Planar Guide MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Cleric |
| Released | 2003-02-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Legions |
| Set code | LGN |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 18 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Eric Peterson |
Key Takeaways
- Planar Guide offers board reset, reusing creature abilities and avoiding removals.
- While versatile, it risks board presence and is costly for non-white decks.
- It stands out with self-sacrifice and flicker synergy, despite similar cards.
Text of card
, Remove Planar Guide from the game: Remove all creatures from the game. At end of turn, return those cards to play under their owners' control.
"Every moment has its own savior."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Planar Guide offers a unique form of card advantage by resetting the board, allowing you to reuse enter the battlefield effects or save your creatures from removal or unfavorable combat.
Resource Acceleration: With the ability to effectively manage the board state, Planar Guide can act as a reset button, indirectly accelerating your resources by negating the opponent’s board development.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Planar Guide at instant speed provides immense tactical flexibility, offering surprise interactions and disrupting opponent strategies at critical moments during the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Planar Guide requires exile until the end of turn, which can be risky if you’re relying on key creatures for defense or to maintain board presence.
Specific Mana Cost: As it needs one white mana to cast, Planar Guide may not optimally fit in multi-colored decks that are not focused on white mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an activation cost of three mana and one white, it’s relatively expensive to use, considering other cards can provide similar or better board control at a lower cost.
Reasons to Include Planar Guide in Your Collection
Versatility: Planar Guide offers flexibility in various deck archetypes, providing a way to temporarily remove creatures from the battlefield. This can be invaluable for dodging removal, saving your creatures from a board wipe, or even disrupting opponent strategies.
Combo Potential: This card can set the stage for powerful comebacks and synergies. When paired with enter-the-battlefield effects or creatures with leave-the-battlefield triggers, Planar Guide can be a key piece in turning the tides of the game.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-heavy tactics are prevalent, Planar Guide keeps your strategy adaptable. The ability to mass exile and return creatures can act as both a protective measure and as a means to reset the board to your advantage.
How to Beat Planar Guide
Planar Guide presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. When leveraged correctly, this card can turn the tide of any match by exiling all creatures and returning them at the end of turn. This reset button can be a thorn in your side, especially if you’ve established a considerable creature presence on the battlefield.
To outmaneuver Planar Guide, timing is key. Instant-speed removal spells can disrupt its ability, removing it from play before its effect can resolve. Holding onto removal until the Guide threatens to activate ensures you maintain control. Additionally, playing cards that grant your creatures indestructibility or hexproof protects them from being exiled. Counterspells are also effective, as they prevent the Guide from ever entering the battlefield in the first place.
Always be mindful of the mana your opponent has available. Planar Guide’s ability requires only a single white mana, so watch for untapped plains or other sources. Successful navigation around this card’s ability not only secures your board state but also can leave your opponent at a strategic disadvantage, having invested in a play that ultimately failed to disrupt your game plan.
Cards like Planar Guide
Planar Guide is a unique creature in the vast panorama of Magic: The Gathering. It shares similarities with other cards that enable protective sweeps like Ghostway, which also exiles creatures you control. However, Planar Guide allows for a more selective approach, providing the ability to choose the timing of the exile by waiting for the right moment to activate its ability. This level of control can be crucial in reaction to your opponent’s moves.
Comparatively, Scapegoat is another card that offers protection, shuffling creatures back into your hand instead of exiling them. This process avoids potential destruction but doesn’t cleanse them of auras or counters like an exile would. Furthermore, another analogous card is Eerie Interlude, which targets multiple creatures for exile and returns them at the next end step, giving it an edge in reactivating enter-the-battlefield effects.
Despite these alternatives, Planar Guide stands out by being a creature with a self-sacrifice mechanic that can be repeated with recursion tactics, making it versatile in decks that capitalize on flicker strategies. It proves its value by ensuring that your creatures can dodge mass removals while setting the stage for powerful reentrances in the game of Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Planar Guide by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Planar Guide MTG card by a specific set like Legions, 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 Planar Guide and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Planar Guide has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Planar Guide card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | All “enters the battlefield” abilities trigger as normal. |
| 2004-10-04 | Creatures that were face down return to the battlefield face up. |
| 2004-10-04 | If the ability is activated during the End step, then the creatures do not return until the End step of the following turn. |
| 2005-08-01 | When the creatures leave the battlefield, all Auras on them go to their owners’ graveyards, any counters on them are removed, and effects on them end. Token creatures do not return to the battlefield. |
