control over the game state at critical junctures.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Abzan Guide commands you to sacrifice card advantage by discarding, which can be detrimental when your hand is already dwindling. This cost can hinder your ability to react to an evolving board state or keep up with opponents who are accumulating resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Boasting a wedge color identity, the Abzan Guide’s mana cost is demanding, requiring a precise combination of white, black, and green mana. This can complicate your deck’s mana base and may cause inconsistency in being able to cast it on curve, especially in formats where mana fixing is less abundant.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a higher mana threshold, the Abzan Guide faces competition from other creatures and spells that could yield a greater impact on the game for a similar, or even lower, mana investment. This can leave it outclassed in an environment where efficiency is key to claiming victory.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Abzan Guide offers a blend of life gain and sizeable creature presence, making it a solid addition to decks that thrive on resilience and longevity in the game.

Combo Potential: Thanks to its lifelink ability, it pairs well with mechanics that are triggered by life changes, enhancing strategies that pivot around life totals for victory.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that favors drawn-out battles or creature-based strategies, Abzan Guide’s ability to effect a life total swing can swing games in your favor, providing a decisive edge when resilience is key.

How to beat

Navigating the strategic complexities of Magic: The Gathering, players often encounter the challenge posed by the Abzan Guide card. This resilient piece of the Abzan clan combines lifelink and a hefty creature size to create a formidable opponent on the battlefield. To undermine its impact, savvy players look to exploit its mana-intensive nature, which can delay its deployment.

Effective strategies typically involve the use of removal spells that can bypass its lifelink ability. Cards such as Path to Exile offer a mana-efficient solution, removing the creature before its lifelink can accumulate any advantage for the opponent. Alternatively, countering the card before it even hits the field is a pro-active approach, with spells like Negate or Counterspell at your disposal.

Utility also comes from the realm of combat tricks, allowing players to tackle the Abzan Guide by overpowering it with enhanced creatures or by employing direct damage spells to neutralize it before lifelink becomes a factor. Flexibility in your deck building and an understanding of when to hold back those key spells can win you the duel against this life-gaining behemoth.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Abzan Guide MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir and Mystery Booster, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Abzan Guide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Abzan Guide Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-09-26 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Steve Prescott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-09-26Khans of TarkirKTK 1622015NormalBlackSteve Prescott
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 13842015NormalBlackSteve Prescott
32020-09-26The ListPLST KTK-1622015NormalBlackSteve Prescott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Abzan Guide has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Abzan Guide card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2014-09-20 A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren't affected.
2014-09-20 Any time you have priority, you may turn the face-down creature face up by revealing what its morph cost is and paying that cost. This is a special action. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. Only a face-down permanent can be turned face up this way; a face-down spell cannot.
2014-09-20 At any time, you can look at a face-down spell or permanent you control. You can't look at face-down spells or permanents you don't control unless an effect instructs you to do so.
2014-09-20 Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it's turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn't cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.
2014-09-20 If a face-down permanent leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends.
2014-09-20 Morph lets you cast a card face down by paying , and lets you turn the face-down permanent face up any time you have priority by paying its morph cost.
2014-09-20 The face-down spell has no mana cost and has a mana value of 0. When you cast a face-down spell, put it on the stack face down so no other player knows what it is, and pay . This is an alternative cost.
2014-09-20 When the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield as a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It's colorless and has a mana value of 0. Other effects that apply to the creature can still grant it any of these characteristics.
2014-09-20 You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You're not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for doing this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield.