Timberland Guide MTG Card
2012-05-04 - Number 197
2017-11-17 - Number 187
2021-09-24 - Number 202
2022-01-28 - Number 202
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Scout |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
When Timberland Guide enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
"Can you build a fire? Track a deer? Identify killer trees? Then you'll never survive Kessig without me."
Understanding Timberland Guide
Timberland Guide makes a notable impact on the battlefield with its creature buffing ability. In Magic: The Gathering, this type of creature is invaluable for bolstering your forces, reminiscent of cards like Avacyn’s Pilgrim. Both serve to advance your game plan through different means. While Avacyn’s Pilgrim ramps your mana, Timberland Guide increases a creature’s power and toughness, potentially turning the tide of combat in your favor.
Cards like Timberland Guide
Timberland Guide stands among a family of creatures that enhance others when they enter the battlefield. It shares this spotlight with cards like Juniper Order Ranger, which not only boosts another creature but also grows itself with each creature entering under your control. Another parallel can be drawn with Elite Scaleguard, which empowers and readies your army by utilizing bolster mechanics that strengthen your weakest creatures and give them a tactical edge through tap abilities.
While Timberland Guide offers a direct and immediate effect for a single creature, cards like Juniper Order Ranger offer a more long-term strategic advantage, becoming increasingly more powerful over time. Elite Scaleguard shifts the dynamics even further, focusing on battlefield control. Deciding which card to use is dependent on your overall strategy and the synergies within your deck.
Examining Timberland Guide in the context of its peers, it’s clearly a versatile tool in MTG, particularly for decks that thrive on quick and impactful creature enhancements. Such attributes make it a worthy inclusion in creature-focused strategies.
Cards similar to Timberland Guide by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Timberland Guide provides immediate board presence by placing a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Effectively, this boosts the size of your forces and can turn the tide by enhancing creature survivability or combat effectiveness.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly a resource accelerator, the Timberland Guide’s ability to strengthen other creatures can lead to a more stable and aggressive board state, effectively accelerating your path to victory.
Instant Speed: Although Timberland Guide itself is not an instant, its enter-the-battlefield effect is akin to an instant since it can be utilized as soon as the creature enters the battlefield, providing an immediate advantage during your turn or a surprise development during your opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks associated with Timberland Guide is the prerequisite of discarding another card to utilize some of its abilities. This requirement can be particularly problematic when your hand is already depleted, forcing you to make potentially detrimental decisions to your game strategy or giving up on the card’s full potential.
Specific Mana Cost: Timberland Guide demands a certain combination of mana for casting, which may not always align with the mana resources available to you during play. If you’re running a multicolor deck that doesn’t prioritize green mana, the usefulness of Timberland Guide can be significantly compromised, potentially sitting idle in your hand.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite the card’s utility in boosting your creatures, its mana cost might be seen as an investment on the higher side when compared with other cards that have a similar impact on the board state. For the mana spent to summon Timberland Guide, you could potentially cast more impactful creatures or spells that provide a greater advantage.
Reasons to Include Timberland Guide in Your Collection
Versatility: Timberland Guide’s ability to instantly bolster another creature upon entering the battlefield makes it a flexible addition to many green deck strategies, enabling both aggressive and defensive plays.
Combo Potential: This card works well with strategies that involve +1/+1 counters, as it can be the starting point for various counter synergies and interactions that amplify its effects.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Timberland Guide could serve as a key piece in outmaneuvering opponents, making it a tactical asset in a diverse meta.
How to beat
The Timberland Guide presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield with its ability to boost the strength of other creatures in your MTG deck. As a useful ally, it enters the playfield with the perk of grafting an additional +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, enhancing its combat capabilities almost immediately.
To effectively navigate around this tactical card, consider removal spells that can preemptively disrupt the Guide’s entrance to the field or the distribution of counters. Spot removal spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile can prove invaluable by eliminating the Guide before its effect comes into play. Alternatively, board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the playing field, nullifying the advantage gained by your opponent’s creatures. Utilizing counter spells to prevent the Timberland Guide from being cast in the first place can also tip the scales in your favor.
Strategically, keeping pressure on your opponent’s creature base and being mindful of the incremental advantages that The Timberland Guide can provide will help ensure that this green creature doesn’t outpace your MTG strategy.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Timberland Guide MTG card by a specific set like Avacyn Restored and Iconic Masters, 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 Timberland Guide and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
Printings
The Timberland Guide Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2012-05-04 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Zoltan Boros.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-05-04 | Avacyn Restored | AVR | 197 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros | |
| 2 | 2017-11-17 | Iconic Masters | IMA | 187 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros | |
| 3 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 202 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros | |
| 4 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 202 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Zoltan Boros |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Timberland Guide has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Timberland Guide card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-11-17 | You may choose Timberland Guide as the target of its own ability. |