Kelpie Guide MTG Card


Untapping permanents with Kelpie Guide fuels resource advantage and enables multi-use strategies within a turn. Provides instant speed flexibility, disrupting opponents and supporting resource-intensive plays or defenses. Deck synergy is key, as Kelpie Guide’s mana requirements and effectiveness hinge on careful deck construction.
Kelpie Guide - Strixhaven: School of Mages
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Beast
Released2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set nameStrixhaven: School of Mages
Set codeSTX
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number45
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byIlse Gort

Text of card

: Untap another target permanent you control. : Tap target permanent. Activate only if you control eight or more lands.

Kelpies are drawn to paradoxes, making them ideal companions for Quandrix mages.


Cards like Kelpie Guide

Kelpie Guide is an intriguing utility creature in MTG, providing a versatile ability to untap another permanent. Comparably, there’s Aphetto Alchemist which offers a similar untapping capability. However, Kelpie Guide only targets permanents you control, whereas Aphetto Alchemist can target any permanent, including opponents’ which can lead to strategic plays.

Peering furthermore into the blue spectrum of control, Vizier of Tumbling Sands shares the essence of Kelpie Guide benefiting from the untap potential. While Vizier doesn’t come with the ability to become a pseudo-land itself, it does bring cycling to the table, allowing it to serve dual purposes. This can be a crucial advantage in tight situations where card draw is needed.

Focusing on effectiveness, Kelpie Guide stands as a solid choice in decks that capitalize on tapping and untapping mechanisms. While it may not offer as much flexibility as Aphetto Alchemist or the cycling advantage like Vizier of Tumbling Sands, its innate utility makes it a favorable inclusion for players aiming to maximize their mana efficiency and combo potential in the game of MTG.

Aphetto Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Vizier of Tumbling Sands - MTG Card versions
Aphetto Alchemist - MTG Card versions
Vizier of Tumbling Sands - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kelpie Guide provides a repeatable way to untap another permanent you control. This versatile ability can be leveraged to reuse mana sources or trigger abilities of other cards multiple times within a turn, helping you to pull ahead with more resources and options than your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: By allowing you to untap lands or mana-generating creatures, Kelpie Guide can effectively act as a source of resource acceleration. This can lead to casting more sizable spells earlier in the game or activating abilities that require significant mana investment, giving you a pronounced edge on the battlefield.

Instant Speed: The ability to untap another permanent at instant speed gives you the flexibility to respond during your opponent’s turn. This can disrupt their strategy by enabling unexpected blocks, instant-cast spells, or activation of abilities that may turn the tide of the game. The threat of instant-speed interaction also forces your opponent to play more cautiously, potentially giving you a psychological advantage.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Kelpie Guide doesn’t specifically ask players to discard cards, it’s important to plan your hand carefully when building a deck that includes cards with utility effects. If your strategy relies on using Kelpie Guide’s untap ability, ensure your hand isn’t depleted to the point where you can’t react to your opponent’s moves or take full advantage of the untap.

Specific Mana Cost: Kelpie Guide requires both blue and generic mana to play, which may not always align smoothly with decks that aren’t focused on a blue mana base. This can potentially restrict its inclusion only to those decks that can reliably produce blue mana early in the game.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three mana, including one blue, Kelpie Guide can be seen as having a high mana cost for its stats and abilities. There may be other creatures or untap options available that cost less and can be played earlier in the game, thereby providing a faster tempo or more value over time.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Kelpie Guide offers a level of flexibility that can be crucial to the success of various deck strategies. Its ability to untap another permanent can integrate seamlessly with decks built around landfall triggers or ones that require frequent tapping and untapping of creatures for maximum effect.

Combo Potential: With Kelpie Guide, players can unlock potent combinations by untapping key pieces at crucial moments. This card provides an engine for infinite mana combos or enables repeated activations of tap abilities from other creatures or artifacts.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where controlling resources and tempo plays a significant role, Kelpie Guide’s functionality becomes a tactical asset. It can disrupt opponent’s strategies by messing with their mana during upkeep or help you maintain dominance by granting additional uses of your own pivotal permanents.


How to beat

Kelpie Guide finds its place in Magic: The Gathering as a utility creature that offers players the ability to untap another permanent. This ability can be pivotal in games, allowing for enhanced flexibility and unexpected plays. Similar to cards like Vizier of Tumbling Sands, Kelpie Guide provides a strategic advantage through its untapping ability, albeit with some constraints like targeting only nonland permanents you own.

To successfully navigate against Kelpie Guide, strategic removal is key. Since it’s a creature with a modest toughness, readily accessible spells like Shock or Fatal Push can effectively remove it from the battlefield before its untap ability can be utilized. Additionally, utilizing countermagic to prevent Kelpie Guide from entering the battlefield in the first place ensures that its controller does not gain the upper hand. Keep an eye out for gameplay opportunities to neutralize it or disrupt your opponent’s plans by timing your spells and abilities appropriately.

Understanding these tactics allows MTG players to anticipate and counter Kelpie Guide efficiently, maintaining control of the game and leading to a victorious match outcome.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the strategic depth of MTG, Kelpie Guide emerges as a versatile card, offering numerous tactical advantages that can alter the course of the game. Its ability to untap key permanents fosters resource acceleration and combo execution, shaping it into a worthy addition to your deck. Whether you’re keen on propelling landfall strategies, enabling infinite combos, or simply gaining tempo, this card has proven potential. For those seeking to refine their strategy further and explore the nuances of Kelpie Guide’s utility, we welcome you to our community where depth of knowledge and a passion for the game unite. Enhance your MTG experience by learning more with us.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kelpie Guide MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Kelpie Guide and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kelpie Guide has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal