Guru Pathik
Legendary Creature — Human Monk Ally
When Guru Pathik enters, look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a Lesson, Saga, or Shrine card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Whenever you cast a Lesson, Saga, or Shrine spell, put a +1/+1 counter on another target creature you control.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Price
- $0.23
- EDHREC rank
- #10528
Guru Pathik converts life total padding into cards — a straightforward draw engine that scales with how much life your deck accumulates. Iroh, Grand Lotus decks run it in nearly 40% of lists because the combination rewards life-gain payoffs with consistent hand refueling at a reasonable mana investment.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Iroh, Grand Lotus
Iroh, Grand Lotus generates life as a byproduct of its engine, and Guru Pathik turns that surplus directly into cards — the two pieces reinforce each other so naturally that the pairing shows up in 39% of Iroh lists.
Go-Shintai of Life's Origin
Go-Shintai of Life's Origin runs a wide enchantment-heavy gameplan that often accumulates incidental life gain, making Guru Pathik a clean draw outlet that doesn't compete with the enchantment theme for deck slots.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Guru Pathik is legal across Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Standard, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but competitive non-rotating formats have no interest in a five-mana enchantment that draws conditionally. In Standard and Pioneer it's theoretically slottable in a dedicated life-gain shell, but faster and more reliable draw options crowd it out. Commander is where Guru Pathik actually earns a slot — multiplayer life totals start high, life-gain commanders generate surplus regularly, and the enchantment type matters for synergy payoffs in decks like Go-Shintai of Life's Origin.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.23 bulk tier
At $0.23, Guru Pathik is bulk — easy to acquire and easy to cut without regret. The price reflects its narrow role: it's a role-player in specific life-gain commanders, not a staple, so don't expect it to climb.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Iroh, Grand Lotus
- Go-Shintai of Life's Origin
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.