Foothill Guide MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Abilities | Morph,Protection |
| Released | 2002-10-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Onslaught |
| Set code | ONS |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 29 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Eric Peterson |
Key Takeaways
- With instant speed and board state control, Foothill Guide offers strategic gameplay advantages.
- Its unique abilities may lead to hand size reduction and mana allocation challenges.
- Versatility and meta-relevance make Foothill Guide a valuable addition to collections.
Text of card
Protection from Goblins Morph o W (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
"Like any pests, goblins must be repelled quickly or they multiply."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Foothill Guide offers enhanced board state comprehension by potentially filtering through your deck. This trait intimates both value generation and tactical depth within matchups, optimizing your draw sequences to cement an advantageous game position.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly influencing mana resources, its low casting cost facilitates a swift deployment. This rapid inclusion onto the battlefield empowers you to allocate resources elsewhere, potentially accelerating subsequent plays and leading to a cumulative gain in tempo.
Instant Speed: Foothill Guide can activate its ability at instant speed, maintaining strategic flexibility. You are able to adapt to the evolving game state with reactive precision, conserving mana for the most opportune moment. The convenience of instant speed manipulation of the library is both a defensive boon and an offensive catalyst.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Foothill Guide could force the player to part with a valuable card from their hand, diminishing their strategic options and potentially compromising their gameplay, especially if their hand size is already reduced.
Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost demands a precise combination of mana types, which could restrict its inclusion to decks that can consistently provide the necessary resources, potentially sidelining it in favor of more flexible alternatives.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Given the mana investment required, players might find that Foothill Guide’s impact on the board does not measure up to other cards within the same mana range, leading to a less-than-optimal use of resources in many situations.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Foothill Guide can be a key piece in a variety of decks, as its goblin subtype offers tribal synergy, and its land-searching ability can be crucial for maintaining a consistent mana base.
Combo Potential: This card works well with landfall triggers or as part of a combo that benefits from having additional basic lands enter the battlefield, possibly unlocking new lines of play.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where keeping up with land drops is critical, especially in formats with aggressive land destruction strategies, Foothill Guide can help sustain your momentum and provide an edge.
How to beat
Foothill Guide is a unique tool in an MTG player’s arsenal, providing a nifty way to protect creatures from being targeted. Interestingly enough, the Guide’s shadow ability allows it to slip through defenders, presenting a tactical challenge. Against such a creature, it’s crucial to consider removal spells that don’t target or can hit multiple creatures at once. Spells like Wrath of God or Pyroclasm sidestep the Guide’s protection by not requiring a target, neatly circumventing the issue.
Moreover, strategies that work across the board, impacting every creature present, prove efficient here. Engineered Explosives comes to mind, capable of sweeping away creatures of a certain mana cost, regardless of targeting restrictions. It is also wise to prevent the Guide from utilizing its capabilities. Creature abilities that lock down or continuously tap other creatures can effectively neutralize the Foothill Guide before its controller gets a chance to use it, thus blunting its impact on the game.
In summary, when aspiring to overcome a Foothill Guide on the battlefield, it’s essential to tailor your approach. Emphasizing non-targeting removals or adopting a strategy that restricts creature abilities can turn the tables, firmly placing control back in your hands.
Cards like Foothill Guide
Foothill Guide is a unique entry in Magic: The Gathering’s roster of creatures with its notable land-fetch ability. It shares similarities with cards like Sylvan Ranger, which also allows players to search their library for a basic land card when it enters the battlefield. Foothill Guide provides much-needed mana stability but with the distinct advantage of being able to protect itself from being destroyed once by regenerating. This capability gives it an edge over Sylvan Ranger, which lacks any form of self-preservation.
However, considering Borderland Ranger, the comparison gets interesting. Both cards help in land retrieval, yet Borderland Ranger doesn’t have the regeneration ability of Foothill Guide. Instead, it offers a sturdier body on the battlefield. Then there’s Civic Wayfinder, granting not only the land search but also the possibility to immediately put the land into hand, a subtle but valuable distinction that sometimes gives it a leg up over our spotlight contender.
Assessing these cards side by side places Foothill Guide in a notable position within its cadre. Despite being more vulnerable in combat, its regeneration trait ensures its sustainability on the battlefield, offering players a versatile and resilient option in the ever-evolving game of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Foothill Guide by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Foothill Guide MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Foothill Guide and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Foothill Guide has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
