Simian Spirit Guide MTG Card


Enables early plays by providing additional mana without tapping lands or spending mana. Can lead to potent combos through instant speed mana acceleration. Limited to decks that can maximize its single red mana burst.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Ape Spirit
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

Remove Simian Spirit Guide in your hand from the game: Add to your mana pool.

"All my spells smell like burnt hair lately." —Jaya Ballard, task mage


Cards like Simian Spirit Guide

Simian Spirit Guide stands as a unique card within MTG, offering the immediate advantage of a mana boost when exiled from your hand. Comparable cards in this space include Elvish Spirit Guide, providing a similar effect but tapping into green mana reserves. Both are powerful tools for accelerating gameplay, allowing for sudden plays that can catch an opponent unprepared.

Then there’s Lotus Petal, a one-use artifact that’s sacrificed for one mana of any color, delivering comparable acceleration albeit without the ability to function as a creature. While each of these cards serves to speed up your deck’s capabilities, they come with the trade-off of using up resources.

In weighing the benefits, Simian Spirit Guide provides not only a sudden red mana but the potential to be a creature in a pinch, making it versatile. Its power in enabling fast and unexpected plays makes it a standout choice for decks aiming for swift and decisive action.

Elvish Spirit Guide - MTG Card versions
Lotus Petal - MTG Card versions
Elvish Spirit Guide - MTG Card versions
Lotus Petal - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Simian Spirit Guide. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
GoblinsGoblins LegacyGoblinsLegacy Challenge 32 2024-05-05
Temur CascadeTemur Cascade LegacyTemur CascadeLegacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05
Mono-Red PrisonMono-Red Prison LegacyMono-Red PrisonLegacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05
RGRG PauperPauper League 2024-05-07
PainterPainter LegacyPainterLegacy League 2024-05-07
RR LegacyLegacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05
Oops! All SpellsOops! All Spells LegacyOops! All SpellsLegacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05
Boros InitiativeBoros Initiative LegacyBoros InitiativeLegacy Challenge 64 2024-05-05
WRGWRG LegacyLegacy Challenge 32 2024-05-05
URUR VintageVintage Qualifier 2024-05-05

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Simian Spirit Guide’s main advantage is not about drawing more cards, but about the ability to effectively have an additional card’s worth of value from your hand without spending mana. This can put you a step ahead of your opponent by being able to deploy your threats or answers ahead of the normal curve.

Resource Acceleration: The power of Simian Spirit Guide lies in its exceptional resource acceleration. By exiling it from your hand, you get a quick burst of mana, which can be pivotal for executing powerful plays a turn earlier than expected, often catching opponents off guard. This mana can be the difference between winning and stalling in high-stakes scenarios.

Instant Speed: While Simian Spirit Guide itself is not an instant, its mana ability can be used at instant speed, thereby offering you the flexibility to accelerate your resources at critical moments. Whether it’s casting a disruptive spell on your opponent’s turn or pushing through a surprising combo, the Guide’s on-demand mana can be an invaluable asset in many game states.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Simian Spirit Guide demands players to exile it from their hand to gain its mana benefit. This downside effectively reduces the hand size, potentially leaving players with fewer options or responses during crucial moments of the game.

Specific Mana Cost: The benefit gained is a single red mana, which constrains its functionality to decks that can utilize red mana effectively. This specialized mana boost is less versatile compared to sources that provide any color of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When played as a creature, Simian Spirit Guide’s mana cost of three (two generic and one red mana) is considered high for a 2/2 body. Other creatures or mana accelerants might provide a more substantial board presence or faster acceleration at similar or lesser costs.


Reasons to Include Simian Spirit Guide in Your Collection

Versatility: Simian Spirit Guide provides flexibility in gameplay, allowing one to accelerate their mana, a critical aspect in formats like Modern or Legacy. Handy in a pinch, this card can provide an unexpected boost in speed to edge out competitors.

Combo Potential: The instant mana injection this ape provides can enable early game combos or serve as a surprising catalyst to trigger abilities and maneuvers that could catch an opponent off guard. It’s a lynchpin in several high-speed combo decks.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where fast plays can determine the winner, Simian Spirit Guide shines by providing a competitive advantage. This card helps in keeping pace or even outpacing opponents in high-energy matches where every turn counts.


How to beat

The Simian Spirit Guide is a card that can accelerate your opponent’s game, giving them access to mana faster than usual. This often leads to early game surprises and can swing the momentum in their favor. To counteract this advantage, one should focus on strategies to limit their mana pool and disable any benefits this extra burst might offer. Employing cards that control or restrict their land, or using instant-speed disruption to interrupt pivotal plays they might make with that mana, can be effective. Keeping a close eye on their graveyard is also crucial, as some decks may aim to bring Simian Spirit Guide back from it for another round of mana acceleration.

Furthermore, incorporating hand disruption methods into your deck helps keep the Simian Spirit Guide from catching you unawares. Thoughtseize and similar cards allow you to preemptively remove this threat from your opponent’s hand before it can affect the game. In all, the key to overcoming the Simian Spirit Guide lies in anticipating this added mana and having a plan in place to mitigate the early advantage it could potentially grant your opponent.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unpacking the ins and outs of Simian Spirit Guide reveals its pivotal role in accelerating gameplay across various MTG formats. Its adeptness in enabling quick plays makes it quite the catch for your mana-hungry decks. Gather up the savvy to leap ahead in the game with resource management and surprise maneuvers. Keep in mind the tactical trade-offs and forge a balanced strategy where this clever primate fits just right. Curious to advance your deck-building prowess or eager to outwit opponents? Dive deeper with us and enrich your collection with versatile cards like Simian Spirit Guide. Add finesse to your game with a turn of speed!


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Simian Spirit Guide MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Masters 25, 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 Simian Spirit Guide and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Simian Spirit Guide Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 1222003NormalBlackDave DeVries
22018-03-16Masters 25A25 1482015NormalBlackDave DeVries
32020-09-26The ListPLST PLC-1222003NormalBlackDave DeVries
42021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 1902015NormalBlackLucas Graciano

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Simian Spirit Guide has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernBanned
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Simian Spirit Guide card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-03-19 If a spell or ability’s cost includes returning a creature to your hand and paying mana, you can’t activate Simian Spirit Guide’s mana ability after returning it to your hand. This is because mana abilities must be activated before you begin paying costs.