Kinsbaile Courier MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Kithkin Soldier
Abilities	Encore
Released	2020-11-20
Set symbol
Set name	Commander Legends
Set code	CMR
Power	2
Toughness	1
Number	29
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Mila Pesic

Key Takeaways

Conspire with Kinsbaile Courier to duplicate spells, elevating your card advantage and battlefield options.
Flash ability adds strategic depth, allowing reactive play or surprise blockers in tight situations.
Mana-specific, high-cost, and discard requirement are considerations before integrating this card into your deck.

Text of card

When Kinsbaile Courier enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Encore (, Exile this card from your graveyard: For each opponent, create a token copy that attacks that opponent this turn if able. They gain haste. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step. Activate only as a sorcery.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Kinsbaile Courier provides a distinct card advantage by allowing you to conspire, which means when you cast this spell, you may tap two untapped creatures you control that share a color with it. When you do, copy it. This can significantly boost your hand and options on the battlefield, helping you to stay ahead of your opponent.

Resource Acceleration: The courier’s unique ability to potentially double the spell through conspiring can act as a form of resource acceleration. By duplicating the spell you’re effectively getting two actions for the cost of one, giving you an edge in terms of both tempo and value, which can be the difference-maker in many matches.

Instant Speed: As a card with flash, Kinsbaile Courier can be cast at instant speed, keeping your opponent guessing and allowing you strategic flexibility. Instant speed play can disrupt the opponent’s strategy or provide a surprise blocker, making it a versatile tool in your MTG arsenal.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Kinsbaile Courier comes with the downside of requiring a player to discard a card. This mechanic can pose a significant disadvantage, especially when a player’s card advantage is on the line. In high-stakes gameplay, the mandatory discard could be a costly setback.

Specific Mana Cost: With a mana cost that necessitates white mana, Kinsbaile Courier can be restrictive for decks that are not geared towards or capable of consistently producing white mana. This limitation may deter players from incorporating it into more diverse or color-flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Considering the abilities that Kinsbaile Courier provides, the mana cost can be seen as relatively high. In the context of the current meta, where efficiency is key, there are alternative creatures that might yield greater value or impact on the battlefield for the same or less mana investment.

Reasons to Include Kinsbaile Courier in Your Collection

Versatility: Kinsbaile Courier has the ability to fit seamlessly into a variety of deck types, particularly those that are creature-centric and can capitalize on its tap and untap synergy.

Combo Potential: This card works well with other cards that care about the number of creatures you control or those that have tap and untap mechanics, multiplying the value each time a combo is successfully pulled off.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shift towards creature-based strategies, having Kinsbaile Courier in your deck ensures you keep pace with the meta, as its ability to generate advantage over time can be quite significant.

How to beat

Kinsbaile Courier epitomizes utility in the world of creature-based strategies, offering players a creature with multiple capabilities upon entering the battlefield or dying. The card’s ability to grant card advantage through its ability to draw a card when it dies can be disruptive for those facing it. This also makes it a prime target for removal spells, especially those that can exile it, negating the death-triggered benefits.

When strategizing against Kinsbaile Courier, it’s paramount to assess the timing and type of removal used. Instant speed removal spells such as Path to Exile or Direct Current can deal with the Courier before its controller can capitalize on its death-triggered ability. Furthermore, using exile effects skirts around recursive strategies that aim to reanimate or replay the Courier from the graveyard. Also important is pressure; maintaining a board-state that can consistently threaten your opponent will force them to block with Kinsbaile Courier, thereby removing it as an ongoing concern.

Ultimately, neutralizing Kinsbaile Courier revolves around preemptive measures and the judicious use of removal resources. Keeping the creature off the board is crucial in mitigating the repeated value it can potentially generate, ensuring it doesn’t become a persistent nuisance throughout the game.

Cards like Kinsbaile Courier

Kinsbaile Courier stands out in deck strategies focusing on creature support in Magic: The Gathering. Its kinship with cards like Squadron Hawk becomes evident when looking at their creature-fetching abilities. Squadron Hawk, upon entering the battlefield, allows a search for up to three more copies of itself, ensuring a tactical advantage in terms of board presence.

Another comparable card is Elvish Visionary, which, similar to Kinsbaile Courier, provides card draw upon its deployment. Both cards are valued for their ability to maintain card advantage. While Kinsbaile Courier has the added allure of being an Ally creature, useful for triggering rally or cohort effects, Elvish Visionary is part of the Elf tribe, which is central to its own synergistic strategies.

Lastly, Benefactor’s Draught draws parallels with Kinsbaile Courier’s untapping mechanism. This instant not only untaps all creatures on the field but also has the card draw mechanic attached to each creature untapped this way controlled by the player. It doesn’t bring a creature into play directly but offers a larger value on untapping potentials and immediate board influence.

Evaluating these cards side-by-side showcases Kinsbaile Courier’s versatility within the scope of similar MTG card functionalities, allied tribe-related strategies, and card advantage techniques.

Benefactor's Draught - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Kinsbaile Courier by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kinsbaile Courier MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends, 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 Kinsbaile Courier and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kinsbaile Courier has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2020-11-10	Each token must attack the appropriate player if able.
2020-11-10	Exiling the card with encore is a cost to activate the ability. Once you announce that you're activating it, no player may take actions until you've finished. They can't try to remove the card from your graveyard to stop you from paying the cost.
2020-11-10	If one of the tokens can't attack for any reason (such as being tapped), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having it attack, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either.
2020-11-10	If one of the tokens somehow is under another player's control as the delayed triggered ability resolves, you can't sacrifice that token. It remains on the battlefield indefinitely, even if you regain control of it later.
2020-11-10	Opponents who have left the game aren't counted when determining how many tokens to create.
2020-11-10	The tokens copy only what's on the original card. Effects that modified that creature when it was previously on the battlefield won't be copied.
2023-07-28	If an effect stops a token from attacking a specific player, that token can attack any player, planeswalker, or battle, or not attack at all. If the effect stops the token from attacking a specific player unless a cost is paid, you don't have to pay that cost unless you want to attack that player.