Griffin Guide MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Griffin Guide offers flying and strength, sustaining board presence through bonus Griffin tokens upon host’s demise.
  2. Resource commitment to white mana can restrict deck flexibility, despite Griffin Guide’s potential power.
  3. Griffin tokens offer strategic value, aiding in persistent board control and resilience in various meta settings.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying. When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, put a 2/2 white Griffin creature token with flying into play.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Griffin Guide provides a significant boon to your aerial offense, giving a creature a substantial power and toughness boost. When the enchanted creature meets its demise, Griffin Guide goes the extra mile by granting you a 2/2 Griffin creature token with flying, ensuring that your board presence and card advantage are maintained even after a loss.

Resource Acceleration: While Griffin Guide itself does not provide a direct form of mana or resource acceleration, the presence of the Griffin token can influence the board state by offering an additional attacker or blocker. This can indirectly accelerate your game plan by preserving your life total or by applying pressure on your opponent, forcing them to deal with multiple threats.

Instant Speed: Griffin Guide enhances your strategy with its enchantment speed capability. In MTG, timing your plays wisely can shift the balance of a game. Though not at instant speed, properly timing the casting of Griffin Guide can significantly disrupt your opponent’s calculations by unexpectedly bolstering a creature’s power, potentially creating favorable combat scenarios or surprise lethal attacks.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Griffin Guide necessitates the relinquishing of another card in hand which can prove to be a substantial setback, particularly in the late game where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting prerequisite of two white mana, Griffin Guide can be restrictive as it demands a heavy commitment to white mana sources, potentially limiting deck-building flexibility and making it challenging to include in multicolored strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Boasting a casting cost of three mana, this enchantment could be considered burdensome when juxtaposed with other aura alternatives that grant not only flying but additional bonuses at a lower mana commitment, hence potentially reducing its appeal in decks focusing on mana curve efficiency.


Reasons to Include Griffin Guide in Your Collection

Versatility: Griffin Guide offers a dual benefit of enhancing a creature’s abilities and providing an additional threat upon the enchanted creature’s demise. It’s a valuable asset in decks aiming to maintain board presence.

Combo Potential: When paired with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or sacrificing synergies, this enchantment can become a repetitive engine for Griffin creation, turning every creature into a potential two-for-one.

Meta-Relevance: With the shifting nature of deck archetypes, having a card that can serve multiple roles is crucial. Griffin Guide’s ability to adapt to aggressive, combo, and creature-based strategies makes it a relevant choice in various meta environments.


How to beat

Griffin Guide is an enchantment aura that boosts its host with enhanced abilities in the realm of MTG. Attached to a creature, it grants a significant power and toughness increase, and upon the enchanted creature’s demise, it creates a Griffin creature token. This card potentially generates a two-for-one advantage, making it critical to have a strategy for overcoming it.

To effectively counter Griffin Guide, one must manage both the enchanted creature and the resulting token. Instant removal spells that can disrupt the enchantment before the creature’s death are a tactician’s best tool—eliminating the threat before it can multiply. Cards like Disenchant that can directly target and eliminate auras also serve as a perfect answer by nullifying Griffin Guide’s effect outright. Furthermore, board wipes can sweep both creatures and tokens simultaneously, thus leaving your opponent without the added benefits Griffin Guide provides.

Overcoming the challenges posed by Griffin Guide requires both forethought and the right mix of cards. By incorporating versatile removal or employing board control tactics, players can prevent the Guide from soaring to its full potential, keeping the aerial threat firmly grounded.


Cards like Griffin Guide

Griffin Guide is an intriguing enchantment in MTG that elevates creatures to new heights. What sets it apart is the ability it endows: not only does the enchanted creature get a boost with +2/+2 and gains flying, but upon its death, a 2/2 white Griffin creature token with flying also comes into play. In comparison to other aura cards like Spectra Ward, which also grants a considerable power increase and protection from all colors, Griffin Guide shines for offering an additional creature upon the enchanted creature’s demise.

Looking at cards such as Hyena Umbra, which also provides a power boost and the totem armor ability, Griffin Guide’s uniqueness becomes apparent—the additional flying creature it generates adds potential for extended board presence. Then we turn to Flight of Fancy, which grants flying and draws two cards upon entering the battlefield. While Flight of Fancy is immense for card advantage, it lacks the endurance and lasting board impact provided by Griffin Guide’s token creation feature.

In weighing these options, it’s clear that Griffin Guide holds a special place among enchantments in MTG, balancing immediate strength with long-term strategic advantage. Its combined value of aerial offense and resilience through token creation can be a game-changer, making it a card worth considering in decks that benefit from persistent board presence.

Spectra Ward - MTG Card versions
Hyena Umbra - MTG Card versions
Flight of Fancy - MTG Card versions
Spectra Ward - Magic 2015 (M15)
Hyena Umbra - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Flight of Fancy - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

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

Damping Field - MTG Card versions
Farmstead - MTG Card versions
Cooperation - MTG Card versions
Noble Steeds - MTG Card versions
Aura of Silence - MTG Card versions
Empyrial Armor - MTG Card versions
Cessation - MTG Card versions
Arrest - MTG Card versions
Glorious Anthem - MTG Card versions
Samite Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Pariah - MTG Card versions
Tattoo Ward - MTG Card versions
Sparring Regimen - MTG Card versions
Shielded by Faith - MTG Card versions
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Cage of Hands - MTG Card versions
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - MTG Card versions
Guardian's Magemark - MTG Card versions
Celestial Dawn - MTG Card versions
Damping Field - Antiquities (ATQ)
Farmstead - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Cooperation - Ice Age (ICE)
Noble Steeds - Alliances (ALL)
Aura of Silence - Commander 2015 (C15)
Empyrial Armor - Weatherlight (WTH)
Cessation - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Arrest - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Glorious Anthem - Junior Super Series (PSUS)
Samite Sanctuary - Prophecy (PCY)
Pariah - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Tattoo Ward - Odyssey (ODY)
Sparring Regimen - Strixhaven: School of Mages Promos (PSTX)
Shielded by Faith - Signature Spellbook: Gideon (SS2)
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Oblivion Ring - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Cage of Hands - Commander Legends (CMR)
Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant // Rune-Tail's Essence - The List (PLST)
Guardian's Magemark - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Celestial Dawn - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Griffin Guide MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons, 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 Griffin Guide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Griffin Guide Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12006-10-06Time SpiralTSP 212003normalblackJim Nelson
22011-04-01Duel Decks: Knights vs. DragonsDDG 332003normalblackJim Nelson
32011-09-02Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol BolasDDH 252003normalblackJim Nelson
42013-09-06Duel Decks: Heroes vs. MonstersDDL 282003normalblackJohann Bodin
52021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 192015normalblackJim Nelson
62023-01-13Dominaria RemasteredDMR 82015normalblackJim Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Griffin Guide has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-12-08 If Griffin Guide and the enchanted creature go to the graveyard at the same time, Griffin Guide’s last ability will trigger.

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