Forerunner of the Heralds
Creature — Merfolk Scout
When this creature enters, you may search your library for a Merfolk card, reveal it, then shuffle and put that card on top.
Whenever another Merfolk you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Rivals of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.43
- EDHREC rank
- #9059
Forerunner of the Heralds enters, tutors any Merfolk to the top of your library, and permanently pumps every Merfolk you control with +1/+1 counters each time another Merfolk enters after it — that's a tutor and an anthem stapled to a creature for four mana. In Merfolk tribal, that's not a support piece; it's a engine piece.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca runs on tapping and untapping Merfolk, and Forerunner of the Heralds feeds that engine twice over — first by finding whichever Merfolk Kumena needs most, then by stacking +1/+1 counters that make every subsequent tap activation more threatening.
Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Hakbal of the Surging Soul cares about Merfolk entering with counters and exploring, so Forerunner of the Heralds pulling the right piece at the right time — while simultaneously growing every Merfolk on the board — maps perfectly onto what Hakbal wants to be doing each turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Forerunner of the Heralds is a Commander card, full stop. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, a four-mana 2/2 that tops your library is too slow and too fragile when you could run Lord of Atlantis or Aether Vial effects instead. Legacy has the same problem compounded by the format's speed. Commander is where Forerunner of the Heralds earns its slot: the singleton rule makes the tutor effect genuinely valuable, the game goes long enough for the counter-stacking to matter, and tribal synergies compound in ways that 60-card formats never enable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.43 bulk tier
At $0.43, Forerunner of the Heralds is bulk, and that price is about right for a card with a narrow tribal home and zero competitive demand outside Commander. It's a stable pick-up — no reason to expect movement in either direction.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.