Welkin Guide MTG Card

Shards of Alara (ALA)
2008-10-03 - Number 30

Eternal Masters (EMA)
2016-06-10 - Number 36

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Bird Cleric
Abilities	Flying
Power	2
Toughness	2

Key Takeaways

Welkin Guide immediately impacts board state by providing flight and buffs to creatures, elevating attack and defense potential.
Acts as a resource accelerator, offering an additional body on board and exploiting synergies with other creatures.
Its flexibility can mimic instant speed advantages, surprising opponents with new threats or unexpected blocks.

Text of card

Flying When Welkin Guide comes into play, target creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying until end of turn.

"Those talons really dig into your skin, but it's better than being dropped." —Rafiq of the Many

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Welkin Guide provides a unique twist to card advantage by offering the potential to efficiently utilize your creature cards in hand. Upon entering the battlefield, its ability to grant a creature flying until end of turn can lead to immediate board impact, especially when combined with ETB (Enter The Battlefield) effects of other creatures.

Resource Acceleration: As a creature itself, Welkin Guide contributes directly to your resource acceleration by acting as an additional body on the board. Its ability to elevate another creature’s capabilities can also be viewed as a form of indirect resource acceleration, enabling a more robust and versatile offense or defense.

Instant Speed: While not an instant, Welkin Guide compensates with flexibility. It contributes tactical advantages by its very nature, allowing you to untap with a new aerial threat or surprise block an unsuspecting attacker. This can turn the tides during critical moments and mimic the unpredictability typically afforded by instant speed spells.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Welkin Guide presents a deck-building challenge as it doesn’t operate on discarding, yet its function may encourage a hand-size reduction to exploit its full potential, which can be risky if you’re already managing limited card resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card carries a white mana cost, which can complicate your mana base if you’re aiming to incorporate it into a multicolor deck that doesn’t heavily favor white. Finding the right balance can be tricky, thereby limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at five mana with two of those being white, Welkin Guide can be somewhat cumbersome to cast, especially when considering other creatures or spells that provide similar or greater levels of board presence and impact for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include Welkin Guide in Your Collection

Versatility: Welkin Guide offers flexibility in deck building as it serves both as a creature and an enabler for flying strategies. Its ability to grant flying to another creature adds a layer of tactical depth and unexpected plays in various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card is excellent for combos, particularly in decks that focus on creature-based synergies or wish to capitalize on entering the battlefield effects. It can also be a key piece in achieving surprise wins with otherwise grounded creatures.

Meta-Relevance: With the constant ebb and flow of the MTG meta, the inclusion of flying can be a decisive factor. Welkin Guide’s ability to elevate creatures can provide an edge over ground-based decks and fit well within an evolving game environment where aerial threats are valuable.

How to beat

The Welkin Guide is an evasive creature card that can be quite a challenge to handle due to its capability to give another target creature a substantial power boost and flying until the end of turn. This can turn any ground-based threat into an immediate concern in the air, potentially swaying the game. However, as with any strategy in Magic: The Gathering, there are ways to ground the Guide and its ambitions.

To counteract the Welkin Guide, consider keeping removal spells handy, preferably instant speed ones such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, to deal with it before the Guide’s ability activates. Another strategy is to rely on creatures with reach or those that can block flying creatures, such as Silklash Spider or Aerial Responder. Counterspells are also effective means of never letting Welkin Guide hit the battlefield in the first place. In a pinch, reducing the number of available targets through board control can limit the Guide’s impact, making its ability less of a game changer.

Taking these measures into account and maintaining board awareness can transform a sky-high threat into a manageable challenge, ensuring that the Welkin Guide’s impact on the game is reduced significantly.

Cards like Welkin Guide

Welkin Guide is a unique creature in the realm of MTG, standing out for its ability to elevate gameplay the moment it takes flight. Sharing some similarities with cards like Aven Squire, both creatures come equipped with flying and a secondary ability that boosts fellow creatures’ capabilities. However, Welkin Guide takes this further by permanently granting a +2/+2 buff to a target creature when it enters the battlefield, a one-time yet impactful advantage unlike the conditional and recurring power boost provided by Aven Squire.

When considering cards with similar etched-in support roles, Shepherd of the Flock presents itself as a worthy comparison. While it lacks the aerial prowess of Welkin Guide, it offers utility in its ability to return a permanent to its owner’s hand, protecting key pieces on the board. Welkin Guide, by contrast, is more offensive, giving a significant, lasting power increase that could turn the tide in combat.

In scrutinizing the potential of Welkin Guide in MTG, its blend of flight and bolstering a fellow creature gives it a notable position among creature cards that support and empower ally forces on the battlefield, delivering a strategic edge in combat scenarios.

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

Enduring Angel // Angelic Enforcer - MTG Card versions

Celestial Gatekeeper - MTG Card versions

Kiyomaro, First to Stand - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Welkin Guide MTG card by a specific set like Shards of Alara and Eternal 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 Welkin Guide and other MTG cards: