Miner's Guidewing MTG Card


Miner’s Guidewing can replace itself in your hand and boost your mana with a Treasure token upon death. The card requires specific mana and a discard, which might limit its play in diverse decks. Its distinct draw ability and graveyard synergy make it a valuable inclusion for strategic decks.
Miner's Guidewing - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Bird
Abilities Explore,Flying, Vigilance
Released2023-11-17
Set symbol
Set nameThe Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Set codeLCI
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number24
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byAllen Douglas

Text of card

Flying, vigilance When Miner's Guidewing dies, target creature you control explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)


Cards like Miner's Guidewing

Miner’s Guidewing brings a fresh twist to the creature lineup in Magic: The Gathering. It sits alongside cards like Faerie Miscreant, which shares the ability to draw a card upon entering the battlefield. However, unlike the Miscreant, Miner’s Guidewing requires another creature with the same name to be on the battlefield or in the graveyard to activate this ability. This both limits and expands strategic play depending on your deck setup.

Delving into the realm of flying creatures, we encounter Cloudkin Seer. This card draws you a card without any additional prerequisites, but it does come at a higher mana cost than Miner’s Guidewing. Additionally, Squadron Hawk offers a unique drawing mechanic as well, allowing you to search for other copies of it when it lands on the field. While not a direct card draw, it effectively increases hand access to similar creatures.

Ultimately, Miner’s Guidewing garners a distinct position among its peers by incentivizing deckbuilding around creature-specific synergies, adding layers of strategy to the gameplay within Magic: The Gathering. Its nuanced requirement sets it apart, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity to the discerning player.

Faerie Miscreant - MTG Card versions
Cloudkin Seer - MTG Card versions
Squadron Hawk - MTG Card versions
Faerie Miscreant - MTG Card versions
Cloudkin Seer - MTG Card versions
Squadron Hawk - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Miner's Guidewing by color, type and mana cost

Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
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Icatian Infantry - MTG Card versions
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Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions
Mother of Runes - MTG Card versions
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Savannah Lions - MTG Card versions
Benalish Hero - MTG Card versions
Icatian Infantry - MTG Card versions
Icatian Scout - MTG Card versions
Icatian Javelineers - MTG Card versions
Kjeldoran Warrior - MTG Card versions
Trade Caravan - MTG Card versions
Vigilant Martyr - MTG Card versions
Honor Guard - MTG Card versions
Volunteer Militia - MTG Card versions
Nomads en-Kor - MTG Card versions
Soul Warden - MTG Card versions
Resistance Fighter - MTG Card versions
Honorable Scout - MTG Card versions
Devoted Caretaker - MTG Card versions
Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions
Kor Duelist - MTG Card versions
Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions
Mother of Runes - MTG Card versions
Daru Mender - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Miner's Guidewing. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Azorius MidrangeAzorius Midrange StandardAzorius FlashStore Championship - The Mythic Store
DecklistDecklist Free formUOL LCI Sealed League
Five-colorFive-color Free formTorino Tournament - Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Naya AggroNaya Aggro GladiatorSword and Sandals Showdown: AM Week 08 2024
Boros ConvokeBoros Convoke StandardBoros ConvokeStandard League 2024-02-12
Boros ControlBoros Control Free formStandard Pauper Tournament Feb 2024
Azorius AggroAzorius Aggro StandardAzorius AggroStandard League 2023-12-04
Esper AggroEsper Aggro GladiatorGladiator Games: We're Back
Azorius TempoAzorius Tempo StandardAzorius FlashThe Pizza Box Open: Standard
Azorius FlashAzorius Flash StandardAzorius FlashStandard Challenge 64 2023-12-03 (1)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Miner’s Guidewing offers players the ability to accumulate card advantage by replacing itself in your hand when it dies, ensuring you don’t lose out on resources.

Resource Acceleration: This nimble flyer excels at ramping up your resources, as it generates a Treasure token upon death, giving you an extra burst of mana for future turns.

Instant Speed: Its ability to block an attacker and then provide an additional card at instant speed during the combat phase can subtly shift the momentum in your favor without missing a beat.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Miner’s Guidewing necessitates the player to discard another card as part of its activation. In tight situations, when hand preservation is critical, this can be a substantial drawback, forcing players to make potentially harmful trade-offs.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of one generic and one red mana to play. This specificity restricts its inclusion in multi-colored decks that might struggle with mana consistency, thereby limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a 3/1 flyer, the cost to get Miner’s Guidewing on the battlefield is notably higher than some other options available. Players might find that the initial mana investment does not yield proportional strategic advantage, especially when there are alternative cards that could offer more immediate or impactful board presence.


Reasons to Include Miner’s Guidewing in Your Collection

Versatility: Miner’s Guidewing provides a multi-faceted role in decks keen on flying creatures and graveyard synergy. As a flier, it can be a consistent threat in the air while its graveyard recursion ability helps you bring back key cards to your hand, ensuring your resources are never wasted.

Combo Potential: This creature’s ability to return another nonland card from your graveyard when it dies means it’s an excellent piece in combos, playing nicely with strategies that revolve around self-mill or sacrifice for greater gains.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where graveyard interaction is common and valuable, Miner’s Guidewing finds its place. It’s a solid card that interacts well within various metagames that appreciate iterative value and the resilience of flying creatures.


How to beat

Miner’s Guidewing is a creature that has quickly found a niche within MTG’s vast array of flying cards. Its ability to work as a stepping stone to card advantage while hovering on the board makes it a card worth considering in strategies revolving around flying synergies. To effectively counter Miner’s Guidewing, it’s crucial to understand both its strengths and timing.

One approach is to employ instant speed removal spells that can target Miner’s Guidewing before its controller has the opportunity to take advantage of its graveyard-to-library ability. Cards with Flash that can block and defeat it in combat are also useful, as they can catch an opponent off guard. Additionally, cards that strip away flying or leverage reach can neutralize Miner’s Guidewing’s evasion. Board wipes are another avenue, clearing the way regardless of flying creatures, but it’s important to note the window between Miner’s Guidewing’s introduction to the battlefield and an opponent’s end step, as that is when it’s most vulnerable to sorcery-speed interactions.

Ultimately, a combination of timing, disruption, and creature control can keep Miner’s Guidewing at bay, maintaining the balance of play and preventing your opponent from gaining that all-important card advantage.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Miner's Guidewing MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Miner's Guidewing and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Miner's Guidewing has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-11-10 If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to explore but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still explores. If you reveal a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything, but you may put the revealed card into your graveyard. Effects that trigger "whenever a creature explores" trigger as appropriate.
2023-11-10 If an ability instructs a creature to explore, its controller reveals the top card of their library. If it's a land card, they'll put it into their hand. Otherwise, they'll put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then choose to either leave that card on top of their library or put it into their graveyard.
2023-11-10 If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
2023-11-10 In some unusual cases, noncreature permanents may explore. For example, if the creature card returned by Defossilize is somehow not a creature once it's on the battlefield, it can still explore. You'll take all the same actions, and you may end up putting a +1/+1 counter on the permanent. (Note that some effects target a creature, and those effects would still require a legal target to have it explore.)
2023-11-10 Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
2023-11-10 Some spells or abilities might cause a creature to explore multiple times in a row. If you reveal a nonland card when a creature explores and leave it on top of your library, then the creature explores again immediately afterwards, you'll reveal the same card again.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.