River Herald Guide
~$0.09 low · ~$0.17 high
Green. Creature — Merfolk Scout
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan #209 · Illustrated by David Astruga
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan #209 · Illustrated by David AstrugaWhat is River Herald Guide worth?
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TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
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.)
3/1
Format legality
The only printing of River Herald Guide
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan lci #209· 2023common· Cardmarket €0.05 · €0.13 foil | common | $0.09 | $0.17 | €0.05€0.13 foil |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy River Herald Guide
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Card details
- First printed
- 2023
- Printings
- 1
- Mana value
- 3
- EDHREC rank
- #18,420 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Keywords
- Vigilance, Explore
- Artist
- David Astruga
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the The Lost Caverns of Ixalan card (#209).
0209 · LCI · C · EN
- 0209Collector number: this card's place in the set list.
- LCISet code for The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
- CCommon
- ENPrinted in English
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Rulings (6)
2023-11-10
If an ability instructs a creature to explore, its controller reveals the top card of their library. If it's a land card, they'll put it into their hand. Otherwise, they'll put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then choose to either leave that card on top of their library or put it into their graveyard.
2023-11-10
Some spells or abilities might cause a creature to explore multiple times in a row. If you reveal a nonland card when a creature explores and leave it on top of your library, then the creature explores again immediately afterwards, you'll reveal the same card again.
2023-11-10
Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
2023-11-10
If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
2023-11-10
In some unusual cases, noncreature permanents may explore. For example, if the creature card returned by Defossilize is somehow not a creature once it's on the battlefield, it can still explore. You'll take all the same actions, and you may end up putting a +1/+1 counter on the permanent. (Note that some effects target a creature, and those effects would still require a legal target to have it explore.)
2023-11-10
If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to explore but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still explores. If you reveal a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything, but you may put the revealed card into your graveyard. Effects that trigger "whenever a creature explores" trigger as appropriate.
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