Sacred Guide MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Cleric
Released	1997-10-14
Set symbol
Set name	Tempest
Set code	TMP
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	38
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Zina Saunders

Key Takeaways

Provides deck thinning by exiling a white card, enhancing your draw consistency for key spells.
The low casting cost and instant speed ability offer tactical adaptability and early game presence.
Requires careful strategizing due to its color-specific mana cost and potential hand disruption.

Text of card

o1o W, Sacrifice Sacred Guide: Reveal cards from your library until you reveal a white card. Put that card into your hand. Remove all other revealed cards from the game.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the strengths of Sacred Guide is its ability to selectively thin your deck by exiling a white card, which effectively increases the consistency with which you draw into your key spells.

Resource Acceleration: While Sacred Guide itself doesn’t produce mana or tokens, its low casting cost enables a fluid mana curve, allowing for a swift board presence and the ability to utilize mana more efficiently in the early turns of the game.

Instant Speed: The activation of Sacred Guide’s ability can be done at instant speed, offering flexibility in gameplay. This permits players to wait until the end of an opponent’s turn to maximize the element of surprise or to respond to an opponent’s actions without sacrificing their main phase opportunities.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When playing Sacred Guide, you must conform to its unique game mechanic that necessitates the removal of your own card from play. This can be a setback, particularly if every card in your hand is crucial to your strategy or if you’re grappling with dwindling options.

Specific Mana Cost: Sacred Guide’s casting requires white mana, making it slightly restrictive. Players dedicated to mono-colored or certain two-color combinations may find it easier to integrate, but for many others, this could mean having to tweak mana bases or forego the card altogether.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the need for one white mana and one additional mana, some players might find Sacred Guide a bit costly for what it ultimately brings to the table. Especially when compared to other creatures or spells at a similar cost that might provide more immediate board presence or versatility.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Sacred Guide is a unique addition that can find a home in many white-based decks. Its ability to selectively remove white cards can help you sculpt your hand and game strategy effectively.

Combo Potential: With its singular ability to exile itself and reveal cards until a white card is revealed, this card can be a linchpin in combos, particularly with cards that capitalize on exile triggers or graveyard manipulation.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames heavy with graveyard strategies, Sacred Guide offers a strategic advantage. By exiling itself, it dodges traditional graveyard hate while still offering valuable utility in removing specific cards from your deck.

How to beat

Sacred Guide is an intriguing card poised to influence the game dynamics in Magic: The Gathering, often serving as a linchpin for deck searching strategies. The white spell is specifically crafted to allow a player to sift through their deck for a white card, playing a pivotal role in sculpting the game’s outcome. To effectively counteract this strategy, interrupting the deck search is critical. Utilizing cards that restrict library access or shuffle an opponent’s deck can throw a major wrench into plans hinged on Sacred Guide’s abilities. Cards like Aven Mindcensor that limit search radius or Psyche Spiral to reshuffle the graveyard back into the library, can serve as vital tools.’

Another avenue to undermine Sacred Guide is through direct removal. Swift action taken against creatures on the board, through spells like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, can thwart an opponent’s attempts to steer the game. It’s also worth considering strategies that prevent creatures from hitting the board in the first place; a well-timed counterspell like Mana Leak can save you from future complications that Sacred Guide threatens to introduce into the game.

Ultimately, staying one step ahead and anticipating your opponent’s moves will serve as your best defense against a Sacred Guide-driven strategy. Keeping your own gameplay versatile and ready to adapt to disrupt your opponent’s carefully laid plans is key to securing victory on the battlefield.

Cards like Sacred Guide

Sacred Guide enriches the unique landscape of white mana cards that delve into the territory of library manipulation in MTG. This card bears a resemblance to Tutors, specifically Enlightened Tutor. Both cards are designed to search the library, though Sacred Guide’s ability is much more restricted. Unlike Enlightened Tutor, which allows you to search for an artifact or enchantment card, Sacred Guide requires a guess-and-check method conforming to the color white, revealing cards until the right one shows up.

Comparatively, Guided Passage is another card-sharing traits with Sacred Guide insofar as the searching mechanic. While Guided Passage gives opponents the power to choose which cards you receive, Sacred Guide offers a self-reliant approach, albeit with a potentially higher risk. Another card falling into this category is Demonic Consultation, playing with the dangerous tactic of exiling cards to retrieve what you need. It shares the high-stakes gamble with Sacred Guide, but it isn’t limited to white cards.

Evaluating these parallels, Sacred Guide presents an intriguing choice for those willing to take a gamble in the hopes of acquiring the right white spell. Its unique library traversal makes it a niche, yet potential game-changer in MTG deck strategies.

Demonic Consultation - MTG Card versions

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

Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions

Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions

Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sacred Guide MTG card by a specific set like Tempest, 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 Sacred Guide and other MTG cards: