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Karmic Guide

Creature — Angel Spirit

Flying, protection from black
Echo {3}{W}{W} (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.)
When this creature enters, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{W}{W}
Color identity
W
Rarity
rare
Set
Forgotten Realms Commander
Price
$1.21
EDHREC rank
#926
Buy on TCGplayer
Karmic Guide card art
Karmic Guide enters and immediately returns any creature from your graveyard to the battlefield — that's a reanimation spell stapled to a flying body for five mana. The echo cost is a real downside, but the Reveillark loop it enables is one of Commander's most resilient infinite combos, and Sefris of the Hidden Ways lists run it at over 60% inclusion for exactly that reason.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

02
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

61.3% of decks · synergy 0.55

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death recurs small creatures from the graveyard on attack, but Karmic Guide does something Alesha can't — it brings back any creature regardless of power, letting the deck access its biggest threats on demand.

04
Terra, Herald of Hope

Terra, Herald of Hope

57.5% of decks · synergy 0.51

Terra, Herald of Hope decks lean on recursive creature loops to generate value, and Karmic Guide slots in as a reusable reanimation piece that keeps the engine running through interaction.

05
Karador, Ghost Chieftain

Karador, Ghost Chieftain

55.9% of decks · synergy 0.51

Karador, Ghost Chieftain already wants to cast creatures from the graveyard, and Karmic Guide extends that game plan by pulling back high-impact bodies that cost more than Karador can cast in a turn.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Karmic Guide lives — the format's longer games and graveyard-centric strategies give the echo cost enough time to matter less than the immediate value it provides. The Reveillark loop is a known and feared line in the format, which means Karmic Guide draws hate, but that's a sign of power, not a reason to cut it. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but sees essentially no play; the formats move too fast for a five-mana creature that asks you to pay echo. Pauper, Pioneer, and Standard are all off the table, so if you're building outside Commander, this card has no home.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

6,815 decks
Preston, the VanisherKarmic GuideFelidar Guardian

Preston, the VanisherKarmic GuideFelidar Guardian

Exile all nonland permanents opponents control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite blinking of permanents; Infinite creature tokens; Infinite landfall triggers; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite mana lands you control that enter the battlefield untapped can produce

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$1.21 cheap tier

At $1.21, Karmic Guide is cheap for what it does — a card that anchors infinite combo lines in one of Commander's most popular archetypes should cost more and probably will as more players discover the Reveillark loop. Run it now while it's in budget range.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.