Sneaking Guide MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Goblin Rogue |
| Released | 2020-09-25 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Zendikar Rising |
| Set code | ZNR |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 164 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Dan Scott |
Key Takeaways
- Sneaking Guide aids deck strategies by ensuring small creatures sneak past defenses, granting indirect card advantage.
- Though mana-specific and costly for its utility, it can pair well with other cards for resource acceleration.
- Instant speed interaction possibilities provide a tactical edge, although the card operates at sorcery speed.
Text of card
, : Target creature with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn.
"I swear, it's a shortcut."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sneaking Guide offers indirect card advantage by ensuring that your key creatures can consistently bypass blockers. This ability, particularly useful in decks with numerous small creatures or with specific attack triggers, augments your strategy by making it difficult for opponents to interfere with your plays.
Resource Acceleration: Although Sneaking Guide itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it synergizes well with other cards that enable resource acceleration. By ensuring critical creatures can sneak through each turn, the Guide can help maintain tempo or synergy with abilities that generate resources when creatures deal combat damage to a player.
Instant Speed: While Sneaking Guide operates at sorcery speed, its ability to make creatures unblockable until end of turn pairs well with spells and abilities that can be activated at instant speed during the attack phase. This adds a layer of unpredictability and tactical advantage, as you can decide which creatures to enable right in the midst of combat, forcing opponents to make difficult decisions without full information.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sneaking Guide necessitates ditching a card just to utilize its ability. This can lead to a predicament, particularly in the late game when your hand might be running thin, forcing you to make tough decisions about what to sacrifice for a minimal benefit.
Specific Mana Cost: This creature card comes with a color-specific mana requirement, red, which makes it less flexible. If your deck isn’t built to efficiently generate red mana or it’s running multiple colors, finding the resources to summon Sneaking Guide could be a challenge.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a demanding mana cost relative to its power level, Sneaking Guide may not make the cut in highly competitive decks. There are alternative options in the vast pool of MTG cards that could provide you with better value and impact on the game without straining your mana.
Reasons to Include Sneaking Guide in Your Collection
Versatility: Sneaking Guide offers subtle yet impactful flexibility for decks that focus on unblockable or evasive tactics. Its ability to make creatures with power 2 or less unblockable aligns well with strategies that aim to go under your opponent’s defenses.
Combo Potential: This card shines in conjunction with cards that benefit from dealing combat damage to a player, such as those with proliferate or card draw effects upon hitting an opponent. Sneaking Guide can be the enabler that makes these combos more consistent and dangerous.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where board stalls are common, having a reliable way to ensure damage and effect triggers is invaluable. Sneaking Guide becomes a tactical asset against decks that rely on creatures for blocking, allowing you to maintain pressure regardless of the board presence.
How to beat
Sneaking Guide offers a unique utility to Magic: The Gathering decks, enabling creatures with power 2 or less to become unblockable for a turn. While this can be a headache for players on the receiving end, understanding the card’s mechanics can shape your counter-strategy effectively. The key to overcoming Sneaking Guide lies in disruption and removal. Directly removing the creature through spells like Fatal Push or Shock can nullify its ability before it becomes a nuisance. Similarly, counter-play cards such as Negate or Essence Scatter can prevent Sneaking Guide from hitting the field in the first place.
Another approach is to keep the battlefield clear of smaller creatures that benefit from Sneaking Guide’s ability. Board wipes like Wrath of God or spot removal utilities ensure that the opponent’s low-power creatures don’t stack up and pose a bigger threat with the Guide’s help. Also, bear in mind that timely engagement and understanding your opponent’s deck strategy can make all the difference when anticipating when and how to disrupt their moves involving Sneaking Guide.
In conclusion, Sneaking Guide is a tactical card that requires an equally strategic response. With the right removal tools and proactive board management, it can be effectively countered, leaving your opponent’s plan less sneaky and more manageable.
Cards like Sneaking Guide
Sneaking Guide stands out in Magic the Gathering as a unique facilitator for unblockable attacks. It’s often compared to cards like Goblin Tunneler and Suspicious Bookcase, which offer similar sneak-attack advantages. Like Sneaking Guide, Goblin Tunneler enables a creature with power 2 or less to be unblockable, but it doesn’t have the utility of affecting multiple creatures. On the other side, Suspicious Bookcase can turn any creature unblockable regardless of power, yet it demands an activation cost and lacks the ability to directly engage in combat.
Another card worth mentioning is Key to the City which, while not a creature itself, also allows you to render creatures unblockable. Unlike Sneaking Guide, Key to the City has the flexibility of targeting creatures of any size but at the cost of discarding a card. There is also Rogue’s Passage, a land with an ability to make creatures unblockable, but this demands four mana for activation, making it a slower option.
Evaluating ease of use and resource management, Sneaking Guide provides an efficient approach for players who aim to guide their low-power creatures past enemy lines without incurring high costs or additional card loss. It is a strategic choice for decks that capitalize on evasion and direct combat.
Cards similar to Sneaking Guide by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sneaking Guide MTG card by a specific set like Zendikar Rising, 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 Sneaking 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 Sneaking Guide has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sneaking Guide card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2020-09-25 | If the target creature’s power is greater than 2 as Sneaking Guide’s ability tries to resolve, the ability doesn’t resolve. However, if instead the creature’s power is raised above 2 after the ability resolves, it still can’t be blocked that turn. |
| 2020-09-25 | Once a creature with power 2 or less has been blocked, Sneaking Guide’s ability won’t cause it to become unblocked. |
