Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Unpacking the Kiora’s Follower mythos: a collector’s eye on grading and authenticity 🧙♂️
For many MTG fans, a card isn’t just a number on a shelf—it’s a doorway to a memory, a flashback to a table full of friends and the ritual of shuffling sleeves. Kiora’s Follower, a Merfolk creature from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (lcc), epitomizes that blend of lore, playability, and collectible charm. This two-color body on a modest two-mana frame—{G}{U} for a 2/2—also serves as a crisp reminder of how the game’s design can fuse utility with splashy flavor. Its tap ability, “T: Untap another target permanent,” invites you to think in layers: untap a mana rock to fuel your next spell, or reset a powerhouse permanent to recenter your board state. ⚔️
The card’s rarity is uncommon, a neat middle ground that makes it a welcome target for both casual EDH players and serious set collectors. In The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander, Kiora’s Follower is a reprint, which matters for grading circles because it helps you identify print runs and potential paint differences across iterations. The 2015-era frame, black border, and nonfoil finish set the visual expectations, but the real value comes from how the card has aged in a modern EDH meta and in private collections. Its flavor text—“She may call herself Kiora but I believe she is Thassa, the embodiment of the sea and empress of the depths.”—weaves sea-sorcery lore into practical value, reminding players that the card isn’t just a mechanic but a story in motion. 🧜♀️🎨
What collectors should know: a quick snapshot of Kiora’s Follower
- Name: Kiora's Follower
- Set: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (lcc)
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Mana Cost: {G}{U}
- Type: Creature — Merfolk
- Power/Toughness: 2/2
- Oracle Text: {T}: Untap another target permanent.
- Color Identity: Green and Blue
- Legalities: Historic, Timeless, Gladiator, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Commander, and more; Standard and some others are not legal
- Art: Eric Deschamps
- Prices (Scryfall data snapshot): USD 0.18; EUR 0.44; TIX 0.16
In grading terms, this card sits in an approachable bracket for collectors who want to balance investment with genuine playability. It’s not a flashy chase mythic, but its role in EDH decks—where untapping key permanents can unlock huge value—keeps it relevant on a table where attention is earned, not demanded. The LCC print helps fans remember the Ixalan era’s love of treasure, merfolk politics, and the sea’s stubborn pull. The presence of a nonfoil, black-border, 2015-era frame is a visual anchor for graders verifying authenticity and production lineage. 🧙♂️🔥
Grading and authentication: practical steps for your Kiora’s Follower copy
If you’re building a graded collection or just want to separate pristine from plane-worn copies, here’s a concise checklist tailored to a card like Kiora’s Follower:
- : Inspect the front face; a perfectly centered card reads as clean on both edges. Most 2/2s from this era skew slightly toward one edge; a perfectly evenly centered example is a sweet find, especially for a nonfoil print.
- : The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander uses a sturdy stock with crisp lines. Look for subtle printing imperfections that could indicate reprints or knockoffs—tiny misregistrations around the mana symbols or the edge of the text box can be telling.
- : The 2015 frame should exhibit the correct serif font, the color balance for a G/U identity, and the expected black border. Faded inks, smudges, or uneven coloration often point to a counterfeit or a less-than-pristine print run.
- : Uncommons like this one carry the collector number 273 in the LCC set; verify that the symbol, set abbreviation, and year align with official listings. A mismatch here is a crimson flag.
- : Flip the card and compare the uniform back pattern; any shimmer, misprint, or altered back can betray a counterfeit.
- : This specific print is nonfoil. If you encounter a glossy finish, holographic sheen, or foil stamps in subtle areas where a nonfoil should be, that’s a sign to pause and reassess authenticity.
- : In-person or scanned checks should confirm that the text reads exactly as published: “{T}: Untap another target permanent.” Any missing punctuation or word changes can indicate a misprint or fake.
- : Use trusted sources like Scryfall (the card’s image and price data here, including USD/EUR values) to confirm printing lineage, legality, and historical pricing snapshots. A card that doesn’t align with the known data is worth extra scrutiny. 🧭
When you combine these checks with professional grading services, you’re better positioned to determine whether your copy is a faithful representation or a curious anomaly. The real joy is that even a modestly priced common-uncommon like Kiora’s Follower can carry decades of conversational weight and re-playability in a table-side EDH narrative. And let’s be honest: a clean, well-graded card sits in a display case like a lighthouse—flicker, flash, and a little magic. 🔦💎
Flavor, lore, and how the card plays into an Ixalan-era vibe 🔮
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander sets a mood: ancient underwater labyrinths, merfolk politics, and a seaworthy cunning that makes every untap a potential pivot. Kiora’s Follower embodies this dual nature: it’s compact enough to slot into ramp-mue variables but cunning enough to surprise opponents with a well-timed untap. The flavor text’s Thassa homage gives the card weight beyond its stats, transforming a simple blue-green body into a symbol of sea-born strategy. The art by Eric Deschamps captures the moment of tension and fluid motion, a reminder that every turn is another ripple in the tide of the game. 🐙🎨
“She may call herself Kiora but I believe she is Thassa, the embodiment of the sea and empress of the depths.”
For players chasing competitive edge, Kiora’s Follower is less about breaking the format and more about reliable value in EDH circles and, more broadly, a symbol of Ixalan’s mythic atmosphere. It’s also a collectible touchstone—the type of card that, while not a headline-grabber on the table, becomes a beloved piece in a well-curated deck or a treasured memory in a niche collection. The Commander set’s influence continues to echo in modern playstyles, offering timeless fun for fans who still chant “Untap” with a smile. 🧙♂️🔥
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