River Herald Guide
Creature — Merfolk Scout
Vigilance
When this creature enters, it explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #17088
River Herald Guide puts a +1/+1 counter on a Merfolk you control when it enters, then cantrips when it attacks — two incremental benefits stapled to a two-mana 1/1 that trades with almost anything. It's a role-player in dedicated Merfolk tribal builds, nothing more.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, River Herald Guide is a strict Merfolk tribal inclusion — it does nothing outside that archetype and is borderline even within it, since the counter and the cantrip are both small-ball in a format where everything is bigger. In Pauper, the common slot is competitive and River Herald Guide doesn't clear the bar; Merfolk strategies there prefer tempo pieces with immediate board impact rather than a 1/1 that needs to attack to replace itself. Modern and Pioneer Merfolk are too streamlined for a two-mana 1/1 with no evasion. Standard is the most forgiving environment, where the combination of a free counter and guaranteed card draw on attack can earn a fringe slot if Merfolk tribal is a supported theme in the format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, River Herald Guide is pure bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not power. That price is stable by definition; there's no demand spike coming for a narrow tribal common with no competitive home.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.